Markus Granlund

Kari Markus Granlund (born 16 April 1993) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing with Genève-Servette HC of the National League (NL). He is a second-round selection of the Calgary Flames, taken 45th overall at the 2011 NHL entry draft. Granlund played two seasons in the SM-liiga for HIFK before moving to North America to join the Flames organization in 2013. His older brother Mikael plays in the NHL for the Anaheim Ducks.

Playing career

A native of Oulu, Finland, Granlund played minor hockey in his hometown before joining Helsinki-based club HIFK's junior teams in 2009. He made his SM-liiga 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 (NHL)'s Calgary Flames selected him with their second round pick, 45th overall, at the 2011 NHL entry draft. 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.

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 (AHL) affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat, 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. 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. He recorded his first NHL point in his third game, an assist on 3 March against his brother's Minnesota Wild. 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.

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 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 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. 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. Granlund registered 15 points in 20 games with the Condors before the season was abruptly ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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 of the Kontinental Hockey League 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.

As a free agent, Granlund continued his European career by signing a two-year contract with Swiss National League club, HC Lugano, on 19 July 2022.

On 31 May 2024, Granlund signed with NL team Genève-Servette HC.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2009–10 HIFK FIN U18 8 9 17 26 6 — — — — — 2009–10 HIFK FIN U20 37 17 25 42 38 14 2 11 13 18 2010–11 HIFK FIN U20 40 20 32 52 49 5 4 5 9 6 2010–11 HIFK SM-l 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2010–11 Team Finland U20 Mestis 6 3 3 6 6 — — — — — 2011–12 HIFK SM-l 47 15 19 34 18 3 0 0 0 0 2011–12 Kiekko–Vantaa Mestis 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2011–12 HIFK FIN U20 — — — — — 1 1 0 1 0 2012–13 HIFK SM-l 50 10 20 30 18 5 1 2 3 4 2013–14 Abbotsford Heat AHL 50 23 21 44 22 4 2 3 5 2 2013–14 Calgary Flames NHL 7 2 1 3 0 — — — — — 2014–15 Adirondack Flames AHL 21 9 8 17 14 — — — — — 2014–15 Calgary Flames NHL 48 8 10 18 16 3 0 1 1 0 2015–16 Stockton Heat AHL 12 5 4 9 10 — — — — — 2015–16 Calgary Flames NHL 31 4 3 7 8 — — — — — 2015–16 Vancouver Canucks NHL 16 2 1 3 6 — — — — — 2016–17 Vancouver Canucks NHL 69 19 13 32 14 — — — — — 2017–18 Vancouver Canucks NHL 53 8 4 12 8 — — — — — 2018–19 Vancouver Canucks NHL 77 12 10 22 20 — — — — — 2019–20 Edmonton Oilers NHL 34 3 1 4 14 — — — — — 2019–20 Bakersfield Condors AHL 20 6 9 15 14 — — — — — 2020–21 Salavat Yulaev Ufa KHL 50 23 30 53 26 9 3 5 8 6 2021–22 Salavat Yulaev Ufa KHL 41 8 30 38 16 — — — — — 2022–23 HC Lugano NL 47 22 23 45 22 7 2 6 8 8 2023–24 HC Lugano NL 20 4 12 16 10 — — — — — 2024–25 Genève–Servette HC NL 39 21 26 47 42 — — — — — 2025–26 Genève–Servette HC NL 49 22 32 54 20 12 4 5 9 2 SM-l totals 99 25 39 64 36 — — — — — NHL totals 335 58 43 101 86 3 0 1 1 0KHL totals 91 31 60 91 42 9 3 5 8 6

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2010 Finland U17 10th 5 2 3 5 16 2010 Finland WJC18 6 1 5 6 4 2011 Finland WJC18 5th 6 2 8 10 6 2012 Finland WJC 4th 7 2 5 7 6 2013 Finland WJC 7th 6 5 7 12 4 2022 Finland OG 6 0 1 1 25 Junior totals 30 12 28 40 36 Senior totals 6 0 1 1 25