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2015-16 SEASON NOTES<br />
2015-16 SEASON NOTES<br />
Front row: Darcy Kuemper, Goaltending Coach Bob Mason, Assistant Coach Andrew Brunette, Assistant Coach Darby Hendrickson, Assistant Coach<br />
Darryl Sydor, Assistant Coach Rick Wilson, Head Coach John Torchetti, Owner Craig Leipold, General Manager Chuck Fletcher, Chief Operating Officer<br />
Matt Majka, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Pellegrom, Assistant General Manager Brent Flahr, Director of Player Development Brad Bombardir,<br />
Director of Hockey Administration Shep Harder, Devan Dubnyk. Second row: Video Coach Jonas Plumb, Jared Spurgeon, Mikael Granlund, Ryan Carter,<br />
Jason Pominville, Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Ryan Suter, Thomas Vanek, Jarret Stoll, Chris Porter, Jonas Brodin, Team Operations Manager Andrew Heydt.<br />
Third row: Jordan Schroeder, Jason Zucker, Matt Dumba, Nate Prosser, Marco Scandella, Charlie Coyle, Nino Niederreiter, David Jones, Mike Reilly,<br />
Erik Haula, Justin Fontaine. Fourth row: Equipment Assistant Garett Hoglund, Assistant Equipment Manager Rick Bronwell, Assistant Equipment<br />
Manager Matt Benz, Head Equipment Manager Tony DaCosta, Strength and Conditioning Coach Kirk Olson, Massage Therapist Travis Green, Athletic Trainer<br />
John Worley, Head Athletic Therapist Don Fuller.<br />
MINNESOTA WILD MILESTONES<br />
• The Wild earned a 6-1 win against Chicago in the 2016 NHL Stadium<br />
Series contest on Feb. 21 at TCF Bank Stadium on the University<br />
of Minnesota campus. The game marked the first professional<br />
hockey game played outdoors in Minnesota.<br />
• Minnesota set a franchise record of 19,062 for average single-game<br />
attendance in a season. The capacity of Xcel Energy Center<br />
is 17,954 but 35 of the 40 games at the arena saw more than<br />
19,000 fans in attendance. The final game of the season (4/9 vs.<br />
CGY) saw the largest crowd of the year in Saint Paul (19,247) and<br />
marked the 600th sellout in franchise history, including preseason<br />
and playoff games.<br />
• Minnesota set a franchise record and ranked T-1st in the NHL (Dallas)<br />
with 12 players who scored 10 or more goals, surpassing the<br />
previous mark of 11 in 2008-09.<br />
• Minnesota posted a 22-11-8 record for 52 points through 41 games<br />
– its best-ever record through the first half of a season (previously<br />
21-12-7-1 for 50 points in 2002-03).<br />
• The Wild scored a power-play goal in 13 straight road games (1/21-<br />
3/12) – a franchise record and the longest streak in the NHL since<br />
Carolina scored in 17 straight road games (10/15/05-1/7/06).<br />
• Minnesota won a season-high six straight games, March 19-29 –<br />
tied for the fourth-longest win streak in franchise history.<br />
• A total of 33 players appeared in at least one game for Minnesota.<br />
Twenty-four players recorded at least one point and 22 scored at<br />
least one goal.<br />
• Minnesota set a franchise record with five players skating in all<br />
82 games: Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund, Mikko Koivu, Nino<br />
Niederreiter and Ryan Suter, surpassing four players in 2006-07.<br />
Minnesota lost 136 man games to injury.<br />
• Five players made their NHL debuts with the Wild: Christoph<br />
Bertschy (11/7 vs. TB), Kurtis Gabriel (11/10 vs. WPG), Michael<br />
Keranen (11/17 at PIT), Gustav Olofsson (11/19 at BOS) and Mike<br />
Reilly (1/9 at DAL). In addition, five players made their Wild debut:<br />
Zac Dalpe (4/5 vs. SJ), David Jones (3/3 at TOR), Chris Porter (10/8<br />
at COL), Jarret Stoll (12/17 vs. NYR) and Tyson Strachan (1/5/16 at<br />
CBJ). Reilly scored his first NHL goal vs. BOS (2/13).<br />
• For the third straight season and fifth overall, Minnesota tied its<br />
franchise record with eight team shutouts on the season, ranking<br />
T-2nd in the NHL. Devan Dubnyk ranked T-4th in the NHL with five<br />
shutouts, Darcy Kuemper registered two shutouts and the two<br />
