- With their season set to come to an end on Wednesday evening, the Minnesota Wild will get forward Frederick Gaudreau back in the lineup as he has officially returned from personal leave according to Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports. Unfortunately, it does not appear that Mats Zuccarello will return to the team before their final game, meaning he will finish the year with 11 goals and 62 points in 68 games.
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Wild Rumors
Team USA Fills Out Management Group For 4 Nations, 2026 Olympics
USA Hockey has announced the remainder of the management group that will complement Wild GM Bill Guerin for next season’s 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Rangers GM Chris Drury, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald and Panthers GM Bill Zito have been named assistant GMs to Guerin. Wild director of player personnel Chris Kelleher will occupy the same role for the national team as he does under Guerin in Minnesota.
Guerin was confirmed as the GM of both squads in February. Earlier this season, he was reportedly the subject of an internal investigation “following a human resources complaint by an employee who alleged verbal abuse in the workplace,” per The Athletic’s Michael Russo. The investigation later determined he did not commit a fireable offense.
This is Drury’s fifth time holding a management role with Team USA. All his previous national team managerial experience came at the World Championship, where he served as AGM in 2016 and 2017 and GM in 2019 and 2021. Drury-managed teams have only medalled once, capturing a bronze medal in ’21.
As a player, he was no stranger to helping out the national team. In fact, he was quite well-decorated internationally, representing the USA at three Olympics (2002, 2006, 2010), three World Championships (1997, 1998, 2004), and the 1996 World Juniors. He took home two Olympic silvers and one Worlds bronze in that time and was eventually inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016, shortly after taking a director of player development role with the Rangers. He was promoted to AGM and later GM and president of hockey operations ahead of the 2021-22 season.
This is Fitzgerald’s first managerial experience with the national team. He’s held front-office roles in the NHL dating back to 2007 and was named GM of the Devils midway through the 2019-20 season. As a player, he suited up for Team USA at the 1987 World Juniors and in the 1989 and 1991 World Championships.
Zito returns to managing Team USA after GMing their World Championship squad in 2018, back when he was an AGM for the Blue Jackets. It’s his first national team nod since being named GM of the Panthers in 2020, since overseeing the most sustained period of success in franchise history.
Like Fitzgerald, the 49-year-old Kelleher has no international managerial experience, although he did have a cup of coffee as a player with Team USA at the 1995 World Juniors. He predates Guerin with the Wild by a decade, first joining Minnesota as a pro scout in 2009. He’s steadily worked his way up the ranks, earning a promotion to director of pro scouting in 2019 before being named their director of player personnel in 2022.
Frederick Gaudreau, Mats Zuccarello Doubtful Friday, On Personal Leave
- Wild forwards Frédérick Gaudreau and Mats Zuccarello did not travel with the team on their West Coast road trip due to personal reasons and are both doubtful tomorrow against the Golden Knights, head coach John Hynes told Michael Russo of The Athletic. Considering there’s a possibility they may travel and join the team in Las Vegas tomorrow, it’s unlikely they’ll miss the entirety of Minnesota’s three-game road swing, their last of the season. Regardless of their availability, 2022 first-round pick Liam Öhgren will make his NHL debut, said Hynes, although it may impact where he plays in the lineup. He’s currently projected to occupy a third-line role at left wing alongside Marat Khusnutdinov and Vinni Lettieri. Gaudreau, 30, has struggled mightily in the first season of a five-year, $10.5MM extension, limited to five goals and 15 points in 65 games while posting a team-worst -21 rating. Meanwhile, Zuccarello is chugging along in his age-36 season, still sitting just south of point-per-game territory with 62 in 68 appearances.
Wild Recall Liam Ohgren
The Wild have recalled left-wing prospect Liam Öhgren from AHL Iowa, per a team announcement. The 2022 first-round pick is now in line to make his NHL debut in the final few games of the regular season.
Öhgren, 20, spent the season on loan to Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League but was assigned to Iowa early this month after Färjestad was upset by Rögle BK in a 4-0 sweep in the SHL quarterfinals. Injuries kept him out for most of the first half of the campaign, but that didn’t stop him from fitting well into a top-six role with Färjestad upon his return. The speedy, sharp-shooting winger notched 12 goals and 19 points in 26 games with a +12 rating, although he was held without a point in their abbreviated playoff run.
His early adjustment to a weak Iowa squad hasn’t been terribly promising, but a small sample shouldn’t count for much. He’s yet to record a point in three games with the Wild’s top farm team with a -4 rating, but he did log five shots on goal in his last outing, a 4-3 loss to Rockford yesterday.
The 19th overall pick in 2022 is a top-three prospect in Minnesota’s system, checking in behind Swedish netminder Jesper Wallstedt and Russian winger Danila Yurov in The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler’s 2024 ranking of NHL prospect pools. He was bar none the best player in the Swedish junior circuit during his draft year, potting 33 goals in just 30 games with Djurgårdens IF’s U-20 club in the J20 Nationell. His 1.93 points per game led the league among qualified skaters, as did his +41 rating, 11 points higher than the second-best, teammate and Sabres prospect Noah Östlund.
That performance rightfully earned him Best Forward honors in the Nationell, and he also cracked the top Swedish national junior team roster at 17 and won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Juniors. He returned for both the 2023 and 2024 tournaments, serving as captain for this year’s squad and taking home the silver medal, although he was limited to two assists in seven games.
