Minnesota Wild recall Nic Petan

The Minnesota Wild have recalled forward Nic Petan to the NHL roster. Petan has appeared in 10 AHL games so far this season, recording one goal and 12 points. That tally ranks him 15th in the league in scoring, and second in the league in assists.

Petan’s recall comes in the midst of an injury to Frédérick Gaudreau, who has been out with injury since the team’s October 24th game. He’s appeared in six games through the early season, going without a point and a -2. Gaudreau has cemented himself as a serious lineup piece for the Wild through the last two seasons, scoring 44 points in 76 games in his first year with the club and 38 points in 82 games last season. While that’s a step down in total scoring, Gaudreau did score a career-high 19 goals last year, a mark that ranked fifth on the team.

With Gaudreau out with injury, Petan’s recall gives Minnesota another aging centerman with plenty of professional experience. Petan has appeared in 164 career NHL games, most recently playing 10 games with the Wild last season. He scored three points last year, bringing his career point total up to 33. He’s also recorded 44 career penalty minutes.

While Petan hasn’t shown strong scoring at the NHL level, he flashed what he’s capable of in the AHL last year, netting 62 points in 53 games with the Iowa Wild. That was the most on the Iowa Wild – 11 points more than Marco Rossi, who ranked second.

Minnesota is currently tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for seventh in the league in scoring, with 40 goals through their first 11 games. They will look to Petan to help maintain that scoring, if he’s able to slot into the NHL lineup.