ST. PAUL, Minn. — The wait is over. Mikael Granlund is now a member of the Minnesota Wild.
In a surprise video posted to the team's website Wednesday morning, Granlund personally announced his signing with a message to the Minnesota fans who have eagerly awaited Granlund's arrival since he was selected ninth overall in the 2010 draft.
"Hello Minnesota Wild fans, I'm excited to announce that I've officially joined the Wild and I'm part of the State of Hockey. I can't wait to see you all in October," Granlund said on the video, which included a series of his highlights.
And the plays featured in the video have turned Granlund into one of the most-hyped prospects in Wild history and made him a star in his native Finland. He played in the top Finnish league, appeared on a postage stamp after a highlight goal against Russia during the 2011 World Championships and recently completed another World Championships appearance, along with Wild captain Mikko Koivu, as Finland lost in the third-place game.
Granlund, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound center, signed a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal is reportedly worth $2.7 million with a $90,000 signing bonus and performance bonuses. The Wild had to wait until the World Championships were over before finalizing the contract.
If Granlund hadn't been signed by June 1, Minnesota would have lost his rights and he would have gone back into the draft. However, the signing delay was only procedural, and there was mutual interest from both sides in getting a deal done. Granlund wanted to finish high school, fulfill his military commitment and play one more season in the Finnish Elite League.
"Everything he said to us was true, and we've had a very good relationship for two seasons," Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher said Wednesday. "Mikael is a world-class player. . . . He's played very well within his age group and also playing against men. He's played three seasons in the SM-Ligia and arguably been the top player in the league over those three seasons. He has a lot of high-level experience, and certainly we feel he's a top prospect."
Granlund, 20, is the crown jewel of a group of prospects the Wild hope will turn around a team that has gone four straight seasons without a playoff appearance. Minnesota has one of the deepest set of prospects in the NHL, led by Granlund, who was anointed the No. 2 overall prospect behind Washington's Evgeny Kuznetsov by The Hockey News in its annual February Future Watch.
Along with Granlund, defenseman Jonas Brodin (ranked No. 12 in February), forward Charlie Coyle (14th), goaltender Matt Hackett (35th), winger Johan Larsson (38th) and forward Brett Bulmer (69th), forwards Zack Phillips, Jason Zucker and Mario Lucia and goaltender Darcy Kuempfer helped the Wild go from 29th to the seventh-overall rated organization.
Granlund accomplished nearly everything possible while in Finland. He won the SM-Liiga's Rookie of the Year award three seasons ago, scoring 40 points in 43 games. He had 36 points in 39 games the next season while leading his team to a championship with 16 points in 15 playoff games. This past season, he was sixth in the league in scoring with 51 points (20 goals, 31 assists) despite missing 15 games. Competing against much-older players each step of the way, he was the league leader in points per game the past two seasons.
"I've always played with the older guys," Granlund said. "The first time I was in the league I was 17 and everything just went good. Bigger and faster guys they are, but I just try competition-wise and work hard and try to do things where I am good. I'm never going to be the biggest or the toughest player, but I try to work hard and be smarter than other guys."
He's also been a key member of his country's past two World Junior Championships teams, again going up against much older players. Last year, Granlund had a lacrosse-style goal in which he scooped up the puck and flipped it in from behind the net, leading to his appearance on the postage stamp. Playing with Koivu the past two years in the World Championships was another step for Granlund, who will next join Minnesota at its development camp in July.
From there, he's sure to take off as a Minnesota fan favorite.
"I think it will be in some extent a relief," said his agent, Todd Diamond. "In some ways and some situations he can be a little bit like Lennon and McCartney walking in the streets over there. If you look at Google searches, he's the most Googled athlete in the country the past couple of years. I think one thing Mikael has done really well is, he's played with older guys, come into professional environments and blends in very well with older players."
With all of his other obligations out of the way, Granlund is ready to join the Wild, and Fletcher said the Finnish phenom is expected to start next season in the NHL.
"We're projecting based on what we've seen, but certainly I feel he's ready to play in the NHL and our expectation is he'll play for our club next year and contribute," the Wild's GM said. "Again, it's very difficult to know at what level a 20-year-old will be able to step in and play in terms of numbers and exact role. That will be up to him and how he performs. Obviously, he'll have to come to camp and play hard and earn that spot, but there's no reason to believe he won't."
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