But that also means that the Wild are down some key talent back in St. Paul, as the squad ramps back up for the restart of the 2024 NHL season on Saturday, when Minnesota will play in Detroit vs the Red Wings.

Minnesota Wild recall prospects while stars finish up 4 Nations

To fill the voids left on Minnesota’s roster by Joel Eriksson Ek, Matt Boldy, Brock Faber and Filip Gustavsson while they finish up and return from the 4-Nations tourney, the Wild have recalled multiple players from Iowa.

Related: Team USA Trying to Ride Brock Faber to 4 Nations Title

The call ups include Liam Ohgren, Devin Shore and goaltender Dylan Ferguson, the latter of which was recalled as a practice player only, under a special rule this season created to compensate for absences of NHL players this week, because of the ongoing 4 Nations Face-Off.

[The Minnesota Wild have] recalled forwards Liam Öhgren and Devin Shore from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL). Minnesota has also recalled goaltender Dylan Ferguson from Iowa as a practice player as allowed under NHL 4 Nations Face-Off rules.

Minnesota Wild Press Release

How long will Liam Ohgren and Devin Shore be on the Wild’s roster?

It is unclear how long any of these call ups will remain on the Minnesota Wild roster, but it is worth noting that should the Wild activate Jacob Lauko from injured reserve, a move that is expected to happen before the end of the day according to Michael Russo (The Athletic), then one of either Ohgren or Shore would have to go back to Iowa or be placed on waivers.

#mnwild have recalled Liam Ohgren and Devin Shore. If Jakub Lauko comes off IR, one will either have to go back to Iowa or somebody would have to be put on waivers. Can’t see the Wild carrying 8 D (Travis Dermott) for too much longer with suspended Ryan Hartman occupying a roster…

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 18, 2025

Ohgren, Minnesota’s 1st round pick (No. 19 overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft, has played 19 games this season with the big league Wild, recorded 1 goal and 3 assists on 25 shots. In 25 games with Iowa in 2024-25, the freshly-turned 21-year-old has potted 12 goals and assisted on 11 more (23 points). Four of his goals for Iowa have come on the power-play.

Devin Shore is a 30-year-old centerman brought in by the Minnesota Wild this season to fill the role of a veteran who has been a few places and is ok with popping between the AHL and NHL, depending on who needs him the most.

Related: MN Wild Top Pick Just Misses No. 1 Spot in NHL Prospect Rankings

Most importantly, Shore can show the NHL ropes to the swath of young talent coming through the Wild’s No. 2 ranked system in all of hockey. In 2024-25, he has 1 goal and 2 assists in 34 games with the NHL Wild. Down in Iowa, he has 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists), five PPA in 14 games. 

You can read about those injuries and roster concerns over HERE. For now, let’s focus in on what has suddenly become an incredibly messy Minnesota Wild goalie situation. It all started with a mysterious injury to Jesper Wallstedt, which he sustained last week, but only surfaced within the last couple days.

Goalie injuries making life difficult for the Minnesota Wild

Because the league’s top goalie prospect is unavailable for the foreseeable future, Minnesota had to sign AHL backup goalie Dylan Ferguson to a two-way contract this week, in case something happened to either Filip Gustavsson or Marc-Andre Fleury. And it just so happened that Minnesota ran into that exact emergency on Thursday.

Brodin (lower) out tonight. Day to day. Faber out. No update. Fleury is sick and questionable tonight (Iowa is in San Diego, I believe).

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 9, 2025

According to Michael Russo (The Athletic) an illness to backup goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury could leave him sidelined for tonight’s rivalry matchup vs the Colorado Avalanche. Well, it’s good thing the Wild made that roster move the other night, huh?

Unfortunately, Ferguson’s new two-way deal won’t help head coach John Hynes out tonight, because the 26-year-old sustained an injury during his last Iowa Wild game, on Wednesday.

Related: Minnesota Wild Recall New Defenseman to Replace Brock Faber

In a perfect world, that’s no big deal, since starter Filip Gustavsson is healthy and ready to go. But this world is far from perfect and the Minnesota Wild need a backup goaltender, in case the Gus Bus is also run off the road by injury.

