Kari Markus Granlund (born 16 April 1993) is a
Finnish professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
forward who is currently playing with
Genève-Servette HC of the
National League
National League often refers to:
*National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada
*National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
(NL). After the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
, he elected to leave the KHL team
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Hockey Club Salavat Yulaev (; ), commonly referred as Salavat Yulaev Ufa, is a professional ice hockey club based in Ufa, Russia. It is a member of the Chernyshev Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Established in 1957, Salavat Yu ...
. He is a second-round selection of the
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...
, taken 45th overall at the
2011 NHL Entry Draft
The 2011 NHL entry draft was the 49th entry draft for the National Hockey League. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the ...
. Granlund played two seasons in the
SM-liiga
The Liiga, colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. The league comprises 16 teams from all around Finland with relegation and promotion between the Mest ...
for
HIFK
HIFK, the Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna, Helsingfors (IFK, Helsingfors) rf (officially abbreviated IFK Helsingfors, colloquially often Helsingfors IFK or Helsingin IFK) is a multi-sport association based in Helsinki, Finland. Formed in 1897 on ...
before moving to North America to join the Flames organization in 2013. His older brother
Mikael plays in the NHL for the
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...
.
Playing career

A native of
Oulu
Oulu ( , ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the northwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Oulujoki, River Oulu. The population of Oulu is approximately , while the Oulu sub-regio ...
, Finland, Granlund played minor hockey in his hometown before joining
Helsinki
Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
-based club
HIFK
HIFK, the Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna, Helsingfors (IFK, Helsingfors) rf (officially abbreviated IFK Helsingfors, colloquially often Helsingfors IFK or Helsingin IFK) is a multi-sport association based in Helsinki, Finland. Formed in 1897 on ...
's junior teams in 2009. He made his
SM-liiga
The Liiga, colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. The league comprises 16 teams from all around Finland with relegation and promotion between the Mest ...
debut in the
2010–11 season, appearing in two games with the senior squad, but spent the majority of the year with HIFK's junior team, where he recorded 20 goals and 52 points in 40 games. The
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL)'s
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...
selected him with their second round pick, 45th overall, at the
2011 NHL Entry Draft
The 2011 NHL entry draft was the 49th entry draft for the National Hockey League. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the ...
. Granlund opted to remain in Finland for the
2011–12 season where he joined HIFK's senior team full-time and played on the same
line as his brother,
Mikael.
Markus finished the season with 34 points in 47 games, then recorded 30 points in 50 games for HIFK in
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
.
Granlund moved to North America following his second year in the SM-liiga as he signed a three-year contract with the Flames on 19 April 2013. He was assigned to Calgary's
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
(AHL) affiliate, the
Abbotsford Heat
The Abbotsford Heat were a professional ice hockey team that played five seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) between 2009 and 2014. The team was based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, and played its home games at the 7,046-seat A ...
, to begin the
2013–14 season. He initially struggled to adapt to life in Canada, and while he had a clause in his contract that would allow him to return to Finland, Granlund opted to remain with the Flames organization.
He earned a brief recall to Calgary in late December 2013 but did not appear in an NHL game. Granlund was the AHL's leading goal scorer among rookies with 23 at the time of his second recall in late February, and made his NHL debut on 27 February 2014, in a 2–0 loss to the
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...
. He recorded his first NHL point in his third game, an assist on 3 March against his brother's
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...
. On the same day, the AHL named him that league's rookie of the month for February. He recorded 12 points in 10 games and was a
+6 over that time. Granlund scored his first goal two nights later in a 4–1 win over the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...
.
In the , the last season of his entry-level deal, Granlund was reassigned to begin the year with new AHL affiliate, the
Stockton Heat
The Stockton Heat were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2015 to 2022. The team was based in Stockton, California, and was affiliated with the National Hockey League (NHL) Calgary Flames. The Hea ...
. The Flames recalled him after scoring a goal and assist in the Heat's inaugural game on 15 October 2015. After 31 games with the Flames, contributing with 7 points, Granlund was traded by Calgary to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for
Hunter Shinkaruk
Hunter Shinkaruk (born October 13, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward who is currently signed to UK Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) side Cardiff Devils. He was selected in the first round, 24th overall, by th ...
on 22 February 2016. On 22 June 2018, the Canucks re-signed Granlund to a one year, 1.475M contract.
During the 2019 offseason, the Canucks did not tender a qualifying offer to Granlund, releasing him as a free agent. On 1 July 2019, he agreed to a one-year, $1.3 million contract with his third Western Canadian club, the
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...
. In the , Granlund struggled to make an impression with the Oilers collecting just three goals and 4 points in 34 regular season games before he was waived and reassigned to AHL affiliate, the
Bakersfield Condors
The Bakersfield Condors are a professional ice hockey team based in Bakersfield, California. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The Condors play their home games at Dignity Healt ...
. Granlund registered 15 points in 20 games with the Condors before the season was abruptly ended due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
As an impending free agent and left off the Oilers' return-to-play roster, Granlund halted his NHL career by agreeing to a two-year contract with Russian club
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Hockey Club Salavat Yulaev (; ), commonly referred as Salavat Yulaev Ufa, is a professional ice hockey club based in Ufa, Russia. It is a member of the Chernyshev Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Established in 1957, Salavat Yu ...
of the
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; ) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in Russia (20), Belarus (1), Kazakhstan (1), and China (1) for a total of 23 clubs.
It was considered in ...
on 17 July 2020.
During the midst of his second season with Salavat, in March 2022, Granlund left Salavat Yulaev Ufa ahead of the playoffs due to the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
.
As a free agent, Granlund continued his European career by signing a two-year contract with Swiss
National League
National League often refers to:
*National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada
*National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
club,
HC Lugano
Hockey Club Lugano, often abbreviated to HC Lugano or HCL, is a professional ice hockey club based in Lugano, Switzerland. The team competes in the National League (NL) and has won seven Swiss championships.
History
The founding of HC Lugano took ...
, on 19 July 2022.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
See also
*
List of family relations in the NHL
This is a list of family relations in the National Hockey League. Since the creation of the National Hockey League in 1917–18 NHL season, 1917, family members have been involved in all aspects of the league. Although most connections are among ...
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Granlund, Markus
1993 births
Living people
Abbotsford Heat players
Adirondack Flames players
Bakersfield Condors players
Calgary Flames draft picks
Calgary Flames players
Edmonton Oilers players
Finnish ice hockey centres
HIFK (ice hockey) players
HC Lugano players
Salavat Yulaev Ufa players
Ice hockey people from Oulu
Stockton Heat players
Vancouver Canucks players
Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Olympic ice hockey players for Finland
Medalists at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for Finland
Olympic medalists in ice hockey
21st-century Finnish sportsmen