MINNESOTA REASSIGNS LETTIERI AND MERMIS, IOWA REASSIGNS BUDGELL
Nov 24, 2023SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has reassigned forward Vinni Lettieri and defenseman Dakota Mermis to the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL). The Iowa Wild also reassigned forward Brett Budgell to the Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL.
Lettieri, 28 (2/6/95), has tallied two goals in 11 games with Minnesota and three points (1-2=3) in four games with Iowa this season. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound native of Excelsior, Minn., collected 49 points (23-26=49), including 11 power-play goals (PPG), five game-winning goals (GWG), a plus-9 rating and 34 penalty minutes (PIM) in 48 games with the Providence Bruins (AHL) last season. He ranked T-1st on the team in PPG (T-13th in the AHL) and GWG, second in goals, points and shots on goal (163), T-4th in plus/minus rating and fifth in assists. Lettieri recorded one goal in four Calder Cup Playoff games with Providence.
Mermis, 29 (1/5/94), has recorded five points (2-3=5) in 13 games with Minnesota this season. He registered 26 points (5-21-26), 73 penalty minutes (PIM), a plus-nine rating and 129 shots on goal in 63 contests with Iowa during the 2022-23 season. The 6-foot, 195-pound native of Alton, Ill., was second among Iowa skaters in PIM and ranked second among Iowa defensemen in scoring, goals and assists. Mermis owns 137 points (21-116=137), 409 PIM and 683 shots in 426 career AHL games with Springfield (2015-16), Tucson (2016-19), Binghamton (2019-20) and Iowa (2021-23).
Budgell, 22 (6/1/2001), has skated in nine games for the Iowa Wild and two games for the Heartlanders this season. He collected 52 points (16-36=52) in 72 games with the Newfoundland Growlers in the ECHL in 2022-23. The 6-foot, 187-pound native of St. John’s, N.L totaled 241 points (107-134=241) across 270 games with the Charlottetown Islanders in the QMJHL from 2017-2023. Budgell led the QMJHL in assists (43) in 2020-21 and served as the captain of Charlottetown during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.
For more information on Iowa Wild hockey, please visit www.iowawild.com. Fans can purchase single-game tickets through the team’s website at www.iowawild.com. Group tickets (10 or more), suites, Wild 365 memberships or premium tickets can be purchased by contacting the Iowa Wild Ticket Department at 515-564-8700 or tickets@iowawild.com. Season tickets for 2023-24 are on sale now. Fans can purchase season tickets for the upcoming season at https://www.iowawild.com/wild-365.
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