Tyler Graovac Returned To Iowa Wild

On Monday, the Minnesota Wild reassigned forward Tyler Graovac to the Iowa Wild of the AHL.

Graovac, who despite being up with the NHL squad for their last four games, remains the goals leader for the Baby Wild with 12 tallies on the season. During his stint in the NHL he was, however, passed up for the team lead in points by Michael Keranen, who now has 25, one more than Graovac’s 24.

More from Iowa Wild

• Minnesota Wild: With Joel Eriksson Ek out, is Marco Rossi’s debut coming?
• Minnesota Wild’s Mysteries and Wonders of Brennan Menell
• Prospects the Minnesota Wild Need to Watch Closely
• Gerry Mayhew Wins 19-20 AHL MVP
• The GEEK Squad Represents What the Future Holds

Graovac found his way onto the ice in three of the four games he was up for, making his NHL debut on December 29 against the Winnipeg Jets. Graovac didn’t manage to put any points on the board, but played a strong game against the Jets and in his second game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was very noticeable in both games, getting opportunities around the net, using his 6-foot-5 frame to battle along the boards, and managing to create possession time for his line.

In those first two games he had strong possession numbers as well, posting a 61.5% Corsi For against Winnipeg and a 50% Corsi For against the Blue Jackets. Things didn’t go quite as well in his third game, a shaky win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The day before the Toronto game Graovac was returned to Iowa, but was called back up the morning of the game after Brett Sutter came down sick.

Against Toronto Graovac saw his shifts cut in half from 16 the previous game and only played 6:31. He didn’t take a shot in the match and finished with a very ugly 8.3% Corsi For, a C+/- of -10.

Graovac returns to an Iowa Wild team who just handed a very strong Utica Comets team their second home loss of the season. Iowa is back in action on Friday when they take on the Texas Stars on the road.