Wild Re-Signs C Rickard Wallin

MINNESOTA WILD RE-SIGNS CENTER RICKARD WALLIN

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President and General Manager Doug Risebrough announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club has re-signed center  Rickard Wallin (pronounced ree-KARD wah-LEEN) to a 2005-06 contract.

Wallin, 25 (4/19/80), recorded 43 points (12-31=43) in 79 games with the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League (AHL) last season.  The 6-foot-2, 185-pound forward ranked tied for first on the club with four game-winning goals, second in assists and plus-minus rating (+7) and fourth in scoring.  He started the 2003-04 campaign with Houston and notched 32 points (14-18=32) in 47 games.  Wallin finished the season in Minnesota appearing in each of the Wild’s last 15 contests and scored nine points (5-4=9), including three power play goals and one game-winning tally.  The Stockholm, Sweden-native collected 35 points (13-22=35) in 52 matches with the Aeros during his first season of professional hockey in North America in 2002-03.  He scored a goal in his NHL debut at Detroit (12/12/02) and appeared in four games with Minnesota before he suffered a fractured left hand vs. Edmonton (12/17/02).

Minnesota acquired Wallin from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Joe Juneau on June 23, 2000.  He was originally selected by Phoenix in the sixth round (160th overall) of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.

Per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.