MN Wild Recall Expensive Young Talent for Another NHL Opportunity

The Minnesota Wild are coming off arguably the most impressive victory of their season on Thursday night against the Dallas Stars, one of two top teams in the Western Conference.

After a tight, low scoring affair through two periods, the Wild took a 3-2 lead in the third, before a pair of empty-netters made the score 5-2.

Even more impressive, they did it without some of their best players available, including forwards Mats Zuccarello, Marco Rossi and Marcus Foligno. On defense, they didn’t have veteran lineup chameleon, Jake Middleton.

Now, on Saturday, the MN Wild will be back on the ice at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, to host another good team, the 14-12-4 Ottawa Senators. But yet again, the lines will look different than they did last game, after general manager Bill Guerin made a call down to Iowa on Friday.

Last season, the Minnesota Wild swung an expensive trade, sending a first round pick to Columbus, in order to secure the services of a young defenseman, in David Jiricek, who was taken No. 6 overall in 2022.

David Jiricek back to Minnesota Wild

Unfortunately, since his arrival, the same problems keeping Jiricek down in the Blue Jackets organization have materialized, as a member of the Wild too.

Nonetheless, with Middleton out, David Jiricek was recalled by the Minnesota Wild Friday, paving the way for 6’4″ defender to get back on NHL ice Saturday. If he is indeed active against the Sens, it will be Jiricek’s 13th NHL game this season.

Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has recalled defenseman David Jiříček (YIHR-ih-chehk) from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Minnesota Wild

In fact, 2025-26 was supposed to be the year that Jiricek put it all together and claimed his rightful spot in Minnesota’s top six, defensively.

Wild still waiting for Jiricek to figure it out

Instead, the 22-year-old has been reserved to defensive duties down in Iowa, when the MN Wild have been healthy on the blue line. With Iowa, Jiricek has just one goal and two assists, in ten games played.

Jiricek last played for the Minnesota Wild on November 11. He has registered nine shots this season but has not landed a point. Worth a minus-3, he also has recorded eight penalty minutes.

Last season Jiricek suffered a spleen injury that ended his season early. The MN Wild envisioned a scenario in which they improved upon Jiricek’s skating and got him to a place where he could be a top contributor on the ice.