5 days Ago By Josh Erickson, Pro Hockey Rumors
The Wild brought up forwards Ben Jones and Devin Shore from AHL Iowa on Sunday, per a team release . One or both could make their Wild debuts on Tuesday against the Blues. They replace up-and-coming forwards Michael Milne and Liam Öhgren on the active roster, both of whom were reassigned to Iowa earlier Sunday.
If Jones plays, it would be just his third career NHL game. The 25-year-old last appeared at the top level with the Golden Knights in Nov. 2021, recording 2 PIMs, a shot on goal and four hits while averaging 8:03 in a pair of contests.
The final pick of Vegas’ inaugural 2017 draft class, the 6’0′′ Jones has developed into a top-six option at the AHL level despite his lack of NHL time. While the Knights opted not to qualify him when his entry-level contract expired in 2022, he caught on with the Flames organization for the past two seasons and compiled 97 points (38 G, 59 A) in 143 games. Jones’ six seasons of AHL experience but lack of NHL games played made him eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency this past summer, and he was plucked off the market by the Wild on a two-year, two-way deal amid a flurry of minor signings from Minnesota on July 1.
It’s worked out so far, as Jones leads Iowa in scoring with 12 points (4 G, 8 A) in 14 games and earned his first NHL recall in three years in the process. Shore has far more top-level experience than Jones – 441 games separating the two, to be exact. The 30-year-old Shore also inked a two-way deal with the Wild when free agency opened and has two goals and 10 points in 14 games with Iowa after clearing waivers, although his -11 rating is second-worst on the team behind Brendan Gaunce .
A long-time bottom-six fixture with the Stars, Ducks, Blue Jackets, and Oilers, Shore’s 21 NHL games last season with the Kraken were his fewest in a campaign since a three-game trial with Dallas in 2015-16. He’s spent parts of the last three seasons in the AHL after going seven years without a minor-league assignment, largely due to steadily declining offense and ice time at the NHL level. Shore had only four points for Seattle last year and averaged 8:00 per game, a career-low capping off a third straight season in which he averaged under 10 minutes per game.
Both Jones and Shore can remain on Minnesota’s roster for up to 30 days and play 10 games before needing waivers again to return to the AHL. The Wild have been dipping into their AHL depth in recent days with Mats Zuccarello on injured reserve and Joel Eriksson Ek out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. This article first appeared on Pro Hockey Rumors and was syndicated with permission.
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