Mikael Granlund

Midweek Stock Report: Hats off to Wild's Granlund

Published Feb. 8, 2017 1:29 p.m. ET

Ryan Lund

Every Wednesday, FOX Sports North takes a look at which athletes' stock is trending up and whose is trending down.

In other words, who is heating up and who is cooling off.

With that in mind, let's take stock of the current Minnesota sports scene.

Mikael Granlund, Wild forward

We covered the fifth-year Finn's breakout earlier this week, but it bears repeating: At his current pace (1.25 points per game since Dec. 7) Granlund is on pace to challenge for the Hart Trophy. Granlund had his first NHL hat trick in the Wild's 6-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, before having his franchise-record 12-game point streak snapped by the Winnipeg Jets. He's registered 34 points since Dec. 7 -- a figure that leads the NHL over that span -- and ranks 14th on the season with 48 points.

Eric Schierhorn, Gophers goalie

Schierhorn's .904 save percentage remains troubling, but the sophomore shined for the Gophers in a weekend series against Penn State. Schierhorn made 66 of 69 saves on the weekend, leading Minnesota to a 5-1 win on Friday, followed by a 5-2 win on Saturday over the nation's top-ranked offense. The Nittany Lions have averaged 4.17 goals per game this season, one of just two teams to crack the four-goal mark.

Jason Pominville, Wild forward

Pominville racked up two goals and two assists in the Wild's win over the Jets, his best game since joining the Wild and first four-point outing since 2011. Pominville hooked up with Charlie Coyle for a pair of goals, while adding assists on goals by Nino Niederreiter.

Minnesota United FC

The Loons' march towards their MLS debut continues. United played the New England Revolution and Croatian club NK Istra 1961 to a pair 1-1 draws in preseason action last week and announced their own development academy. The club will join the U.S. Soccer Development Academy system, beginning with under-13 and under-14 squads.

Zach LaVine, Wolves guard

LaVine's is done for the year after tearing his left ACL in a game against the Detroit Pistons last week. It's a major blow to the Wolves' playoff hopes and an even more significant one to the young guard's development. LaVine ranked third on the team in scoring prior to his injury at 18.9 points per game.

Andrew Wiggins, Wolves forward

Wiggins had a productive week, but a pair of misses in the Wolves' 115-113 loss to the Miami Heat may have cost Minnesota a win. He had a chance to put the Wolves up by one on a 19-foot jumper with 11 seconds remaining after grabbing a crucial steal, and had a chance to tie the game with one second to go on a 15-footer from the baseline.

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Mikael Granlund