Granlund Awarded Rookie Of The Month
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Minnesota Wild prospect Mikael Granlund's first month of professional hockey in North America was a good one.
The American Hockey League announced today the Houston Aeros center has been selected as the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for October.
Granlund tallied three goals and seven assists for 10 points, along with a plus-5 rating, in seven games for Houston last month.
After being held scoreless in his AHL debut on Oct. 13, Granlund strung together a six-game scoring streak, beginning with an assist on Oct. 14 at San Antonio for his first career point. He recorded another assist on Oct. 19 vs. Texas, then erupted for a four-point night with two goals and two assists in a 5-3 win at Texas on Oct. 20. Granlund scored a power-play goal and registered a game-high six shots in a 6-4 win at Oklahoma City on Oct. 26, and finished the month with two assists in the Aeros’ 4-0 win over Milwaukee on Oct. 27.
A first-round draft pick (ninth overall) by the Minnesota Wild in 2010, the 20-year-old Granlund spent the last three seasons with HIFK Helsinki in Finland’s SM-liiga and helped the club win the league championship in 2011. Granlund also won a gold medal with Finland at the 2011 World Championships, and earned a spot on the tournament all-star team at the 2012 World Junior Championships.
In recognition of his achievement, Granlund will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Aeros home game.
