MINNESOTA WILD AGREES TO TERMS WITH EIGHT PLAYERS
Jul 1, 2024SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has agreed to terms with eight players.
Forward Travis Boyd has agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract ($775,000/$550,000) that goes through the 2024-25 season. Boyd, 30 (9/14/93), played in 16 games and recorded eight points (2-6=8), 12 shots and 10 blocked shots for the Arizona Coyotes last season while missing 60 games due to injury. The 6-foot-0, 190-pound native of Hopkins, Minn., has appeared in 296 career games through parts of seven NHL seasons (2017-24) with the Washington Capitals (2017-20), Toronto Maple Leafs (2020-21), Vancouver Canucks (2021) and Arizona (2021-24), recording 118 points (47-71=118), 74 penalty minutes (PIM), 280 shots and 170 blocked shots. Boyd also appeared in six career Stanley Cup Playoff games while with the Capitals, registering one goal, six shots and four blocked shots, and was a member of the 2018 Stanley Cup Championship team in Washington. Boyd has also appeared in 221 career games through six seasons (2014-20) in the American Hockey League (AHL), all with the Hershey Bears, posting 172 points (57-115=172), 56 PIM, 23 power-play goals (PPG) and 389 shots. He was named AHL Second Team All-Star during the 2016-17 after leading the Bears in scoring 16-47=63) and played in the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic.
Boyd spent four seasons (2011-15) at the University of Minnesota, finishing his collegiate career with 96 points (32-63=96), 40 PIM and a plus-17 rating in 148 games. He helped the Gophers win a Big Ten Championship during the 2014-15 season and earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors the same season. Boyd was selected by Washington in the sixth round (No. 177 overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft.
Defenseman Joseph Cecconi (seh-KOH-nee) has agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract ($775,000/$325,000) for the 2024-25 season. Cecconi, 27 (5/23/97), recorded 13 points (1-12=13) and 60 penalty minutes (PIM) in 58 games with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2023-24. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound native of Youngstown, N.Y., added three points (1-2=3) in five Calder Cup Playoff games. He has collected 54 points (8-46=54) and 186 PIM in 275 games in six AHL seasons with Texas (2018-22) and Rochester (2022-24) and owns eight points (3-5=8) in 21 career Calder Cup Playoff contests. Cecconi tallied 62 points (9-53=62) and 103 PIM in 147 games in four seasons at the University of Michigan (2015-19). He served as captain his senior season (2018-19) after serving as an alternate captain his junior season (2017-18), when he helped lead the Wolverines to the NCAA Frozen Four. Cecconi won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, recording two assists in seven games. Cecconi was selected by the Dallas Stars in the fifth round (No. 133 overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft.
Defenseman Cameron Crotty has agreed to terms to a one-year, two-way contract ($775,000/$500,000) that goes through the 2024-25 season. Crotty, 25 (5/5/99), posted 13 points (3-10=13), 28 penalty minutes (PIM) and 87 shots in 55 games with the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (AHL) last season while also logging one assist and two PIM in three Calder Cup Playoff games. The 6-foot-3, 211-pound native of Ottawa, Ont., made his NHL debut with the Arizona Coyotes on March 24, 2024, vs. Dallas, recording two blocked shots and 10:03 of time on ice (TOI). Crotty has registered 39 points (9-30=39), 94 PIM and 316 shots in 219 career games through four AHL seasons (2020-24), all with Tucson. Crotty played three seasons (2017-20) at Boston University, registering 27 points (10-17-27), 33 PIM and 137 shots in 102 games and helping the Terriers win the 2018 Hockey East Championship and qualify for the 2018 NCAA Tournament. He served as an alternate captain during his final season with the team. Crotty was selected by Arizona in the third round (No. 82 overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft.
Center Brendan Gaunce (GAWNS) has agreed to terms on a two-year, two-way contract ($775,000/$550,000 in 2024-25 and 2025-26) that goes through the 2025-26 season. Gaunce, 30 (3/25/94), recorded four points (2-2=4) and six penalty minutes (PIM) in 24 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets and collected 39 points (19-20=39) in 46 games with the Cleveland Monsters in the American Hockey League (AHL) last season. The 6-foot-3, 219-pound native of Sudbury, Ont., served as Cleveland’s captain last season and ranked fourth on the team in scoring. He has notched 28 points (13-15=28) and 67 PIM in 177 career NHL games with Vancouver (2015-19), Boston (2019-20) and Columbus (2021-24). Gaunce owns 233 points (108-125=233), 891 shots on goal, 220 PIM and a plus-18 rating in 343 career AHL games with Utica (2014-19), Providence (2019-20) and Cleveland (2021-24). He has also tallied 14 points (7-7=14) in 31 career Calder Cup Playoff contests. Gaunce spent the 2020-21 season with Vaxjo in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and helped the Lakers win the league championship.
