Mikael Granlund has another captaincy on his résumé, and this one comes with the Anaheim Ducks.
The Ducks announced Tuesday that Granlund has been named the 10th captain in franchise history, stepping into the role that was previously held by defenseman Radko Gudas before Gudas was traded to the Florida Panthers during the offseason.
Granlund, 34, is beginning his second season in Anaheim after signing a three-year contract with the club in July 2025. Last season, he put up 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points in 58 games, then added five goals and 10 points in 12 playoff games as Anaheim got back to the postseason.
For Granlund, this is the latest stop in a career that started with plenty of promise in Minnesota. The Wild took the Finnish forward ninth overall in the 2010 NHL Draft, and he made his NHL debut in the 2012-13 season. He went on to spend parts of seven seasons with Minnesota, piling up 93 goals and 224 assists for 317 points in 461 regular-season games, along with eight goals and 21 points in 39 playoff games.
His strongest stretch in a Wild sweater came in 2016-17, when he scored 26 goals and finished with a career-high 69 points. He followed that with another 67-point season in 2017-18.
Granlund’s Minnesota chapter ended at the 2019 trade deadline, when the Wild sent him to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Kevin Fiala. Since then, he has also played for Pittsburgh, San Jose, Dallas and Anaheim.
The captaincy is not new territory for him. Granlund served as Finland’s captain at the 2026 Winter Olympics and also wore the “C” for Finland at the 2012 World Junior Championship.
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Wild Young Forwards Are Giving Fans Real Reason For Hope
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Against the Chicago Blackhawks, Brink stood out with two goals, Shabanov added one of his own and Yurov flashed some of the quieter details that can win a coaching staff over, including his work away from the puck and in the faceoff circle. For a team trying to sort out roles before opening night, the encouraging part is not just the production, but the variety of ways these forwards are trying to earn meaningful minutes. [Read more 🡒]