The Minnesota Wild have made an interesting move prior to this evening’s tilt against Calgary by recalling Michael Keranen from AHL Iowa.
Keranen, 25, was signed last summer following a banner year for Tampere of the SM-liiga in which he scored 52 points in 52 games and captured two of Finland’s biggest awards; the first was the “Golden Helmet” — the league’s top player, voted by the players — which was previously won by the likes of Tim Thomas, Ville Leino, Saku Koivu and Brian Rafalski.
The second was the Lasse Oksanen Trophy, awarded annually to the SM-liiga’s best player during the regular season. Two years ago, current Blackhawks goalie Antti Raanta captured the trophy.
This year, Keranen’s scored 32 points in 52 games for Iowa and leads the team in assists, with 23.
It’ll be interesting to see if Keranen draws in tonight and makes his NHL debut. Thomas Vanek is questionable, per the Star-Tribune, which means Keranen could draw a pretty plum assignment playing alongside some skill guys.