Granlund 'the right choice' for Team Finland captain at Olympics

MILAN -- When Team Finland calls, Mikael Granlund almost always answers emphatically.

This time around, the ask is bigger than ever before.

The forward with the Anaheim Ducks is tasked with captaining Finland because established captain Aleksander Barkov is sidelined with a knee injury that has caused the Florida Panthers forward to miss the entire NHL season.

“It’s a big honor for sure,” said Granlund, who has captained Finland at the IIHF World Junior Championship (2012) and at the IIHF World Championship (2018, 2024). “There’s been some great leaders in Finnish hockey and being a part of that group right now is a big honor.”

Finland opens its Olympic campaign against Slovakia in Group B at Santagiulia Arena on Wednesday (10:40 am. ET; Peacock, USA, CBC Gem, TSN, CBC). Traditional rival Sweden and host Italy are the other two teams in the group.

Granlund is joined in the leadership group by Mikko Rantanen of the Dallas Stars and Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes, each of whom was named an alternate captain.

Those two forwards are brighter stars than Granlund in today’s NHL, but neither is more important to the history of the Finnish national team, says Rantanen.

“The leadership, just how much he has played and how well he has always played in the Finnish national team,” Rantanen said. “Lots of experience in the NHL, but also two World Championship gold medals in the men’s national team here. A veteran guy and everybody follows his lead. The right choice, for sure.”

Granlund's former teammate Roope Hintz agrees. The two played part of last season together with the Stars as well as at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

“You know how many games he has played in the national team jersey,” Hintz said. “It’s what he has gone through and seen in the past years and then how he is playing and then how he is as a guy. He’s a great guy and everyone respects him."

In this case, production drives respect.

Since Granlund joined the national team for the 2009 IIHF U18 World Championship, he has been a fixture. He has 94 games with the Three Lions and he has won the two World Championships (2011, 2022) referenced by Rantanen. He also won silver in the 2016 World Championship. Two years earlier, he was part of the iconic team that won a bronze medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, one of the proudest moments in the history of this hockey-mad country.

In 10 of his 14 national team tournaments, he has averaged at least a point per game, including getting four points (three goals, one assist) in three games last season at the 4 Nations.

“When he puts the Finland jersey on, it feels like he gets another step in his game,” Rantanen said.

Granlund knows he has a tough task. The Finns are not as fancied as Team USA or Team Canada. Rival Sweden is also considered a better side by many observers. But, long odds have never bothered Finland.

They have an identity that has been developed since the core of the roster started playing together in World Championships. They know who they are and what their roles are. They accept it and embrace it.

It’s always been a trademark of the team. It’s a perfect template for this tournament, which lasts 12 days.

“That’s the biggest challenge in this tournament, it’s a quick one,” Granlund said. “Whoever can kind of find their game and togetherness the fastest, they are going to be in good shape. That’s one of the challenges here.”