Michael Keränen

Michael Keränen (born 4 January 1990) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing with Bietigheim Steelers in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).

Michael Keränen
Born (1990-01-04) 4 January 1990
Stockholm, Sweden
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 176 lb (80 kg; 12 st 8 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
DEL team
Former teams
Bietigheim Steelers
Ilves
Minnesota Wild
Jokerit
KooKoo
Genève-Servette HC
Mora IK
HIFK
Vaasan Sport
National team  Finland
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2010present

Playing career

Undrafted, Keränen first played as a youth in his native Finland with Tappara before moving to Ilves as a 17-year-old. Keränen made his professional debut in the SM-liiga with Ilves at the conclusion of the 2009–10 season. After his fifth season with Ilves, in which he led the team in scoring with 52 points in as many games, Keränen initially signed as a free agent on a one-year contract with rival Finnish Liiga club, HIFK on 30 April 2014.[1]

A little over a month later, Keränen exercised his NHL out clause to leave HIFK and sign his first NHL contract on a one-year, two-way deal with the Minnesota Wild on 5 June 2014.[2]

In the following 2015–16 season, Keränen returned to the Iowa Wild for a second season. He was leading Iowa in goals when on 17 November 2015, he received his first recall to the Wild. Making his NHL debut later that night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.[3] He was promptly returned to the AHL and on 29 February 2016, he was dealt by the Minnesota Wild, executing a minor league trade deadline deal, to the Ottawa Senators in return for defenseman Conor Allen.[4]

On 28 April 2016, Keränen ended his North American tenure in agreeing to return to Finland in signing a two-year contract with Jokerit of the KHL.[5] Keränen and Jokerit parted ways by mutual consent in late November 2016.[6] He had appeared in 25 KHL contests for the club, with two goals and five assists. On 6 December 2016, he returned to Ilves, where he once had made his Liiga debut.[7]

Near the end of the 2017-18 season, with 5 games remaining in the regular season with KooKoo, Keränen -who was their leading scorer despite having missed 20 games- decided to leave the team with no playoffs hopes and joined Genève-Servette HC of the National League on a one-year contract worth CHF 700,000 for the remainder of the season to help Geneva make a playoff push. Keranen was paid CHF 175,000 of this contract. He eventually appeared in three games with Geneva, scoring one goal and left the team in the summer to join Mora IK of the Swedish Hockey League.

On 3 September 2019, Keränen returned to Switzerland in the second division, to play for EHC Visp of the Swiss League. He was brought in to replace injured Mark Van Guilder and Troy Josephs.

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2006–07TapparaFIN U183015626
2007–08IlvesFIN U18 Q959148
2007–08IlvesFIN U18268192722
2007–08IlvesFIN U2010000
2008–09IlvesFIN U2035661222
2009–10IlvesFIN U204122285050947116
2009–10IlvesSM-l10000
2010–11IlvesFIN U204347064262
2010–11IlvesSM-l42561145
2010–11LeKiMestis974114
2011–12IlvesSM-l44651120
2012–13IlvesSM-l5613142710
2013–14IlvesLiiga5217355247
2014–15Iowa WildAHL7010273722
2015–16Iowa WildAHL458152322
2015–16Minnesota WildNHL10000
2015–16Binghamton SenatorsAHL2143713
2016–17JokeritKHL252576
2016–17IlvesLiiga31761314101234
2017–18KooKooLiiga3916223824
2017–18Genève-Servette HCNL1101020000
2018–19Mora IKSHL456142024
2019–20EHC VispSL31120
2019–20HIFKLiiga341372016
2020–21Vaasan SportLiiga279101910
2021–22Vaasan SportLiiga457111841
2022–23Bietigheim SteelersDEL429112016
Liiga totals 371 93 116 209 227 10 1 2 3 4
NHL totals 1 0 0 0 0

Awards and honours

Award Year
Liiga
Golden Helmet 2013–14 [8]
Lasse Oksanen Award 2013–14 [8]

References

  1. "Michael Keranen of IFK will be encouraged" (in Finnish). HIFK. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  2. "Wild inks Keranen to one-year deal". Minnesota Wild. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  3. "Wild re-assigns Keranen and Olafsson". Minnesota Wild. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  4. "Wild, Senators Exchange Michael Keranen, Conor Allen". The Hockey Writers. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  5. "Keranen brings skill to the attack" (in Finnish). Jokerit. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  6. "Keränen ulos Jokereista". Jatkoaika.com - Kaikki jääkiekosta. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  7. "Michael Keränen palaa Ilvekseen". ilves.com. Archived from the original on 9 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  8. "Golden Helmet". Elite Prospects. 26 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
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