Wild Recall Hunter Haight, Matt Kiersted

The Minnesota Wild recalled Hunter Haight and Matt Kiersted from AHL Iowa, announced today. With their first round playoff opponent set (Dallas) the club has summoned reinforcements for their final two regular season games; tomorrow at St. Louis and Tuesday against Anaheim.

Both Haight and Kiersted have contributed as depth already this season, and despite being key players for the farm club, Iowa is ranked 29th in the AHL and therefore doesn’t have the highest stakes after what has been another forgettable season.

Haight, 22, is a noteworthy prospect of Minnesota. Selected 47th overall in 2022, the center jumped into the AHL last season as an immediate contributor, posting 34 points in 67 games. He followed that up with more progression, nearly matching the same output in 16 fewer contests. The efforts got him his NHL debut in October, followed by brief stints both in the winter, and the spring, as recently as last month.

The rookie recorded his first NHL point in March, an assist. His usage remains limited, just one tick below 10:00 across the seven total games. An AHL All Star this season, the Ontario native has high puck skill for a projected top nine forward at the NHL level. As expected, he’s often been sheltered starting nearly 60% of his shifts in the offensive zone, but such will change should he develop into a trustworthy two-way center.

On the other hand, Kiersted is an AHL veteran at age 27. In his first season with the Wild organization, the Minnesota native spent most of the year in Iowa, outside of four games with the big club. Usually more offensively capable, with a 29-point campaign last year with the Charlotte Checkers, Kiersted had just 12 points in 49 games with Iowa.

Having 43 NHL games under his belt, 39 of which come from his time in Florida, the lefty is a dependable call-up to fill in on the blue line. In his last NHL contest, January 5 at Los Angeles, Kiersted played just 8:31 but he’ll figure to see more action in the coming days.

With the likes of Joel Eriksson Ek, Mats Zuccarello, and Jared Spurgeon all day-to-day, and the chance to rest more stars such as Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes, the duo will have plenty of opportunity tomorrow night.