combined for a shutout (12/5 vs. COL).<br />
• Mikko Koivu became the franchise games played leader with his<br />
744th game on Feb. 28 (vs. FLA).<br />
• Zach Parise led all NHL players with three hat tricks, registering<br />
three goals at Colorado (10/8), at Columbus (1/5) and vs. Calgary<br />
(3/24). His three hat tricks tied the franchise record for most in a<br />
single season (Gaborik, 2002-03). The alternate captain became<br />
the first player in Wild history to score three goals in one period,<br />
picking up a hat trick in an 11:12 span of the first period vs. Calgary<br />
(3/24), also marking the fastest three goals by a Wild player in<br />
franchise history (12:05, Gaborik, 12/20/07).<br />
• Ryan Suter set franchise records for most assists (43) and points<br />
(51) by a defenseman in a single season.<br />
• Erik Haula tied the franchise record for longest point streak with a<br />
10-game point streak March 12-31, totaling 11 points (5-6=11) in<br />
that span. (Brunette, 5-12=17 in 10 games 3/7-3/27/02).<br />
• Devan Dubnyk earned 32 wins, the third-highest single-season<br />
total in franchise history (Backstrom, 37 in 2008-09 and 33 in<br />
2007-08). He represented the Wild at the 2016 NHL All-Star Game<br />
in Nashville (1/31), the first NHL All-Star Game of his career.<br />
• Minnesota set a franchise record by scoring at least five goals in<br />
four straight games (2/15-2/21). John Torchetti become the first<br />
NHL coach hired midseason to win his first four games while the<br />
club scored five of more goals in each contest (Elias Sports Bureau).<br />
MINNESOTA <strong>TEAM</strong> LEADERS SINCE FEB. 15, 2016<br />
Player GP G A PTS<br />
Erik Haula 27 9 12 21<br />
Zach Parise 24 8 13 21<br />
Mikko Koivu 27 6 13 19<br />
Nino Niederreiter 27 11 8 19<br />
Mikael Granlund 27 8 8 16<br />
Ryan Suter 27 1 15 16<br />
Jason Pominville 20 5 10 15<br />
Charlie Coyle 27 6 8 14<br />
INDIVIDUAL MILESTONES<br />
• Ryan Carter set a career high with 37 blocked shots and tied career<br />
highs in goals (7) and SHG (1).<br />
• Charlie Coyle ranked second on the Wild and set a career high with<br />
21 goals, totaling career highs in points (42), TOI/game (17:18)<br />
shots (140), blocked shots (61) and takeaways (36), and tying career<br />
highs in games played (82), PPG (2) and GWG (4).<br />
• Devan Dubnyk set career highs in games played (67), minutes<br />
(3,861) and saves (1,679).<br />
• Matt Dumba set career highs in games played (81), goals (10), assists<br />
(16), points (26), PIM (38), PPG (6), GWG (3), shots (152), TOI/<br />
game (16:50), hits (83), blocked shots (56) and takeaways (13).<br />
• Mikael Granlund set career highs in games played (82), goals (13),<br />
points (44), TOI/game (18:07), GWG (3), SHG (1), shots (160), faceoffs<br />
won (528), faceoffs taken (1085), hits (86) and takeaways<br />
(51), and matched his career high with two PPG.<br />
• Erik Haula led Minnesota with a career-high, plus-21 rating this<br />
season – tied for the second-highest plus/minus rating in franchise<br />
history and tied for the highest-ever by a Wild forward. Haula<br />
also earned career highs in games played (76), goals (14), assists<br />
(20), points (34), TOI/game (12:44), GWG (2), shots (99), hits (57),<br />
blocked shots (55), faceoffs wins (416) and faceoffs taken (781).<br />
• Mikko Koivu led the Wild with 56 points, a career-high 10 PPG. The<br />
captain played in all 82 games for the second time in his career and<br />
had a career-high 57 blocked shots. Koivu led the Wild and ranked<br />
fourth in the NHL in faceoff wins (987), sixth in the NHL in faceoffs<br />
taken (1758) and T-13th in the league in faceoff win percentage<br />
(56.1%).<br />
• Darcy Kuemper registered a career-best, seven-game point streak<br />
(4-0-3, 11/28-12/22).<br />
• Nino Niederreiter posted career highs in games played (82), assists<br />
(23), points (43), shots (159) and TOI/game (15:33). He led<br />
all Switzerland-born NHL players in goals, becoming the first Swiss<br />
