Ben Jones

Wild Recall Seven Players

By Gabriel Foley | at April 20, 2026 6:14 pm

The Minnesota Wild have stocked their cupboard of black aces as Game 2 of the first round approaches. Minnesota has recalled forwards Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Hunter Haight, and Ben Jones; defensemen Carson Lambos and David Spacek; and goaltenders Riley Mercer and Chase Wutzke from the AHL per Michael Russo of The Athletic. The cohort will move to the NHL after the AHL’s Iowa Wild missed out on the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs.

The trio of forwards were the only ones to score multiple points in the NHL this season. Jones filled a routine role on Minnesota’s fourth line. He racked up three points while playing a career-high 28 NHL games, and added 32 points in 37 AHL games. Aube-Kubel and Haight spent the bulk of their seasons in the minors. Both scored two points in six and nine games, respectively. Aube-Kubel also filled a major presence in the AHL, where his 15 goals and 37 points in 62 games ranked second on Iowa in scoring. He was a main puck-mover for the minor-league Wild. Haight filled a more well-rounded role en route to 18 goals and 32 points in 54 games. He was a depth defensive center for Minnesota through a series of injury-related recalls. All three players will bring familiarity with Minnesota’s bottom six to the playoff race, but still aren’t likely to step into the lineup without an injury higher up on the depth chart.

Spacek was also a notable member of Iowa this season. He led the defense in scoring with 36 points in 59 games. It was a notable step forward for the third-year pro, marked by Spacek looking noticeably more confident on both sides of the puck. The 23-year-old also played the first two NHL games of his career this season, but managed no scoring and a minus-one. Even with limited experience, Spacek could have a leg up on former first-round pick Lambos, who only reached 19 points in 70 AHL games this season. Lambos also made his NHL debut this season, and recorded a plus-one, but he was quickly sent back to the minor leagues.

While the quartet of skaters size up their NHL experience, the pair of goalie call-ups will prepare for their first chance to make an impact on the Minnesota roster. Neither Mercer nor Wutzke played in the NHL this season. In fact, the duo only combined for nine AHL games on the year. Mercer spent the bulk of the year starting for the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders, where he posted 14 wins and a .892 save percentage in 40 games. He tacked on four wins and a .899 Sv% in eight AHL games. Wutzke moved to the AHL following the end of his fifth season in the WHL earlier this year. He racked up 16 wins and a .898 Sv% across 47 games in the WHL, then allowed six goals on 37 shots in his AHL debut. The duo aren’t likely to be called upon unless absolutely necessary but bring just enough experience to help Minnesota shore up their postseason depth chart.

Minnesota took Game 1 against the Dallas Stars by a confident 6-1 score. Their lineup fired on all cylinders, spurred along by the performance of their star scorers. They will look to repeat that feat in Monday night’s Game 2, with a few more faces watching from the press box.

Wild Recall Ben Jones, Nicolas Aube-Kubel

By Brennan McClain | at April 15, 2026 7:15 pm

Wednesday: Jones and Aube-Kubel's stints were short-lived, as expected. The team announced that those two, along with center Hunter Haight, were all sent back to Iowa. All three players picked up a point on Tuesday against Anaheim.

Monday: After recalling a pair of depth players yesterday, the Minnesota Wild are again adding more reinforcements for their final two games of the regular season. The Wild

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Wild Reassign Ben Jones

By Josh Erickson | at March 4, 2026 1:59 pm

After acquiring center Michael McCarron from the Predators last night, the Wild have reassigned fellow middleman Ben Jones to AHL Iowa. They didn’t need the roster spot, but McCarron’s addition made Jones something of a redundancy, so he’ll be on his way back down.

Jones, 27, doesn’t have much of an NHL track record but has slowly been pushing for more opportunities in Minnesota over the past two years. He’s played 26 games for the Wild this year with a goal and an assist, the first points of his career. He’s got a -10 rating and some ugly shot attempt numbers, but has proven to be of value as a faceoff specialist at the bottom of the lineup, winning 53.5% of his draws. He last got into a game on Jan. 20 and, while he was recalled again from Iowa over the Olympic break, was scratched for Minnesota’s last four games.

