Wild Assign Liam Öhgren, Luke Toporowski To AHL
The Wild have assigned 2022 first-round pick Liam Öhgren to AHL Iowa, the team announced Thursday. They also activated depth winger Luke Toporowski from season-opening injured reserve and sent him to Iowa along with Öhgren.
Öhgren’s reassignment prefaces the likely return of forward Ryan Hartman tomorrow from the upper-body injury that’s sidelined him for the past five games, as relayed by Michael Russo of The Athletic. But Hartman was never on IR, and they had an open roster spot anyway, so it’s not a forced transaction to create roster space. Instead, it’s a legitimate demotion for a talented but unpolished youngster who’s struggled to make an NHL impact this season.
The 20-year-old Öhgren is still new to the North American scene. The Wild signed him to his entry-level contract shortly after drafting him in the summer of 2022 but loaned him to Sweden’s Djurgårdens IF and Färjestad BK in back-to-back seasons, sliding the deal twice before finally recalling him from his overseas loan at the end of last season. The 6’1″ left-winger had a goal and assist in four games for the Wild down the stretch, averaging 14:31 per game and registering eight shots on goal.
Öhgren has shown his goal-scoring ability in the professional ranks, lighting the lamp 12 times in 26 games for Färjestad last season in the Swedish Hockey League. While he may have an NHL-ready shot, his early-season audition after making the opening night roster shows he’s got more work to do, going pointless with a -2 rating in seven appearances. He was plopped in fourth-line minutes alongside Jakub Lauko and either Frédérick Gaudreau or Marat Khusnutdinov at center, so he didn’t have the highest-skill linemates to work with. Still, he struggled to control possession, posting a 45.6 CF% and 42.5 xGF% at even strength, which are both well below team averages. He was limited to eight shots on net on 15 attempts, and he averaged just 9:33 per game.
He’ll now get the chance to work on his game in Iowa, where he went without a point and posted a -4 rating in three appearances to end last season. He’ll likely play a starring role on an understaffed team that’s 1-6-1 through their first eight games, although they did just get 2024 AHL All-Star Graeme Clarke added from the Wild’s SOIR.
They’re also adding Toporowski, whose presence on SOIR evaded us at PHR at the beginning of the season and had been absent from our roster tracker. The 23-year-old Iowa native was acquired by Minnesota from the Bruins in last year’s Pat Maroon swap and is in the second season of the two-year entry-level contract he signed with Boston in the summer of 2023. He suited up in 66 AHL contests between Providence and Iowa last season, scoring 12 goals and adding 16 assists for 28 points. The 5’11” left-winger will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer.
Wild Reassign Graeme Clarke
Oct. 30: Clarke cleared waivers and will be assigned to AHL Iowa, per Friedman.
Oct. 29: The Wild have activated winger Graeme Clarke from season-opening injured reserve and placed him on waivers to assign him to AHL Iowa, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Clarke, 23, was a third-round pick of the Devils in 2019. The right-winger made his NHL debut last season for New Jersey, going without a point and posting a -2 rating in three contests. Slated to become a restricted free agent last summer, the Devils traded his signing rights to Minnesota in exchange for pending RFA Adam Beckman in June. Clarke went on to sign a two-way deal with the Wild ($800K/$105K) the following month.
The older brother of Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke had an All-Star campaign in the AHL last season with the Devils’ affiliate in Utica, leading them in goals with 25 and adding 24 assists for 49 points in 67 games. The 6’0″, 174-lb winger posted 149 points in 218 career minor-league appearances in the New Jersey organization in parts of four seasons.
There may be some interest in Clarke’s services, given his back-to-back 25-goal campaigns in the minors, but it’s likelier than not that he’ll clear waivers tomorrow without incident. If so, he’ll be a major boon to a weak Minnesota minor-league system. Funnily enough, Iowa and Utica are the only remaining winless teams in the AHL. Through seven games, Iowa is 0-6-1 and has been outscored 36-18.
Clarke will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer. He sustained an undisclosed injury late in Minnesota’s exhibition schedule, landing him on SOIR.
Wild Reassign Daemon Hunt, Jared Spurgeon To Return
The Wild have reassigned defenseman Daemon Hunt to AHL Iowa, per a team announcement. The move signals that captain Jared Spurgeon will return tonight against the Penguins after missing the last six games due to lingering effects from the back and hip surgeries he underwent last season, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Spurgeon was never placed on injured reserve, but with him returning to health, they had eight healthy defenders on the active roster. That made Hunt a redundancy for Declan Chisholm, who is likely headed for the press box with Spurgeon re-entering the lineup.
With Spurgeon unavailable, the club has turned to Zach Bogosian for top-four duties over the past few weeks. He’s done a fine job as a fill-in, logging two assists and a +2 rating in his eight appearances this season while averaging 17:42 per game. Still, the Wild are happy to get Spurgeon back as a legitimate puck-moving impact piece in their top four.
