The Wild added a fifth Swedish player to their roster Monday before leaving for Sweden and a pair of weekend games in Stockholm.
Wild add goalie Jesper Wallstedt for Swedish trip; Frederick Gaudreau on long-term injured list
With goaltender Jesper Wallstedt being called up from Iowa, the Wild will be bringing five players from Sweden to their native country for this weekend's games.
November 14, 2023 at 12:14AM
Jesper Wallstedt joined the team from Iowa as its third goalie after center Frederick Gaudreau, sidelined because an upper body injury, was put on long-term injured reserve retroactively. Players on LTIR miss more than 10 games or 24 days of the season; Gaudreau has already missed nine.
Wallstedt, 20, was a first-round pick (20th overall) in 2021. He is a native of Vasteras, Sweden, and has played at Iowa the past two seasons. In eight games this season he has a 2.01 goals against average and .932 save percentage.
The other Wild players from Sweden are forwards Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Johansson, defenseman Jonas Brodin and goalie Filip Gustavsson.
Defenseman Daemon Hunt was also added for the trip. The 21-year-old has played in five games for the Wild this season. Spare forward Nic Petan is also with the team.
The Wild play Ottawa on Saturday and Toronto on Sunday at Avicii Arena in Stockholm. Saturday's game is scheduled for a 10 a.m. start (Central time), and Sunday's game is set for 7 a.m.
Minnesota went through a final practice Monday morning without leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov, who was taking a maintenance day, coach Dean Evason said.
Not everyone among the prized prospects, young professionals and depth veterans can make the final roster, but they are hoping to make the decisions tough on Wild management.