The Ontario native is now a pending UFA after signing a two-year, two-way deal with the Wild in 2024. He’s been quite a capable offensive producer on an Iowa club that’s one of the worst in the AHL at both ends of the ice, so they’d likely prefer to retain him and keep him there as much as possible. He’s now the AHL team’s captain and has five goals and 16 points in 18 games for them this season.

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Wild Recall Ben Jones, Matt Kiersted

By Josh Erickson | at February 24, 2026 1:24 pm

The Wild announced today that they’ve recalled forward Ben Jones and defenseman Matt Kiersted from AHL Iowa. They have two open roster spots and thus don’t need to make any corresponding moves.

Minnesota is expecting Matt Boldy to return to the team from his gold medal win with Team USA in time for tomorrow’s game against the Predators, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. However, they didn’t have an extra forward rostered in case he isn’t able to go. Jones, who’s already suited up 26 times for Minnesota this season, will do the honors.

With the Wild having a back-to-back road trip to kick off their post-break schedule, there’s a decent chance they’ll need him for at least one of the contests. He last appeared for the Wild on Jan. 20 before being reassigned to Iowa a few days later. Jones, who turns 27 on Thursday, was a high-scoring piece in juniors but hasn’t found much of any offense at the NHL level. He has a goal and an assist this season, the only two points of his career in 54 total games. He’s only averaged 8:36 per game of ice time but has been valuable as a depth faceoff-taker, winning 53.5% of his draws.

Outside of that, Jones’ game is uninspiring. His -10 rating is ahead of only Marcus Foligno‘s -11. He averages under a shot on goal per game. His 2.04 hits per game rank fourth on the team, but that’s more a measure of how little Minnesota has the puck when he’s on the ice. His 39.2 CF% at even strength is the lowest among active Wild forwards.

As for Kiersted, he gives the Wild two extra defenders – also in case fellow Olympians Brock Faber and Quinn Hughes aren’t available. He joins David Spacek, who was recalled from Iowa on Saturday. The 27-year-old was already jockeyed between the NHL and AHL over the break to give the Wild some extra practice players. The lefty has just seven points in 33 AHL games this season with a -5 rating, adding an assist and a -1 mark in four NHL contests in December and January.

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Wild Reassign Hunter Haight, Ben Jones

By Brennan McClain | at January 23, 2026 10:15 am

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.

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Wild Recall Ben Jones, Place Zach Bogosian On IR

By Brian La Rose | at January 10, 2026 2:50 pm

With Joel Eriksson Ek dealing with an undisclosed injury sustained on Thursday, the Wild needed some depth up front. That will come from winger Ben Jones as the team announced that they’ve recalled him from AHL Iowa. To make room on the roster, defenseman Zach Bogosian has been placed on injured reserve according to Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Jones has spent the bulk of this season in Minnesota. The 26-year-old has played in 20 games, predominantly on their fourth line. However, while he has brought plenty of physicality with 47 hits, he’s still looking for his first point. That extends to his previous NHL stints as Jones has zero points in 48 career NHL appearances, all but two coming with Minnesota over the past two seasons.

That hasn’t been the case in the minors, however. Jones has three goals and three assists in eight games with Iowa and is coming off a 13-goal, 36-point showing in 2024-25. Jones cleared waivers in mid-December and has only been up for two days and played in one game so his 10-game, 30-day exemption clock largely remains intact.

As for Bogosian, he has missed the last week with an undisclosed injury. Assuming the placement is back-dated, he’ll be eligible to be activated as soon as Minnesota needs him as he’ll have already served the seven-day requirement. The 35-year-old has played in 23 games this season, picking up a goal and three assists while averaging 14:52 per night of ice time.

