Mika Hannula

Playing career

Hannula began his ice hockey career with the Finnish club TPS. He was selected by the Minnesota Wild in the 2002 NHL entry draft with their ninth choice, 269th overall. During his career he played for three Stockholm-area teams: AIK Hockey, Djurgårdens IF, and Hammarby IF. He also spent the 2003–04 season with the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League, recording 27 points in 67 regular season games. In the semifinal of the 2006 World Championships in Riga, Latvia, against Canada, Hannula cross-checked Canadian player Sidney Crosby in the neck and head area as Crosby celebrated a goal. Hannula was suspended for the final game against the Czech Republic, and the IIHF Disciplinary Committee extended the suspension to the first four games of the 2007 World Championships in Moscow, plus a fine of 5,000 euro. HV71 signed Hannula from Malmö Redhawks in April 2005 for three years. He played one season with HV71 and started the 2006–07 season successfully, but on November 13, 2006, HV71's general manager Fredrik Stillman announced that Hannula would take an indefinite break from hockey for personal reasons. A week later he participated in a training session with Vallentuna BK, where his younger brother played. On December 1, HV71 chairman Hans-Göran Frick announced the club released Hannula, breaking his contract with one year remaining. Hannula signed on December 19 with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Russian Super League. After scoring 15 points in 23 games in his first RSL season, he signed with SKA Saint Petersburg for one year; the contract was reportedly worth approximately 770,000 euro after tax deductions. After an unsuccessful season with 14 points in 46 games, he signed with HC CSKA Moscow in June 2008.