The Minnesota Wild are expected to have a fully healthy forward core for their game tomorrow against the Florida Panthers. The Wild announced that they’ve reassigned forwards Hunter Haight and Ben Jones to the AHL’s Iowa Wild.
Reports indicate that the Wild are expected to activate Matt Boldy tomorrow. He was a full participant at the team’s practice yesterday, but was not eligible to play against the Detroit Red Wings. The news comes after Minnesota returned Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Johansson to the lineup yesterday.
Haight, 21, is in his second professional season. The former second-round pick was one of the few bright spots with AHL Iowa last season, scoring 20 goals and 34 points in 67 games. He’s again primarily played in the AHL this season, registering seven goals and 12 points through his first 26 contests.
Still, Haight hasn’t reached beyond an extra forward role for the Wild yet. He has been recalled five times this season for injury depth in Minnesota. Unfortunately, he has yet to register his first point, appearing in five games while averaging 9:41 of ice time.
Meanwhile, Jones, 26, has also been used as an extra forward for the Wild this season. However, unlike Haight, Minnesota has utilized him far more. Across 26 games this season, Jones has scored one goal and one assist with a -10 rating, averaging 8:36 of ice time. In the AHL, he has tallied three goals and six points in eight games with Iowa.