The Minnesota Wild’s Best Value Picks On Draft Day

Mar 27, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Erik Haula (56) skates with the puck in the third period against the Calgary Flames at Xcel Energy Center. The Minnesota Wild beat the Calgary Flames 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Drafted in the seventh round, at 182 overall in 2009, Erik Haula, known in the State of Hockey as the “Finnesotan,” came from Finland to play hockey in the US at Shattuck St. Mary’s prep school – also producer of greats Sidney Crosby, Zach Parise, and Jonathan Toews – at the age of 17. After a one-year stint with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League, Haula was back in Minnesota playing with the Golden Gophers, where he compiled 124 points in 114 career games.

At the NHL level, he had a rough go in 2014-15, as documented by the Star Tribune’s Mike Russo, spending considerable time in the press box. But he’s fast, smart, and skilled, and has proven the ability to come through in the clutch – with five goals and eight points over 15 NHL playoff games.