The Wild have reassigned defenseman David Jiříček, goaltender Calvin Petersen, and winger Tyler Pitlick to AHL Iowa, per a team announcement. Minnesota won its final game before the Olympic break yesterday, a 6-5 overtime thriller over the Predators, so those three will now be able to continue playing over the next few weeks in the minors.
Players can still be reassigned during the ongoing roster freeze if they’ve played fewer than 16 of the team’s 20 games before the freeze, or have been on the NHL roster for fewer than 80 league days before Jan. 21. All three of them meet that criteria.
Up-and-down movement has been a hallmark of Jiříček’s season. The once-highly touted prospect continues to struggle to lock down a full-time NHL role. Since being drafted sixth overall by the Blue Jackets in 2022, he’s scored 13 points in 84 career NHL games. None of them has come this season. He’s posted zeroes across the board in 25 outings for the Wild. He only has two career points in a Minnesota uniform, both of which came in a six-game stint last year after being acquired from Columbus.
Lack of ice time surely has something to do with the lack of output from the talented puck-mover. He’s only averaged 11:48 of ice time per game this year, although it’s hard to argue he’s earned more. His possession numbers are underwhelming, only controlling 46.1% of shot attempts at 5-on-5.
Things in the minors haven’t gone terribly well for Jiříček since last year’s move, either. He’s notched a goal and five points in 15 outings for Iowa this year after seven assists in 27 games in 2024-25. He’s only clicking at a 0.29 points per game rate with the club, with a -10 rating.
While Jiříček may be coming back up after the break, Petersen isn’t. He was only rostered for Minnesota’s last two games before the break to back up Filip Gustavsson while Jesper Wallstedt dealt with the flu. The Iowa native signed in free agency with the Wild last season to serve as a minor-league depth option in his home state. Now 31 years old, the former Kings hopeful has managed a .897 SV% with a 2.82 GAA in 17 AHL games, including two shutouts and a 4-13-0 record.
Pitlick, 34, also arrived with the Wild in last summer’s free agency period. After spending all of last year in the minors in the Bruins organization, he’s re-established himself as a fringe NHLer in Minnesota. He’s been up with the team for a good chunk of the year but cleared waivers last month, so he’s within the 30-day exempt period.
A second-round pick back in 2010, Pitlick doesn’t offer much more upside than being a physical fourth-line checker at this stage of his career. He has two goals and a -4 rating in 31 games for the Wild while averaging 7:48 of ice time per game. While his 41.3 CF% is among the team’s worst, he does rank fourth on the club with 76 hits and third on a per-game basis (2.45).