The Minnesota Wild have reassigned forward Sammy Walker to their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. In a corresponding move, they have recalled forward Adam Raška to fill his spot on their NHL roster.
Walker featured in the Wild’s game yesterday, but after the team lost a difficult 4-1 decision the Wild have opted to swap fourth-line wingers. Walker played alongside Jake Lucchini and Connor Dewar, but the line did not have a great game.
In four NHL games this season, Walker has not yet registered a point and has a minus-three rating. He’s been solid in the AHL though with 19 points in 28 games for the Iowa Wild. The former University of Minnesota star has been like that ever since beginning his pro career in 2022-23: a strong AHL performer who struggles to make the same kind of impact against NHL competition.
Replacing him on the roster is Raška, a 22-year-old former depth forward in the San Jose Sharks organization. He’s played in eight career NHL games and doesn’t yet have his first NHL point. The five-foot-ten Czech forward has struggled to put together offense at the AHL level, with a career high of 14 points there.
But despite his size he does play a relentless, physical game and already has 61 penalty minutes in 20 games this season. Seeing as Minnesota’s fourth line already has some offensively-oriented players in Lucchini and Dewar, swapping out Walker for Raška gives the Wild a touch of physicality and aggression on that trio.
The Wild’s depth is atrocious thanks to Bill Guerin’s mismanagement.
Wilf, for the amount of times you comment on and about posts regarding the Wild you seem be fairly uneducated about just how many top end prospects the team has in the pipes.
They are ranked in the top 5 in the NHL and are loaded, problem right now is salary cap.
Yes the buyouts are killing them now but it needed to be done
Anyone can count chickens that aren’t hatched! You are welcome!
Every teams depth is atrocious if they have as many injuries as the Wild currently have. Out are Kaprizov, Zuccarello, Foligno, Spurgeon, Brodin, and Gustavsson. With the salary cap any team would struggle without 2 First line wingers, a third line banger, 2 of their top 4 d men and the starting goalie. That said depth is still Ok, they haven’t considered calling you up yet!