MINNESOTA WILD ACQUIRES DEFENSEMAN VIKTOR LOOV FROM NEW JERSEY
Feb 8, 2018DES MOINES, IOWA – Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has acquired defenseman Viktor Loov (pronounced LEWV) from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forwards Christoph Bertschy and Mario Lucia.
“Mario Lucia and Christoph Bertschy, they’re both good kids and good teammates but were looking for other opportunities,” said Iowa Wild General Manager Brent Flahr. “Viktor Loov gives us depth on defense down the stretch, especially with a tough schedule ahead. We wanted to give them other opportunities but also give us depth on the back end.”
Loov, 25 (11/16/92), has totaled 17 points (5g, 12a) and 45 penalty minutes (PIM) in 36 games with Binghamton of the American Hockey League (AHL) this season, ranking second amongst team defensemen in goals and points. The 6-foot-3, 216-pound native of Sodertalje, Sweden, totaled two assists and a plus-4 rating in four career NHL games with Toronto in 2015-16. He’s totaled 59 points (16g, 43a) and 178 PIM in 216 career AHL games with Toronto, Albany and Binghamton (2014-18).
Bertschy, 23 (4/5/94), has registered 17 points (8g, 9a) and 40 PIM in 45 games with the Iowa Wild (AHL) this season. The 5-foot-10, 186-pound native of Fribourg, Switzerland, has totaled one assist and eight PIM in nine career NHL games with Minnesota, including four PIM in one contest this season. He was originally selected by Minnesota in the sixth round (158th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
Lucia, 24 (8/25/93), has posted 15 points (6g, 9a) and 12 PIM in 40 games with Iowa this season. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound native of Fairbanks, Alaska, has totaled 41 points (17g, 24a) and 32 PIM in 93 career games with Iowa (2015-18). Lucia was originally selected by Minnesota in the second round (60th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at Xcel Energy Center.
Iowa begins a five-game homestand with a contest against Chicago Wolves Friday. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m.
The Iowa Wild 2017-18 season is presented by Mercy Medical Center and runs from October through April. For more information, please contact the Wild office by calling 515-564-8700 or by visiting www.iowawild.com.
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