The Minnesota Wild have inked another college prospect, signing Sam Hentges to a two-year entry-level contract. Hentges–not the Sam Hentges that plays for the Cleveland Guardians–recently completed his senior season at St. Cloud State, suited up for the U.S. at the recent Olympics, and could have potentially reached unrestricted free agency this summer. Instead, he’ll join the Wild on a contract that begins in 2022-23.
Hentges, 22, had 12 goals and 22 points in 20 games with the Huskies this season, his best offensive season to date on a per-game basis. He added a goal at the Olympics and has come a long way from being the 210th overall pick–just a few selections from the very end of the draft–in 2018. Two players from that seventh round have already made their NHL debuts, and the young forward will try to make it a trio when he’s officially eligible for recall next season.
In all likelihood, he’ll join the Iowa Wild on an amateur tryout contract for the rest of the season in order to get his feet wet at the professional level. Given his age–he’ll turn 23 in July–and the polish to his game, he may be a quick mover through the organization, if things translate well down the stretch.