The Finnish contingent at the 2022 IIHF World Championships just got notably stronger. The IIHF announced today that Finland added Nashville Predators forward Mikael Granlund to their roster.
The news comes after Granlund’s Predators were swept out of the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche. Granlund had three assists in four playoff games, capping off what was a great 2021-22 campaign for him with 64 points in 80 regular-season games.
It’s Granlund’s first time representing Finland at this tournament since 2018 when he was a member of the Minnesota Wild. That year, he served as Finland’s captain, potting two goals and seven assists in eight games as the team lost in the quarterfinals.
This time around, he’ll serve as an alternate captain alongside former NHL defenseman Sami Vatanen and national team veteran Marko Anttila. They sit behind captain Valtteri Filppula as the NHL veteran attempts to join the Triple Gold club with a gold medal in this tournament. Finland got off to a 1-0 start yesterday, defeating Norway 5-0 in their opening game of the Worlds.