Mika Hannula Explained

Played For:KHL
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Metallurg Magnitogorsk
SKA Saint Petersburg
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
HC CSKA Moscow
AHL
Houston Aeros
SEL
Modo Hockey
Malmö Redhawks
HV71
Djurgårdens IF
Espoo Blues
Position:Right wing
Shoots:Right
Height Ft:5
Height In:11
Weight Lb:190
Ntl Team:SWE
Birth Date:2 April 1979
Birth Place:Huddinge, Sweden
Draft:269th overall
Draft Year:2002
Draft Team:Minnesota Wild
Career Start:2000
Career End:2014

Mika Stefan Hannula (born 2 April 1979) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player.

Playing career

Hannula started playing ice hockey with Finnish team TPS. He is a hard-working and quick player with very good skating abilities. He is intense, works hard and is dangerous around the opponent's net.[1]

Hannula was drafted in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by Minnesota Wild with their 9th choice, 269th overall selection. During his career, he has played for three different hockey teams in the Stockholm area: AIK Hockey, Djurgårdens IF and Hammarby IF. He also tried playing in the United States for the Houston Aeros in the American Hockey League during the season 2003–04, totalling 27 points in 67 regular season games.[1]

During the semifinal game in the 2006 World Championships in Riga, Latvia, against Canada, Hannula cross-checked the Canadian player Sidney Crosby to the neck and head area when Crosby was celebrating a goal he just had scored.[2] Hannula was immediately suspended for the final game against Czech Republic, and later the IIHF Disciplinary Committee extended his suspension to the first four games of the 2007 World Championships in Moscow, Russia, plus a fine of 5,000 euro (approx. $6,400).[3]

The Swedish club HV71 signed Hannula from Malmö Redhawks in April 2005, for three years.[4] He played for the club in one season and started the 2006–07 season successfully. Although, on November 13, 2006, HV71's general manager Fredrik Stillman announced through the club's web site that Hannula will take an indefinite break from ice hockey for personal reasons.[5] One week later, November 20, it was noted that he participated in a training session with the Stockholm-based club Vallentuna BK, where Hannula's younger brother played at the same time.[6]

On December 1, HV71's chairman Hans-Göran Frick announced that the club let Hannula go and broke his contract, which had one year left.[7] Hannula signed on December 19 with the Russian club Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Russian Super League. After his first season in RSL, scoring 15 points in 23 games, Hannula signed with SKA Saint Petersburg for one year. According to media, the contract was worth approximately 770,000 euro after tax deductions.[8] After an unsuccessful season, scoring 14 points in 46 games, he signed with HC CSKA Moscow in June 2008.[9]

Hannula signed a short-term contract with Djurgårdens IF in December 2009 when Djurgården temporarily lost three players, Daniel Brodin, Jacob Josefson and Marcus Krüger, to the World Junior Hockey Championship.[10] He had previously practiced with Djurgården's J20 team before signing on for the senior team. After his stint at Djurgården he moved on to KHL team Salavat Yulaev.[11] Hannula played a total of 13 games, scoring 3 goals and 10 points. He moved on to league rival Metallurg Magnitogorsk for the 2010–11 KHL season; however, he was able to play only one game for the team due to an injury.[12] His contract was terminated and he spent the rest of the 2010 fall rehabilitating. Hannula signed on again for Djurgården in the beginning of January 2011, a contract that expired at the end of the 2010–11 Elitserien season.[13]

On 30 August 2011, Hannula signed a contract of unknown duration with Modo Hockey of the Swedish Elitserien.[14] The contract ended on 16 October, one day after a game against Luleå HF which ended 3–1 in Modo's favour. Hannula recorded two goals and one assist in that game, but after just two goals in twelve games he was not expected to stay with the team.[15] [16] [17] However, on 17 October 2011, Hannula extended his contract with Modo to expire on 5 November.[18]

On 21 November 2011, the SM-liiga team Espoo Blues announced having signed the forward for the current season.[19]

Off the ice

Hannula is of Finnish descent through his father, and he has a younger brother, Ronnie, who is also a hockey player.[1]