Spurgeon has been a top-20 defenseman in the league for the past decade, but injuries have begun to take a severe toll on him in his mid-30s. After a decade of essentially healthy campaigns, those back and hip surgeries limited him to 16 appearances last season, registering five assists and a +5 rating. His absence was one of, if not the most significant, reasons why the Wild missed the playoffs in 2024 for just the second time in 12 years.
He’ll return in a second-pairing role with standout shutdown man Jonas Brodin as his partner, a pairing that’s been outright dominant in possession control at many points over the last 10-plus years in Minnesota. With sophomore Brock Faber and Jacob Middleton comprising the top pairing, Spurgeon’s return gives Minnesota a playoff-caliber blue line once again – if he can manage to get last season’s surgeries behind him.
Meanwhile, his health leads to another reassignment for Hunt, his third of the young season. Now 22, Hunt was a third-round pick of the Wild back in 2020. A smooth-skating, physical left-shot defender, he had 29 points and a -4 rating in 51 games for Iowa last season and has been ferried between leagues with frequency this year due to his waiver-exempt status. He’s only made one NHL appearance this year, though, logging two shots in 8:01 of ice time against the Blues back on Oct. 15. He was a healthy scratch in four straight games since being recalled last on Oct. 18.
Pavel Novák Clears Unconditional Waivers
Saturday: Novák has cleared waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. That will pave the way for his deal to be terminated.
Friday: The Wild have placed right-winger Pavel Novák on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination, the team announced Friday. It’s likely a mutual termination.
Novák, 22, was on assignment to ECHL Iowa to begin the season, going without a point and posting a -1 rating in two games. He also spent most of last season down a level with the Heartlanders, tying for fifth on the team in scoring with 27 points (14 G, 13 A) in 44 games.
It wasn’t groundbreaking production by any stretch, especially at the ECHL level. But it was a statement campaign for Novák, who had missed all of the 2022-23 campaign while undergoing treatments for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The Minnesota 2020 fifth-round pick just lost too much development time when combined with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, though, and never got much of a chance to progress past the 58 points in 55 games that got him drafted out of WHL Kelowna five years ago.
The mutual termination will allow Novák to pursue professional opportunities in Europe, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. He also appeared in 13 AHL games for the Wild last season, recording two goals and an assist in 13 appearances.
Novák was in the final season of a three-year, entry-level contract worth $2.54MM that he signed back in 2022. He already earned an $80K signing bonus for this season and was earning a $75K salary while playing in the minors.
Spurgeon Could Return Tuesday, Hartman To Miss Next Two Games
Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon returned to practice Friday for the first time since being sidelined after two games with a lower-body injury related to his surgeries last season, relays John Shipley of the Pioneer Press. It’s unlikely that he’ll suit up today but the team is hoping that the captain could return on Tuesday in Pittsburgh. Spurgeon has been a key cog on Minnesota’s back end for the better part of the last 15 years and will give them a boost when he’s able to return.
Meanwhile, Michael Russo of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that the Wild have sent forward Ryan Hartman back to Minnesota, meaning he will miss the final two games of the road trip. The 30-year-old suffered an upper-body injury a week and a half ago and while he has been listed as day-to-day in that stretch, his recovery is seemingly taking a bit longer than anticipated. He has two goals in four games so far this season.
West Notes: Hartman, Joshua, Nordh
Minnesota Wild centerman Ryan Hartman missed Tuesday night’s game with an upper-body injury, head coach John Hynes told reporters( via Sarah McLellan of The Minnesota Star Tribune). Hartman sat out of the team’s Saturday matchup after initially being designated a game-time decision. He’s since been labeled as day-to-day and will continue to miss action despite returning to practice in full.
Hartman scored two goals on 12 shots and six hits in Minnesota’s first four games. He’s one of five Wild forwards with multiple goals, though Mats Zuccarello‘s three scores lead the way. Hartman has played the least of any of Minnesota’s multi-goal scorers, averaging just 15:21 in ice time while serving as the team’s third-line center. His role has declined every season since he served as the team’s top center and scored a career-high 65 points in the 2021-22 campaign. Joel Eriksson Ek and Marco Rossi have taken complete hold of the top six in Hartman’s place. Hartman has stayed productive in the declining role, netting 21 goals and 45 points in 74 games last season. He’ll aim to return to the third line and spot starts on the power play when Minnesota takes on Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Canucks also shared that forward Dakota Joshua is a couple of weeks away from a return after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous lump this summer, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Joshua earned a hardy lineup role toward the end of Vancouver’s 2023-24 season, ending the year with 18 goals and 32 points in 63 regular season games and adding eight points in 13 playoff games. He’ll quickly slot back into the lineup when he’s healthy, likely stepping over Nils Aman, Teddy Blueger, and Kiefer Sherwood for minutes in the bottom six.