Making matters worse, the only other goalie available in the entire organization, Samuel Hlavaj, is too expensive to be added to the NHL roster. So… if Fleury can’t go tonight, what are the Minnesota Wild going to do?

EBUG may be Wild’s only backup option vs Avalanche

Well, the National Hockey League has a protocol for emergency goalie moments like these. It’s called the emergency backup goaltender, and each team has one available on game nights at their home arena. They are rarely seen/used.

Fleury didn’t skate with the team this morning, and is questionable for Thursday’s 7 PM showdown vs Colorado. Jesper Wallstedt has missed five games with an undisclosed injury. Connor Beaupre is Minnesota’s emergency goaltender. He apparently looked good at the team’s morning skate.

You’re not gonna believe this, Dylan Ferguson – the goalie the #mnwild signed two days ago just in case Fleury or Gustavsson got hurt or sick – got hurt last night. So with Jesper Wallstedt hurt and Samuel Hlavaj making too much money, the Wild’s in a pickle w Fleury sick https://t.co/KaSwTfbNjL

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 9, 2025

Normally, EBUGs come into play when one of the team’s two active goalies are lost during the contest, for injury or other reasons. But tonight, Minnesota’s EBUG will actually start his night on the Wild bench, if Fleury is too sick to make it there.

Related: Minnesota Wild Prospects Turn Heads at 2025 World Junior Championship

The Wild will also be without defensemen Brock Faber, Jonas Brodin, and Jared Spurgeon, and forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Jakub Lauko. At least the Avalanche are playing the second of back-to-back games after losing to Chicago, Wednesday night. Colorado started backup netminder Trent Miner in that game, however.

What a turn of fortune for Ferguson, whose contract now calls for $750,000 if in the NHL and $130,000 if in the AHL, quite the increase in salary for the 26-year-old who has just 3 total games of National Hockey League experience under his breezers. Even if he never steps foot on the NHL ice, Dylan Ferguson is the real winner today.

Why did the Minnesota Wild upgrade Dylan Ferguson’s contract?

But why did the Minnesota Wild make this roster move? Why upgrade the contract of a backup AHL goalie? Both Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury are healthy. But according to Michael Russo (The Athletic), 2021 1st round pick Jesper Wallstedt is not.

And with their supposed “goalie of the future” sidelined, the Wild need an emergency goalie on roster. Dylan Ferguson is now that emergency goalie. After signing his new deal, he was immediately sent back down to Iowa.

The Wild lost Grosenick before the season at a 775K cap hit. There's a cap for emergency replacements, and neither of the #mnwild minor-league goalies fit that. With Wallstedt hurt, they needed a 775K goalie in case of an emergency. And they've loved Ferguson down there, so… https://t.co/6n1XOJLApE

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 7, 2025

Goaltender Dylan Ferguson has been placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to the @IowaWild.

— Minnesota Wild PR (@mnwildPR) January 7, 2025

Originally a 7th round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, Ferguson has a .929 save percentage and 2.81 goals against average, in his three career appearances. The British Columbia native made his NHL debut came way back in 2017-18, when he was just 19 years old. That night, he entered the game as a substitute.

Dylan Ferguson played just over nine minutes and allowed one goal on two shots. He never saw the NHL ice again until five years later (2022-23), when he got two appearances for the Ottawa Senators, one of which was a start. Ferguson has never played a minute for the Minnesota Wild.

Jesper Wallsted’s surprise injury

Unless you are paying very close attention to the Iowa Wild happenings, on a game-in, game-out basis, you probably did not know Jesper Wallstedt had missed the last four games down in the AHL. Obviously, this signing is a sign that the 22-year-old’s absence is expected to be of the extended variety…

So far this season, Wallstedt has been horrible down in Iowa. He wanted to be up with the Minnesota Wild this year, and seems to have mentally collapsed, when it didn’t happen. In seven AHL games since November 7, Jesper allowed four or more goals in four of them, including an 8 goals allowed performance on November 16 vs the Texas Stars. Now, it looks like he’ll get a break to get mentally and physically right.