The Minnesota Wild have made some changes to the core of their forward corps. First, Minnesota announced it was recalling the forward Rieger Lorenz of the AHL’s Iowa Wild. Additionally, the Wild were reassigned to forward Tyler Pitlick and placed Nick Foligno in the injured reserve.
In a separate transaction, the Wild announced they had also recalled the depth defenseman. Matt Kiersted. To free up financial space for Kiersted, Minnesota moved its goaltender Filip Gustavsson on long-term injured reserve while recovering from offseason hip surgery.
Lorenz, 22, is in his first full season of professional hockey after recently completing his collegiate tenure. Minnesota selected him with the 56th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and Lorenz played his college hockey at the University of Denver.
After his freshman season, Lorenz became remarkably consistent with the Pioneers. Over his final three years, Lorenz scored 39 goals and 85 points in 131 games with a +60 rating, helping the Pioneers win two national championships throughout his tenure. After his senior season, Lorenz signed his entry-level contract with the Wild.
Despite not scoring a goal in his first three professional contests last season, Lorenz is off to a strong start in Des Moines this year. In the first two AHL Iowa games, Lorenz scored two goals and three points with a +3 rating. Given his contract flexibility on a two-way waiver-exempt deal, it makes sense that the Wild want him in the bottom six for cheap offensive potential.
Meanwhile, the corresponding roster changes were far from surprising. Minnesota recalled Pitlick a few days ago, and he was left out against the Lightning last night. Additionally, Foligno remains day to day with his upper body illness. Since his placement on injured reserve is retroactive to October 6, he will be eligible to return next Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets. Ultimately, Foligno is guaranteed to miss at least three games due to his injury.
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