- The Utah Hockey Club has returned 2023 draft pick Noel Nordh to the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds after a two-game conditioning stint with the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners. Nordh, a third-round draft pick, failed to score in his first two games in North American pros. He’ll now begin a career in Canadian juniors after earning professional ice time in Sweden with resilient U20 performances. His Swedish career was capped off with a HockeyAllsvenskan championship with Brynas last season. Nordh contributed 15 points in 50 games.
Ryan Hartman's Injury Designation Changed To Day-To-Day
- Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports reports Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He was originally designated as a game-time decision for the team’s most recent game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and it now appears the injury is mildly more severe than anticipated. The upper-body ailment shouldn’t keep him out of the lineup too much longer as Hartman looks to expand on his two goals in four games to start the season.
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Hartman Listed As Game-Time Decision
- Wild center Ryan Hartman is listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s game against Columbus, relays Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Twitter link). The 30-year-old is dealing with an upper-body injury sustained on Tuesday against St. Louis. Hartman has two goals through four games so far this season while logging 15:21 per night.
Jared Spurgeon Still Dealing With Effects From Last Season’s Surgeries
Wild captain Jared Spurgeon is still experiencing “soreness and stiffness” following back and hip surgeries that ended his 2023-24 season in January, which general manager Bill Guerin told reporters yesterday is why he’s missed their last two games (per Michael Russo of The Athletic). Guerin said he’ll miss their next three games at least but could join the team midway through their road trip and suit up by their Oct. 26 game against the Flyers. As such, defenseman Daemon Hunt has been brought back up from AHL Iowa ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Blue Jackets, Russo reports.
It’s not an entirely unexpected absence, and Guerin says it’s “part of the healing process.” Team doctors confirmed this week that while Spurgeon isn’t 100%, he hasn’t experienced a proper setback and isn’t in danger of missing an extended period, Russo relays. He’s expected to start skating again next week after staying off the ice for a few more days to “let things calm down.”
Spurgeon’s unavailability to start the year has given Wild head coach John Hynes a lack of right-shot defensemen to work with. Zach Bogosian and Brock Faber are the only two righties on the blue line on the roster with Spurgeon out, and Hunt, their only legitimate NHL recall option from Iowa, is a left-shot. His absence isn’t sustained enough to persuade Guerin and Hynes to pursue an acquisition. However, that will change if Spurgeon still needs load management in the back half of the season.
The 34-year-old is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, so he’s likely dealing with more ill effects from the hip procedure than the back one. Regardless, it’s been a brutal stretch for Spurgeon, who finished top-15 in Norris Trophy voting in 2021-22 and 2022-23. The 2008 sixth-round pick of the Islanders has emerged as one of the league’s premier two-way defenders over the past decade. Over that recent dominant two-year stretch, he posted 21 goals and 74 points in 144 games, averaging 21:31 per night with a sparkling +64 rating. That last mark trailed only Devon Toews (+91) and Matt Grzelcyk (+68) for best in the league during that time.
For the 22-year-old Hunt, it’s already his third recall of the season. He’s only played in one out of Minnesota’s four games, though, and there’s no guarantee he’ll draw into the lineup against Columbus tomorrow with six other defenders available. The 2020 third-round pick had two shots on goal and two blocks while playing 8:01 against the Blues earlier this week.
Wild Reassign Daemon Hunt
Oct. 16: The Wild returned Hunt to Iowa today, the team announced. He entered the lineup as a seventh defender in Tuesday’s 4-1 win over the Blues, recording two shots on goal and a hit in 8:01 of ice time. Hunt could be recalled again before the Wild kick off a road trip later this week if Spurgeon isn’t ready to return, relays Michael Russo of The Athletic.
Oct. 14: The Minnesota Wild have added some defensive depth with team captain Jared Spurgeon sustaining a lower-body injury. The organization announced they have recalled defenseman Daemon Hunt from their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild.
Minnesota used Declan Chisholm as the injury replacement for Spurgeon in yesterday’s overtime loss against the Winnipeg Jets. He was largely left off the scoresheet with one hit and one shot in just over 17 minutes of ice time, and Chisholm will likely fill in the void for the time being.
The 2024-25 season marks the third full season for Hunt in the Wild’s organization after concluding his WHL career with the Moose Jaw Warriors. He’s primarily played with AHL Iowa collecting six goals and 42 points in 118 regular season contests.
He made his NHL debut with the Wild last year on October 27th in a shootout loss to the Washington Capitals after securing 4:12 of ice time. He finished the year with one assist in 12 games for Minnesota while averaging 11:30 of ice time throughout those games.
Spurgeon’s lower-body ailment is only supposed to last for a few days, meaning Hunt’s second call-up this season will be shortlived. He’s already tallied one assist for AHL Iowa in two games this season and will look to expand on that when he is inevitably reassigned.