Golden Knights’ Erik Haula returns to adopted home of Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. — There is a word that was created by residents of this state to describe themselves and their Scandinavian heritage.

For Golden Knights forward Erik Haula, the term has an even deeper meaning.

He is a true “Finnesotan.”

“That’s home,” Haula said. “That’s the easiest way of saying it.”

The Finnish-born Haula was a prep school and college star in Minnesota and spent the past four seasons with the NHL’s Wild.

He returns to the state as a visiting player for the first time in his career Thursday when the Knights (15-7-1, 31 points) meet the Wild (11-10-3, 25 points) at 5 p.m. at Xcel Energy Center.

“The whole deal is going to be super weird,” Haula said. “I’m going to try to have as much fun with it as possible. I definitely had this day marked on my calendar. I’m looking forward to it, for sure, and it will be fun to compete against some old teammates.”

Haula hails from Pori, Finland, but grew up idolizing New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Haula’s father, Tomi, played and coached in the country’s semipro football league called the Vaahteraliiga, though Erik never played the sport.

“When I was a young kid, I was pretty much the water boy for the team, trying to do whatever I can to have something to do,” Haula said. “But I learned the game and learned to love the game. Pretty much when I came here, that was my favorite sport.”

Haula moved to the U.S. in 2008 at age 17 to attend renowned Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in Faribault, Minnesota. After being drafted by the Wild in the seventh round in 2009, Haula spent one season of junior with Omaha of the United States Hockey League and then signed with the University of Minnesota.

Haula was only the second player from outside North America to play for the school, but Minnesota’s large Finnish-American community made Haula feel at home.

“Everything changes except for hockey. Hockey’s kind of the backbone of your life coming over, but it’s hard,” Haula said. “Obviously a lot of people do it, but I don’t think it was as common for Europeans to head over here. It was hard at times, for sure, but I haven’t had any regrets.”

Haula played three seasons with the Golden Gophers, twice leading the team in scoring.

He signed with the Wild in 2013 after his junior year and had a career-high 15 goals last season, but he also saw his role diminish in coach Bruce Boudreau’s first year in Minnesota.

Haula, 26, agreed to a three-year, $8.25 million deal with the Knights during their exclusive free-agency window in June, and he was taken in the expansion draft. (The Knights also received forward Alex Tuch from the Wild in exchange for a conditional third-round pick as compensation for selecting Haula.)

Along with a fresh start, Haula was reunited on the Knights with his former college roommate, defenseman Nate Schmidt, which helped ease the transition.

“(Haula’s) got a very strong personality, but underneath it he’s a great guy,” Schmidt said. “He’s a great friend to have. He’s a guy that’s going to be there for you whenever you need him, and that’s the kind of guy he is. I love hanging around him.”

Haula, who missed four games in October with a lower-body injury, began the season on the Knights’ third line but was moved into a top-six role centering James Neal and David Perron at the start of November.

In 18 games, Haula has seven goals, including three game-winners, and six assists. He is averaging 16:46 of ice time, nearly a three-minute increase from last season with the Wild.

“He’s a consistent player,” Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. “He gives you power-play minutes. He gives you a lot of speed in your lineup. He’s playing really well at center, which is his preferred position. I like what he does.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.