Erik Haula

Erik Haula
Born (1991-03-23) March 23, 1991
Pori, Finland
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
NHL team Minnesota Wild
National team  Finland
NHL Draft 182nd overall, 2009
Minnesota Wild
Playing career 2013–present

Erik Haula (born March 23, 1991) is a Finnish professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). Haula was selected by the Wild in the seventh round, 182nd overall, of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Amateur

Haula played the 2008–09 hockey season with Shattuck-Saint Mary's in Faribault, Minnesota. There he tallied 24 goals and 55 assists for 79 points in 49 games played. In March 2009, Haula committed to the University of Minnesota. He would be only the second player born outside of North America to play for the Gophers, following future Wild teammate Thomas Vanek of Austria.[1] Three months later, on June 27, 2009, Haula was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the seventh round, 182nd overall, at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Before attending the University of Minnesota, however, Haula first played at the junior level in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Omaha Lancers for the 2009–10 season while he attended Daniel J. Gross Catholic High School. His 28 goals and 44 assists with a plus-minus rating of +36 helped lead the Lancers to the Western Division finals. In his sole USHL season, he was named to the All-Star and All-Rookie teams. [1]

After leaving the USHL, Haula totaled 42 goals, 82 assists and 124 points in 114 games during three seasons of college ice hockey with the Gophers. He then decided to forgo his senior year and final season of eligibility to sign professionally with the Wild.

Professional

On April 7, 2013, the Minnesota Wild signed Haula to an entry-level contract.[2] During the 2013–14 season on November 29, 2013, the Wild recalled Haula from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL) to make his NHL debut, where he scored first NHL point, an assist, and he was named the game's third star in a 3–1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.[3][4] On December 9, Haula was reassigned to Iowa.[5] In his return to Minnesota, on January 18, 2014, Haula scored his first career NHL goal against the Dallas Stars in the first period. During 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, he scored four goals and three assists in 13 playoff games.

Following the 2014–15 NHL season Haula became a restricted free agent under the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Minnesota Wild made him a qualifying offer to retain his NHL rights and, on July 5, 2015, Haula filed for Salary Arbitration.[6]

The 2015-16 season saw a breakout year for Haula, as he set NHL personal bests in goals, assists, and points, more than doubling his previous highs in all three categories. He centered Minnesota's third line with Nino Niederreiter and Jason Pominville, quickly becoming Minnesota's most effective line offensively as well as acting as a shutdown line against the league's best.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2008–09 Shattuck-Saint Mary's Midget AAA 49 24 55 79 42 — — — — —
2009–10 Omaha Lancers USHL 56 28 44 72 59 8 2 9 11 2
2010–11 University of Minnesota WCHA 34 6 18 24 22 — — — — —
2011–12 University of Minnesota WCHA 43 20 29 49 30 — — — — —
2012–13 University of Minnesota WCHA 37 16 35 51 14 — — — — —
2012–13 Houston Aeros AHL 6 0 2 2 2 5 1 1 2 4
2013–14 Iowa Wild AHL 31 14 13 27 14 — — — — —
2013–14 Minnesota Wild NHL 46 6 9 15 29 13 4 3 7 0
2014–15 Minnesota Wild NHL 72 7 7 14 32 2 1 0 1 0
2015–16 Minnesota Wild NHL 76 14 20 34 24 5 1 3 4 2
NHL totals 194 27 36 63 85 20 6 6 12 2

International

Medal record
Representing  Finland
Ice hockey
World Championships
2014 Minsk
IIHF World U18 Championships
2009 Minnesota
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2008 Finland U17 6th 5 2 8 10 18
2008 Finland WJC18 6th 6 1 3 4 2
2009 Finland WJC18 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 6 3 1 4 2
2011 Finland WJC 6th 6 4 3 7 10
2014 Finland WC 2nd, silver medalist(s) 6 0 1 1 2
2016 Finland WCH 8th 1 0 0 0 0
Junior totals 23 10 15 25 32
Senior totals 7 0 1 1 2

Awards and honours

Award Year
All-WCHA Second Team 2012–13 [7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Erik Haula Bio". Gophersports.com. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Wild Inks Haula To Entry-Level Deal". Minnesota Wild. 2013-04-07. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
  3. ↑ "Erik Haula expects to make NHL debut; Mike Rupp leaves Wild for a few days". Minnesota Star Tribune. 2013-11-29. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  4. ↑ "Avs post victory over Wild". National Hockey League. 2013-11-29. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
  5. ↑ "Wild re-assigns Haula to Iowa". Minnesota Wild. 2013-12-09. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
  6. ↑ http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=773987
  7. ↑ "St. Cloud State's Drew LeBlanc honored as WCHA player of the year" (Press release). Western Collegiate Hockey Association. 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
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