If there ever was a script to Mikael Granlund’s NHL career, it wasn’t followed.
Granlund arrived in North America in 2012, to much fanfare, although the NHL was in lockdown mode. The Minnesota Wild prospect spent the fall in the AHL with the Houston Aeros.
A highly skilled forward, Granlund did fairly well in the AHL. When the NHL finally kicked off in January 2013, “Granny” scored a goal in his debut. The joy was short-lived, though. Back to the AHL he headed after a series of unspectacular displays.
It soon became clear Granlund wasn’t the rainmaker that his European success – an IIHF Worlds gold medal, complete with a legendary lacrosse-style goal – promised him to be.