Minnesota Wild General Manager Bill Guerin yesterday announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed forward Nick Bjugstad to a one-year, $900,000 contract.
Bjugstad, 28 (7/17/92), recorded 17 points (6-11=17), three game-winning goals, a plus-7 rating, 48 hits and 22 blocked shots in 44 games during the 2020-21 season. The 6-foot-6, 208-pound forward set a career high in plus/minus rating and ranked T-2nd on the Wild in GWG. The Blaine native tallied 13 of his 17 points (5-8=13), including all three GWG at Xcel Energy Center. He became the 27th Minnesota native to play in a game for the Wild. The right-shot skater registered a three-game assist streak (3a) from March 10-14 and recorded a three-game point streak (1-2=3) from Feb. 24-27. He scored his 100th career NHL goal (GWG) on Feb. 26 vs. LA to become the 26th Minnesota-born NHL skater to reach 100 goals. The forward registered a goal and 11 shots in six Stanley Cup Playoff contests.
Bjugstad owns 224 points (103-121=224), 17 power-play goals, 47 power-play points, 17 GWG, 215 penalty minutes, 729 hits and 166 blocked shots in 483 career NHL contests during nine seasons with Florida (2012-2019), Pittsburgh (2018-20) and Minnesota (2020-21). He has recorded five points (3-2=5) in 15 career Stanley Cup Playoff matches with the Panthers (2015-16), Penguins (2018-19) and Wild (2020-21).
He played three seasons at the University of Minnesota and notched 98 points (54-44=98) in 109 games (2010-13). Bjugstad tallied 42 points (25-17=42) in 40 contests in 2011-12 and was named to the WCHA First All-Star Team and Second All-American Team. He played three seasons at Blaine High School and was named Mr. Hockey in 2010 after recording 69 points (35-34=69) in 30 games.
Minnesota acquired Bjugstad from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a conditional draft pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft on Sept. 11, 2020.
(info and photo courtesy of Wild.com)