Gaunce recorded 236 points (103-133=236) and 211 PIM in 258 games in four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with Belleville (2010-13) and Erie (2013-14). Gaunce served as Belleville’s captain his final two seasons. He tallied four points (3-1=4) in seven games to help Team Canada win a bronze medal at the 2012 IIHF Under-18 World Championship. Gaunce was selected by Vancouver in the first round (No. 26 overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft.
Goaltender Troy Grosenick has agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract ($775,000/$250,000) for the 2024-25 season. Grosenick, 34 (8/27/89), posted a 17-8-2 record, a 2.56 goals-against average (GAA), a .907 save percentage (SV%) and two shutouts in 30 games with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL last season. He also appeared in 11 Calder Cup Playoff games, posting a 5-5-0 record with a 2.66 GAA, .902 SV% and one shutout. The 6-foot-1, 181-pound native of Brookfield, Wisc., has appeared in four NHL games with the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings, and owns a 2-2-0 record, a 2.27 GAA, .933 SV% and one shutout. He made his NHL debut on November 16, 2014, with San Jose against the Carolina Hurricanes and stopped all 45 shots faced to earn a shutout for his first NHL win. Grosenick owns a 169-101-32 record, a 2.52 GAA, .913 SV% and 21 shutouts in 324 AHL games over 11 seasons. He has been selected to two AHL All-Star Games (2017, 2022), won the Aledge “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s best goaltender in 2017 along with the Hap Holmes Memorial Award in 2020, awarded to the goaltender with the lowest GAA.
Grosenick played his collegiate hockey at Union College, where he posted a record of 39-16-9, a 1.89 GAA, a .930 SV% and seven shutouts in three seasons (2010-13). He became Union College’s first Hobey Baker Award Finalist in 2012 and was named a AHCA First-Team All American after leading the conference in GAA (1.60), SV% (.940) and win percentage (.767, 22-6-3 record).
Right wing Reese Johnson has agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract ($775,000/$500,000) for the 2024-25 season. Johnson, 25 (7/10/98), recorded five points (2-3=5), 40 penalty minutes (PIM) and 109 hits in 42 games with the Chicago Blackhawks last season. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound native of Regina, Saskatchewan, owns 17 points (7-10=17) and 103 PIM in 141 career NHL games over four seasons with Chicago (2020-24). He led Chicago with a career-high 178 hits in 2022-23 and ranked third on the team with 141 hits in 2021-22. Johnson has also collected 23 points (9-14=23) and 105 PIM in 83 AHL games with the Rockford IceHogs (2018-22). The right-shot winger made his NHL debut on January 31, 2021 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He recorded 100 points (55-45=100) in 187 games in five seasons with Red Deer in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Johnson was originally signed as a free agent by Chicago on April 13, 2022.
Center Ben Jones has agreed to terms on a two-year, two-way contract ($775,000/$275,000 in 2024-25 and 2025-26) that goes through the 2025-26 season. Jones, 25 (2/26/99), recorded 43 points (21-22=43), five power-play goals (PPG), 59 penalty minutes (PIM) and 209 shots in 72 games with the Calgary Wranglers of the American Hockey League (AHL) last season, ranking T-1st on the team in goals and second in points. The 6-foot-0, 190-pound native of Waterloo, Ont., has tallied 161 points (72-89=161), 252 PIM, 15 PPG, seven short-handed goals (SHG) and a plus-40 rating in 283 career games through five AHL seasons (2019-24) with Chicago (2019-20), Henderson (2020-22) and Calgary (2022-24). He has also logged four points (2-2=4) and 22 PIM in 22 career Calder Cup Playoff games. Jones has appeared in two career NHL games with the Vegas Golden Knights, making his debut on Nov. 20, 2021, vs. Columbus. Jones posted 240 points (89-151=240), 200 PIM and a plus-21 rating in 260 games across four seasons with the Niagara Ice Dogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), serving as the team’s captain in 2018-19 and alternate captain in 2017-18. He was selected by Vegas in the seventh round (No. 189 overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft.
Center Devin Shore has agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract ($775,000/$400,000) for the 2024-25 season. Shore, 29 (7/19/94), recorded four points (1-3=4) and four PIM in 21 games with the Seattle Kraken last season. He also collected 25 points (7-18=25) and four PIM in 39 games with the Coachella Firebirds of the AHL. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound native of Ajax, Ontario, owns 139 points (51-88=139), 73 PIM, five PPG, five shorthanded goals (SHG) and seven game-winning goals (GWG) in 443 career NHL games over nine seasons with the Dallas Stars (2015-18), Anaheim Ducks (2018-20), Columbus Blue Jackets (2019-20), Edmonton Oilers (2020-23) and Seattle (2023-24). Shore has tallied 62 points (28-34=62), 16 PIM, seven PPG and nine GWG in 86 AHL games over four seasons with Texas Stars (2014-16), Bakersfield Condors (2022-23) and Coachella (2023-24).
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