Minnesota Wild Recall Eight Players As Black Aces
According to a team announcement, the Minnesota Wild have recalled eight players to serve as Black Aces for the team’s playoff run. The players are forwards Travis Boyd, Brendan Gaunce, Hunter Haight, Ben Jones, and Liam Ohgren, defensemen Cameron Crotty and Carson Lambos, and goaltender Samuel Hlavaj.
Minnesota’s AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, didn’t qualify for the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs, giving them plenty of flexibility to recall so many players. It is unlikely that any of the eight will appear in a playoff game this postseason. The Wild will want to prioritize experience in their opening round matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights, and Haight, Lambos, and Hlavaj have yet to debut in the NHL, let alone in the playoffs.
Boyd is the only member of the group with postseason experience. From 2017 to 2020, he appeared in six playoff games with the Washington Capitals, scoring one goal and averaging 10:46 of ice time per game. Unfortunately, since Boyd didn’t feature in at least 41 games that season, and didn’t play in the Stanley Cup Final, he doesn’t have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup with the Capitals.
Meanwhile, the quartet of Gaunce, Jones, Ohgren, and Crotty combined for two goals and six points in 63 games for Minnesota this season, with Ohgren scoring both goals and tallying three of the assists. Given the lack of usage throughout the regular season, an unexpected injury during their series against the Golden Knights would be the only feasible reason for any of them to get inserted into the lineup.
Wild Sign Goaltender Samuel Hlavaj To Two-Year Deal
The Minnesota Wild have signed goaltender Samuel Hlavaj to a two-year, entry-level contract (Twitter link). Hlavaj served as the starting netminder for HC Plzeň of the Czechia Extraliga last season, after spending 2021 and 2022 with HC Slovan organization in Slovakia. With this deal, Hlavaj will return to America for the second time – after spending three years in the USHL and QMJHL between 2018 and 2021.
Hlavaj manned the net behind a HC Plzeň team that ranked third-to-last in the league this season with just 14 wins on the year. That meant tall orders for Hlavaj, who posted a measly 8-20-0 record and lost both playoff appearances. He wasn’t supported much by the skaters in front of him, with the HC Plzeň roster scoring the fifth-fewest goals in the league and allowing the fourth-most. Nonetheless, this season marked Hlavaj’s fourth-straight losing season, with his 2019-20 QMJHL season marking his last time on the positive side of the win column. He only lost five times that season, posting a 33-3-2 record and .915 save percentage in 39 games.
Minnesota bolsters the Iowa Wild’s goaltending room with this move, giving the team some certainty behind top prospect Jesper Wallstedt. Zane McIntyre has served as Wallstedt’s de facto backup this season, but he’s managed a meager .879 save percentage and 3-13-3 record. His missteps aren’t being made up for by Hunter Jones or Peyton Jones, with neither goalie recording a win in their spot starts. Hlavaj will add competition, and push for an AHL starting role when Wallstedt inevitably moves to the NHL.