Iowa Wild Sign Three: Archambault, Walters, Perry
The Iowa Wild recalled Olivier Archambault and Ryan Walters from the Alaska Aces of the ECHL on Thursday. In addition, the Iowa Wild sign also signed forward Joe Perry from the Quad City Mallards to a professional tryout (PTO) contract.
NEWS: #IAWild recalled @oarchy09 & @ryan_wally17 from @AlaskaAces and signed Joe Perry from @myqcmallards to a PTO. http://t.co/pR0SLZHBcg
— Iowa Wild (@IAWild) February 6, 2015
You might be tired of it now, but I’ve talked about Archambault here a number of times this season. He’s been having an incredible rookie campaign for the Aces and is a pretty exciting player to watch. He hasn’t, however, had much of an impact at the AHL level yet. In 12 career AHL games — two of which were this season with the Iowa Wild — he has just one goal and one assist.
But in Alaska, he’s second on the team in scoring with 20 goals and 18 assists in 38 games. That’s good for 25th overall in the ECHL despite missing games with a call-up to Iowa in early January. Archambault was named to the ECHL All-Star Game, and was named ECHL rookie of the month in November. Glad to see Iowa giving him a shot at getting a little more ice time and bringing his speed and skill to the AHL level again.
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Walters (#OneOfUs) started the season with Iowa after signing his first pro contract over the summer. He logged ten games with Iowa, registering a goal and five assists, before being reassigned to the Alaska Aces. He posted 10 goals and 13 assists through 26 games with Alaska. Walters made his AHL debut with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (on an amateur tryout) last season after the conclusion of his season with the University of Omaha Mavericks.
Perry, like Archambault, is having an impressive rookie season in the ECHL and is poised to make his AHL debut when he debuts with the Wild. Perry is made his pro debut this season with the Mallards after finishing his NCAA career last season with St. Norbert. This season he ranks second on the Mallards in points with 20 goals and 16 assists through 42 games. That also puts him at 36th overall in the ECHL.
Perry and Archambault are tied for second in goals among all ECHL rookies with 20. Jason Bast of the Idaho Steelheads ranks first with 25 goals.
It looks like Iowa is making a few moves to bring in young players that they can take a risk on in hopes of big rewards. With Iowa’s season where it is — dead last in the AHL for the second season in a row — I like seeing them take risks on some young guys who are showing promise in the ECHL. It’s worth more to the team to see if even one of them can make an impact and stick with the team for next season, becoming an interesting prospect, rather than find out how the aging Ruslan Fedotenko — who was injured in his second game with the team since signing — might fair with the team.