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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 Wilds 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.
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