player to net 20 goals in back-to-back seasons.<br />
• Chris Porter led Minnesota with a career-high 157 hits. He also set<br />
career highs in games played (61), blocked shots (12) and takeaways<br />
(15), and matched his career high with four goals.<br />
• Marco Scandella set career highs in assists (16), PPG (2) and<br />
shots (126).<br />
• Jared Spurgeon led Minnesota with a career-high 157 blocked<br />
shots. He ranked second on the Wild with a career-high 22:41 TOI/<br />
game, posting career highs in games played (77), goals (11), points<br />
(29), PPG (5) and matching his career high in GWG (2). He signed a<br />
four-year contract extension starting in 2016-27 on Dec. 21.<br />
• Ryan Suter led Minnesota with 43 assists – a career high, the<br />
most by a Wild defenseman in franchise history and seventh-most<br />
amongst all NHL defensemen this season. The alternate captain<br />
ranked third on the Wild with a 51 points – a career high, the most<br />
by a Wild defenseman in franchise history and T-9th amongst all<br />
NHL defensemen. He ranked second in the NHL in TOI/game (28:36)<br />
and skated in all 82 games for the fifth time in his career. Suter set<br />
career highs in shots (188) and blocked shots (142), and tied his<br />
career high in goals (8).<br />
• Jason Zucker posted career highs in games played (71), assists<br />
(10), PIM (20), shots (158), TOI/game (15:35), hits (83), blocked<br />
shots (33) and takeaways (40). He became the NHL first player<br />
since 2006-07 (Dustin Brown) to score in the first 20 seconds of<br />
a period three times in one season: 10 seconds into first period at<br />
Winnipeg (10/25), 18 seconds into first period vs. Chicago (10/30)<br />
and 16 seconds into third period vs. Carolina (3/19).<br />
NHL MILESTONES<br />
• Jason Pominville – 800th NHL game at San Jose (1/23), 600th NHL<br />
point at New York Islanders (2/2)<br />
• Ryan Suter – 800th NHL game at New York Rangers (2/4), 400th<br />
NHL point at Colorado (3/26), 300th NHL assist at Colorado (10/8)<br />
• Thomas Vanek – 800th NHL game at Edmonton (2/18), 300th NHL<br />
goal at Arizona (10/15)<br />
• Mikko Koivu – 700th NHL game vs. Nashville (11/21)<br />
• Zach Parise – 700th NHL game vs. Edmonton (10/27), 600th NHL<br />
point at Calgary (2/17), 300th NHL assist vs. Vancouver (12/15)<br />
• Nino Niederreiter – 300th NHL game vs. Calgary (3/24), 100th NHL<br />
point at New York Islanders (2/2)<br />
• Marco Scandella – 300th NHL game at Winnipeg (4/3)<br />
• Jared Spurgeon – 300th NHL game at Anaheim (10/18)<br />
• Jonas Brodin – 200th NHL game at Anaheim (10/18)<br />
• Charlie Coyle – 200th NHL game at St. Louis (10/31), 100th NHL<br />
point at Tampa Bay (1/2)<br />
• Mikael Granlund – 200th NHL game vs. New Jersey (1/10), 100th<br />
NHL point vs. Vancouver (11/25), 100th NHL assist at Colorado<br />
(3/26)<br />
• Chris Porter – 200th NHL game at Arizona (12/11)<br />
• Nate Prosser – 200th NHL game at Boston (11/19)<br />
• Devan Dubnyk – 100th NHL win at Arizona (10/15)<br />
• Matt Dumba – 100th NHL game vs. Vancouver (12/15)<br />
• Jordan Schroeder – 100th NHL game vs. Carolina (3/19)<br />
• Jason Zucker – 100th NHL game vs. St. Louis (10/10)<br />
• Mike Reilly – First NHL game at Dallas (1/9), First NHL goal vs.<br />
Boston (2/13)<br />
• Christoph Bertschy – First NHL game vs. Tampa Bay (11/7)<br />
• Kurtis Gabriel – First NHL game vs. Winnipeg (11/10)<br />
• Michael Keranen – First NHL game at Pittsburgh (11/17)<br />
• Gustav Olofsson – First NHL game at Boston (11/19)<br />
NHL PLAYERS OF THE MONTH AND<br />
WEEK<br />
• Devan Dubnyk – NHL Second Star for March<br />
• Zach Parise – NHL First Star (3/28)<br />
• Erik Haula – NHL Second Star (2/22)<br />
• Mikko Koivu – NHL Third Star (12/21)<br />
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THE STATE OF HOCKEY 2016-2017 MINNESOTA WILD <strong>TEAM</strong> <strong>GUIDE</strong> 2016-2017 MINNESOTA WILD <strong>TEAM</strong> <strong>GUIDE</strong> THE STATE OF HOCKEY<br />
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