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Wild Activate Zach Bogosian, Reassign Ben Jones

By Brennan McClain | at December 23, 2025 2:56 pm

The Minnesota Wild are nearing a completely healthy roster. Minnesota announced that they’ve activated veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian from the injured reserve and reassigned forward Ben Jones in a corresponding roster move.

Bogosian, 35, has the opportunity to play in his first contest since the middle of December. The 18-year veteran has been nursing a lower-body ailment since the Wild’s game against the Boston Bruins on December 14th.

Bogosian is in his third year with Minnesota after being acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning partway through the 2023-24 campaign. He’s been fairly limited in his usage throughout his time with the Wild, scoring eight goals and 32 points in 159 games while averaging 16:40 of ice time.

Becoming an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, there’s a legitimate chance that the 2025-26 campaign will be Bogosian’s last in the NHL. He’s still managing fairly high defensive metrics and would be useful to a few teams as a bottom-pairing right-handed shot. Still, his foot speed ranks below the 50th percentile according to NHL EDGE as ‘Father Time’ remains undefeated.

Regardless, Bogosian’s activation means the Wild have effectively ended some murky injury troubles. Only three days ago, Minnesota activated four players off the injured reserve, with Bogosian’s placement being one of the corresponding roster moves. Now, depth blue liner Daemon Hunt is the only one that remains.

Meanwhile, Jones returns to AHL Iowa without playing in any games for the Wild during his current recall. Still, he’s appeared in 20 games for Minnesota already this season, going scoreless with a -6 rating while averaging 8:41 of action.

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Wild Recall Ben Jones

By Gabriel Foley | at December 21, 2025 3:16 pm

The Minnesota Wild have recalled forward Ben Jones from the AHL’s Iowa Wild. He played one game with Iowa this weekend, after clearing waivers and getting sent down on Friday. That assignment ended Jones’ two-month stint on the NHL lineup, a move that Minnesota will now reverse.

Jones was awarded Iowa Wild’s captaincy but earned an NHL call-up after scoring two points in the first two games of the season. He has appeared in 20 NHL games since and posted no scoring, five shot blocks, and 47 hits. He’s thrown the fourth-most hits on the Wild on a per-game basis. That physical presence has been his biggest impact while operating from Minnesota’s fourth line. Jones didn’t manage any scoring in 28 NHL games prior to this season.

Jones will offer with behind Vinnie Hinostroza on Minnesota’s bottom line. Hinostroza has five points and 20 hits in 23 games this season. The balance between a checking forward in Jones and a utility wing in Hinostroza will fill out Minnesota’s depth with five games left on the schedule before 2025 ends. The Wild, now under the lead of superstar defender Quinn Hughes, have won their last six games by a combined score of 28-to-9. Minnesota is now 14-2-1 in their last 17 games.

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Wild Reassign Ben Jones, Carson Lambos

By Josh Erickson | at December 19, 2025 3:10 pm

Dec. 19: Minnesota announced it has reassigned Jones to AHL Iowa after clearing waivers, along with defenseman Carson Lambos. The 22-year-old Lambos made his NHL debut in Columbus last night after being recalled on Wednesday, recording a +1 rating and a shot on goal in 10:16 of ice time. After reassigning Nicolas Aubé-Kubel and David Spacek to Iowa earlier today, the Wild now has four open roster spots with only 11 forwards and six defensemen available for tomorrow’s game against the Oilers, ensuring multiple IR activations are coming between now and then.

Dec. 18: The Wild placed forward Ben Jones on waivers today, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. If he clears, he’s still expected to remain with the team, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Jones clearing waivers now means they won’t need to expose him again if they decide to send him to the minors in the 30 days following his clearance. It also makes him eligible to be assigned to the AHL during the holiday roster freeze if they need a spot to activate a player from injured reserve.

