The Wild have high hopes for Mikael Granlund, a forward from Oulu, Finland.

Granlund was the NHL team's first round pick in the 2010 NHL draft and this year he is participating in the team's development/prospects camp which started with physicals on Monday.

On ice-practices started Tuesday, which I am calling the real Day 1 of camp. On Thursday (Day 3), I followed Granlund as much as possible during the Green team's 1-hour practice.

I was looking for special things he does. Hmm, maybe he saves the special stuff for games -- or scrimmages. The prospects will scrimmage at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Both scrimmages are open to the public.

On Thursday, Granlund was just another of the boys. Boys? The three coaches -- or was it four? -- referred to the players as "boys" several times during practice, as in, "Good job, boys" and "Let's go, boys."

After the Zamboni had re-surfaced the ice following the White team's practice, Granlund and the other players on the Green team came out about 10 minutes early. Their practice began at 10:30 a.m.

Granlund skates around slowly in warm-ups, taking some relaxed shots. One hits a post. He also practices stick-handling, moving the puck from his forehand to his backhand quickly several times. And he passes to himself, sliding the puck between his legs. He does all this effortlessly it seems.

Houston Aeros coach John Torchetti, the man running the drills all week, calls the players over to the side for instructions before practice begins. Grandlund finds a spot in the front row, and kneels on one knee.

Granlund takes three low wrist shots as practice begins, the goalie stops each one. Granlund shoots wide, has a shot blocked, then the goalie stops Granlund's waist -high shot from the top of the right circle.

Time for a water break. Granlund sips on a bottle of Gatorade, colored yellow-green.

Defenseman Marco Scandella leads a short stretching session. He is in the middle at center-ice, encircled by the other players. Scandella missed his first on-ice practice with a slight injury. He was there for the second day, wearing a jersey without a name. Now on Thursday, Scandella has a jersey with his last name on the back. He doesn't look like an oddball anymore.

But back to Mikael ... At 5-10, 180 pounds, Granlund doesn't stand out size-wise. There are 32 players on the camp roster taller than him, five his height, and only three shorter.

Time for another drill. Granlund skates around two small, orange-colored pylons -- he seems to be a rails, as his blades make half circles -- and then he shoots. Again the goalie makes the save.

Both goalies are stopping most of the shots. There is no traffic in front of them and they know where most of the shots are coming from.

On another drill, Granlund rushes close to the net before shooting. The goalie makes the save, but Granlund puts in the rebound, flipping the puck into the top of the net, high over the netminder lying on the ice.

The second time Granlund zips around the pylons, he shoots wide.

His next shot is stopped. He misses the net. Then he scores on a rebound.

Granlund often shows good bursts of speed, especially from a standing start.

Next the coaches shoot the puck at the boards, and two players chase it. Granlund is paired with Johan Larsson of Sweden. Larsson trips Granlund and later steals puck away from him and scores.

In this drill, the play the sideboards to the sideboards, instead of end-to-end as usual, so the nets are much closer together.

Later Granlund, going against Zack Phillips, shoots wide before putting a backhander on net. It is stopped.

After the one-on-one duels, come the two-on-twos. Granlund is paired with Scandella the first time. They work hard and after their turn, both bend over, exhausted. After a few seconds, Granlund puts his hands on top of his stick and rests his head on them.

Next Granlund is with defenseman Dylan Busenius. Kyle Medvec, a 6-6 defenseman on the opposing twosome, smothers Granlund against the endboards.

Granlund's last two-on-two drill goes better. He sets up Scandella for a goal.

Then it's three-on-three, and there is less space to move Granlund blocks a shot, then makes a nice backhanded pass to set up a goal by Busenius. The onlookers waiting their turn cheer.

On the final three-on-three drill, Granlund is checked hard by Medvec again.

Practice ends with Scandella, joined by Medvec, leading a few stretches.

I didn't follow Granlund into the locker room -- that on tomorrow's agenda.