The Stockholm native isn’t quite ready for full-time NHL work and is likely a long shot to make next season’s opening night roster, although it shouldn’t be ruled out. His entry-level contract will slide to next season as he’s guaranteed to have played less than 10 NHL games in 2023-24, meaning he’ll remain signed through 2027.
Goligoski To Consider Future After The Season, Stramel To Michigan State
- Michael Russo of The Athletic has confirmed that Minnesota Wild prospect Charlie Stramel will indeed be transferring from Wisconsin to Michigan State next season after entering the transfer portal last week. The Wild selected Stamel with the 21st pick in last June’s NHL entry draft, and he will now be leaving the University of Wisconsin after two seasons with the team. The 19-year-old sophomore struggled this season with Wisconsin scoring just three goals and adding five assists in 35 games.
Zach Bogosian Returns Sunday From Undisclosed Injury
- The Wild have depth defenseman Zach Bogosian back in the fold against the Blackhawks today, notes The Athletic’s Joe Smith. The 33-year-old has recently logged top-four minutes alongside Jonas Brodin but missed Minnesota’s last two games, both losses, with an undisclosed injury. The Wild are teetering on the edge of playoff contention and realistically need to win out to sniff a chance at making the postseason. Bogosian has actually been quite good for Minnesota since being picked up from the Lightning in an early-season trade, scoring three goals and adding 10 assists for 13 points in 55 games while averaging 18:06 per game, his highest usage and offensive production since 2018-19 with the Sabres. He’s done so with positive possession metrics, too, logging a 50.7 CF% and +3.3 expected rating.
Nate Benoit Enters Transfer Portal
- Wild blueliner Nate Benoit is looking for a new school as he has entered the transfer portal. Drafted in the sixth round in 2021 (182nd overall), Benoit only made his college debut this season with the University of North Dakota but was limited to just 19 games and just 8:31 per night. The 21-year-old will undoubtedly be looking to find a program where he can play a more prominent role.
Wild Recall Jesper Wallstedt
It appears the availability of one of Minnesota’s netminders is in question for this afternoon as, according to the AHL’s transactions log, the Wild have recalled goaltender Jesper Wallstedt from AHL Iowa. In a corresponding move, Iowa signed netminder Peyton Jones to a tryout agreement to replace Wallstedt on their roster.
The 21-year-old is widely considered as one of the stronger goalie prospects league-wide although his NHL debut back in January didn’t go too well as he allowed seven goals on 34 shots in a loss to Dallas. However, Wallstedt has fared well in the minors, posting a 2.76 GAA and a .908 SV% in 43 starts at that level this season. He has one year left after this one on his entry-level deal, one that carries an AAV of $925K.
Assuming that one of Marc-Andre Fleury or Filip Gustavsson is unavailable against Winnipeg, Wallstedt’s recall can be classified as an emergency promotion and thus not count against Minnesota’s four recall limit. However, Wallstedt would have to be returned to the minors as soon as the emergency conditions end.
Wild Sign Goaltender Samuel Hlavaj To Two-Year Deal
The Minnesota Wild have signed goaltender Samuel Hlavaj to a two-year, entry-level contract (Twitter link). Hlavaj served as the starting netminder for HC Plzeň of the Czechia Extraliga last season, after spending 2021 and 2022 with HC Slovan organization in Slovakia. With this deal, Hlavaj will return to America for the second time – after spending three years in the USHL and QMJHL between 2018 and 2021.
Hlavaj manned the net behind a HC Plzeň team that ranked third-to-last in the league this season with just 14 wins on the year. That meant tall orders for Hlavaj, who posted a measly 8-20-0 record and lost both playoff appearances. He wasn’t supported much by the skaters in front of him, with the HC Plzeň roster scoring the fifth-fewest goals in the league and allowing the fourth-most. Nonetheless, this season marked Hlavaj’s fourth-straight losing season, with his 2019-20 QMJHL season marking his last time on the positive side of the win column. He only lost five times that season, posting a 33-3-2 record and .915 save percentage in 39 games.
Minnesota bolsters the Iowa Wild’s goaltending room with this move, giving the team some certainty behind top prospect Jesper Wallstedt. Zane McIntyre has served as Wallstedt’s de facto backup this season, but he’s managed a meager .879 save percentage and 3-13-3 record. His missteps aren’t being made up for by Hunter Jones or Peyton Jones, with neither goalie recording a win in their spot starts. Hlavaj will add competition, and push for an AHL starting role when Wallstedt inevitably moves to the NHL.
Wild Still In The Mix For Collin Graf
Winger Collin Graf is widely expected to sign his first professional contract in the coming days. Regarded as one of the top college free agents available, most of the league had made inquiries and he’s in the process of whittling down his list. To that end, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports (Twitter link) that the Rangers are no longer in the mix for the 21-year-old. Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Michael Russo adds (Twitter link) that the Wild are believed to still have a chance at signing him. Graf is coming off another strong season at Quinnipiac where he recorded 22 goals and 27 assists in 34 games. Wherever he signs, it’s quite likely he burns the first season of his entry-level deal this year; he’d be eligible to play down the stretch in the regular season but not in the playoffs.