The 26-year-old will make his 20th appearance of the season and 48th of his career tonight against the Blue Jackets. He’s gone the previous 47 without recording a point, setting a post-expansion era record for most career games without an appearance on the scoresheet. The only player in league history to log more appearances with zero career points is defenseman Gord Strate, who played 62 games for the Red Wings in the late 1950s.

A lack of surplus options in the minors, plus a continually rotating cast of injuries to Minnesota’s forward group, has kept him in the lineup. For what it’s worth, the former seventh-round pick of the Golden Knights hasn’t been given many opportunities to score. He’s started just 22.2% of his even-strength shifts in the offensive zone, getting understandably shelled with a 35.0 CF% and getting outscored 6-1.

Jones brings two things to the table: faceoff acumen and physicality. The 6’0″ pivot leads the team with a 57.8% win rate on the dot this year (min. 100 draws) and ranks fourth with 2.47 hits per game.

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Wild Recall Ben Jones, Reassign Hunter Haight

By Josh Erickson | at October 14, 2025 11:51 am

The Wild announced that forward Ben Jones has been recalled from AHL Iowa. To open an active roster spot, center Hunter Haight was returned to Iowa.

Jones, 26, signed a two-year two-way deal with the Wild in the 2024 offseason. He cleared waivers at the end of last month before missing out on the opening night roster, the third time he’s passed through unscathed since signing in Minnesota. He’s presumably being recalled today to give them a more experienced option to stash in the press box. If they return him to Iowa before he plays 10 games or spends 30 days on the Wild’s roster, he won’t need waivers again.

He’s demonstrated offensive upside at the OHL and AHL levels but hasn’t converted that to NHL points. In fact, he’s yet to get on the scoresheet through 28 career appearances, 26 of them coming with the Wild in 2024-25 amid injuries to their forward group. He had a -3 rating and averaged just 8:23 per game in a fourth-line role, going 12-for-25 on draws (48.0%) and recording 11 blocks and 51 hits. While he made himself known physically, that didn’t translate into any tangible possession impacts – the Wild controlled just 39.7% of shot attempts and 46.3% of expected goals when he was on the ice at even strength.

Jones is on his third NHL organization, starting off as a seventh-round pick by the Golden Knights in their inaugural 2017 draft class. He was non-tendered in 2022 upon completing his entry-level contract and signed with the Flames, where he remained for another two years until reaching Group VI unrestricted free agency and signing with Minnesota. He’s been a legitimate top-six threat in the AHL for the past few years and is coming off one of his better offensive showings on a per-game basis, netting 13 goals and 36 points in 49 games with Iowa last season. He’s added on two assists in two AHL games to kick off 2025-26 as well.

The lack of an offensive track record in the NHL means he likely won’t see consistent deployment unless more injuries arise. Minnesota is only carrying 13 forwards, including Jones, with Nico Sturm and Mats Zuccarello on injured reserve. The Wild are understandably averse to sitting young talent in the press box for long stretches – hence Haight’s demotion – and their fourth line currently boasts two recent fourth-line picks, Liam Ohgren and Danila Yurov. That leaves right-winger Vinnie Hinostroza, who’s pointless with a -3 rating through three games, as the only spot for Jones to compete for.

As for Haight, it’s no surprise to see them move quickly to return him to Iowa after scratching him for yesterday’s win over the Kings. The 21-year-old was a late inclusion on their opening roster submission due to Sturm’s injury and drew in for Minnesota’s first two games of the year over Yurov, who was selected one round ahead of him in the 2022 draft. Haight averaged just 9:22 across his two appearances, went 7-for-16 (43.8%) on faceoffs, and recorded a -2 rating without getting on the scoresheet. He didn’t manage a single shot attempt but did record two hits. It was an unsuccessful debut for him on the whole as Minnesota was outchanced 12-4 with him on the ice at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick.

Haight has three years or 158 games played remaining until he loses his waiver exemption, so he can be ferried to Iowa without risk for a while yet. The Ontario native had 20 goals and 34 points in 67 AHL games last year, his first professional season after four years in the OHL.

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