Mikael Granlund: 2010 NHL Draft Profile and Scouting Report

Mikael Granlund, HIFK Helsinki (Finland)

Position: Center | Height: 5-foot-9 | Weight 167 lbs
FanHouse Ranking: No. 13 | Age: 18 | Hometown: Oulu, Finland

More: Top 35 Prospects | Full 2010 NHL Draft Coverage

Mikael Granlund 2009-10 Stats
	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Regular Season	43	13	27	40

The run on European prospects continues, and Granlund is the kind of player who could get picked a little higher than his actual rank among the prospects.

Some scouts have compared him to fellow Finn Saku Koivu, who starred for many years with the Canadiens and was regarded as a great leader. That comparison alone will win some people over. It helps that Granlund was a solid playmaker for Finland in the World Juniors, scoring seven points in seven games while playing with a bunch of older players.

In Helsinki, he showed himself as a capable playmaker and a hard worker. His talents, though, could be buried a bit because of concerns over his size. He's not frail, but he's also not tall or particularly strong (yet). Expect Granlund to be a bit slower than some prospects because of the size issue, but he could be a real offensive force in the NHL as that part of his game develops.

As you can see in this video, Granlund (No. 64) can do a lot of good things with the puck on his stick.