Finland’s Mikael Granlund suspended one game at IIHF World Championship

The IIHF World Championship disciplinary panel announced Wednesday they suspended Finland’s Mikael Granlund one game for an illegal crosscheck to Switzerland’s Andrea Glauser.

“The Championship Disciplinary Panel determined that because the Player, using with both hands the stick and a wide grip, forcefully used his stick to deliver a cross-check to the head and neck area of (Glauser),” the IIHF wrote in their media statement.

“The Panel acknowledged that while the Player’s initial contact may have been to the arms … the upward direction of the cross-check placed the Swiss Player in a dangerous position and a high risk of injury.”

Granlund was given a five-minute cross-checking penalty and a 20-minute game misconduct penalty at 58:09 of Finland’s final round-robin game against Switzerland on Tuesday, a 3-1 loss.

He will miss Finland’s quarterfinal game against Sweden on Thursday, but can return on Saturday if the team is to advance to the semifinal.

Granlund, 32, has dressed in seven games for Finland, recording five assists, 15 shots and 27 penalty minutes.

During the 2023-24 NHL campaign, Granlund scored 12 goals, 48 assists and 60 points in 69 games with the San Jose Sharks. In 12 NHL seasons, he has 157 goals and 387 assists for 544 points in 819 games with the Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild.

Drafted by the Wild with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Granlund spent a total of four seasons in SM-liiga, the top professional hockey league in Finland. He scored 41 goals and 86 assists for 127 points with Karpat and HIFK Helsinki.