Awards

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
1996–97AIKJ202644858
1997–98LukkoFIN U20620236
1997–98Djurgårdens IFJ20141061622
1998–99Lidingö VikingsSWE.2321001047
1999–2000Hammarby IFAllsv431010205320002
2000–01MIF RedhawksJ2011120
2000–01MIF RedhawksSEL45291126832514
2001–02MIF RedhawksSEL41107171452130
2002–03MIF RedhawksSEL4915153072
2003–04Houston AerosAHL679182759
2004–05Malmö RedhawksSEL471492371
2005–06HV71SEL451318316212381122
2006–07HV71SEL18961564
2006–07Lokomotiv YaroslavlRSL23781532503310
2007–08SKA Saint PetersburgRSL4677143491014
2008–09CSKA MoscowKHL521410245730220
2009–10Djurgårdens IFSEL73140
2009–10Salavat Yulaev UfaKHL13371041623518
2010–11Metallurg MagnitogorskKHL10000
2010–11Djurgårdens IFSEL145381453030
2011–12MODO HockeySEL2059148
2011–12Espoo BluesSM-l22410141616571210
2012–13Espoo BluesSM-l134156
2012–13HIFKSM-l145494611212
2013–14Kölner HaieDEL610141714510
SEL totals28676771533313011112236
RSL totals69141529661413414

International

YearTeamEvent GPGAPtsPIM
2003SwedenWC92022
2006SwedenOG80002
2006SwedenWC841535
Senior totals2561739

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mika Hannula . Elite Prospects . 2006-01-04.
  2. Web site: Quest for Double Gold: Sweden edges Canada . IHWC.net 2006 . 2006-05-20 . 2006-08-11 .
  3. Web site: Sweden's Mika Hannula suspended four games and fined . IIHF News . 2006-08-08 . 2006-08-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060721161738/http://www.iihf.com/news/iihfpr5406.htm . 2006-07-21 . dead .
  4. Web site: Mika Hannula klar för HV71 . Daniel . Gustafsson . HV71.se . Swedish . 2005-04-21 . 2006-08-11.
  5. Web site: Mika Hannula tar time-out . Daniel . Gustafsson . HV71.se . Swedish . 2006-11-13 . 2006-11-14.
  6. News: Hannula tränar med Vallentuna . jnytt.se . Swedish . 2006-11-21 . 2006-11-23 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071008053121/http://www.jnytt.se/Read__4209.aspx . 2007-10-08 .
  7. Web site: HV71 och Hannula går skilda vägar . HV71.se . Swedish . 2006-12-01 . 2006-12-01.
  8. News: Hannula klar för St Petersburg . Expressen.se . Mattias . Ek . Swedish . 2007-05-01 . 2007-05-02.
  9. News: Hannula byter till klassiska CSKA: "Han ser det som en ära" . Aftonbladet.se . Hans . Abrahamsson . Ros, Tomas . Swedish . 2008-06-24 . 2008-06-24.
  10. News: Hannula stannar inte i Djurgården . . 2010-01-09 . Swedish . 2010-01-12 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100112134546/http://www.dn.se/sport/ishockey/hannula-stannar-inte-i-djurgarden-1.1024275 . 2010-01-12 .
  11. News: Hannula till Salavat Julajev . Petter Nilsson . Dagens Nyheter . 2010-01-11 . Swedish . 2009-01-12 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100122112602/http://www.dn.se/sport/ishockey/hannula-till-salavat-julajev-1.1025261 . 2010-01-22 .
  12. Web site: Mälarberg. Apollonia. OFFICIELLT: Hannula klar för Djurgården. hockeykanalen.se. TV4 Group. 10 January 2011. Swedish.
  13. Web site: Mika Hannula tillbaka i Djurgården . difhockey.se . Djurgårdens IF Hockey . 10 January 2011 . 10 January 2011 . Swedish . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111208190657/http://difhockey.se/nyhet.php?news=7824 . 8 December 2011 .
  14. Web site: Mika Hannula klar för MODO Hockey . Modo Hockey . Patrick Edlund . Swedish . 2011-08-30 . 2011-09-02 .
  15. Web site: Hannulas härliga avskedsshow . Hockeysverige . Uffe Bodin . Swedish . 2011-10-15 . 2011-10-15.
  16. Web site: MODO Hockey tog revansch på Luleå . . Patrick Edlund . Swedish . 2011-10-15 . 2011-10-15.
  17. News: Hannula mållös - med utgående kontrakt . . Sigge Dabrowski . Swedish . 2011-10-08 . 2011-10-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111011235255/http://hockey.expressen.se/elitserien/1.2585468/hannula-mallos-med-utgaende-kontrakt . 2011-10-11 . dead .
  18. Web site: Hannula fortsätter i MODO Hockey . . Patrick Edlund . Swedish . 2011-10-17 . 2011-10-17.
  19. Web site: Mika Hannula Blues miehistöön . https://web.archive.org/web/20120506170332/http://www.blues.fi/uutishuone/uutiset/arkisto/2011-11/ . dead . 2012-05-06 . . Finnish . 2011-11-21 . 2011-12-16 .