Minnesota Wild Call-Up Adam Beckman Has To Step Up

It's been a long wait for Adam Beckman to get his NHL shot this season. The Minnesota Wild's cap crunch meant that until Jared Spurgeon's injury freed up money, there wasn't even enough room for the Wild wing prospect's modest $894K salary. In the meantime, Beckman embarked on his fourth season with the Iowa Wild. 

Beckman surely was hoping to build on his success last season, when he scored 24 goals and 36 points in 53 AHL games last year. Not only did he light the lamp consistently, he was once again one of the most prolific shooters in the league, with 3.58 per game. Instead, as the club in Des Moines has sagged from their status as a playoff team last season, Beckman's also taken a step back.

Beckman has nine goals and 19 points in 37 games this season. That's fifth on the team in points, but he's struggled to create his own shot with a less talented cast around him. Beckman is only shooting 2.38 times per game -- over a full shot fewer than last season -- which is doing his stats no favors. 

Now Beckman gets his chance, getting the call-up to the NHL on Monday. He has a shot to make an impression on new coach John Hynes, and he needs to seize the opportunity. 

That might be unfair to say about a kid who won't turn 23 until May, especially since Beckman's record as a prolific shooter in the AHL shows promise. But Beckman will likely be fighting a numbers game shortly. The Wild have bottom-six wingers Ryan Hartman, Marcus Foligno, and Freddy Gaudreau re-signed for the foreseeable future. Marat Khusnutdinov could be fighting for another wing spot in about three weeks. Danila Yurov and Liam Öhgren are expected to be in the organization in the next year or two.

Beckman's waited for this opportunity. Let's see what he does with it.