Wild Picks Up C Jason Morgan

July 17, 2006Minnesota Wild President and General Manager Doug Risebrough announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed free agent center Jason Morgan to a one-year contract.

Morgan, 29 (10/9/76), has skated in 40 career NHL games in parts of four seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks, notching seven career points (2-5=7) to go along with 14 penalty minutes (PIM). The St. John’s, Newfoundland-native spent most of last season with the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL) and tallied 39 points (8-31=39) and 58 PIM in 51 games. He also saw action in seven games with the Blackhawks, earning two points (1-1=2) and six PIM.

A 6-foot-1, 200-pound center, Morgan was originally selected by Los Angeles in the fifth round (118th overall) of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.

Per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Koivu Re-Signs With Wild

Glen Andresen
July 18, 2006

Mikko Koivu showed remarkable poise in shootouts last year, scoring four times, including this one against Vancouver on March 31.
That should just about wrap things up…sort of.

Wild center Mikko Koivu signed and initialed the dotted lines on a one-year contract on Tuesday, and the Wild roster is now solidified. With the exception of some expected minor league signings, Assistant General Manager Tom Lynn has earned some time in the spa, although he stresses that his job is never done.

“We’re always looking to improve,” said Lynn. “We have a team in place. Are we actively looking to fill a hole? No. We have what we need going into the season, but I can never say we’re finished.”

Koivu was the final restricted free agent from last year’s roster, and he’ll look to build on his solid rookie season in 2005-06. He finished his the year with six goals and 15 assists for 21 points in 64 games. He also was a member of Finland’s silver medal-winning entry at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.

We think he’ll take another step,” said Lynn. “He’s already a good NHL player. We’ve had high hopes for him and he will get better because he’s the type of guy who is committed to getting better. He’s the type of guy that a team needs to compete in the regular season and the playoffs.

Wild President and General Manager Doug Risebrough added, “Mikko is a skilled, versatile player and a fierce competitor. His commitment to winning and his love of the game make him a natural fit for the Wild’s team concept.”

The sixth overall pick in the 2001 Draft showed flashes of why he was so highly regarded prior to the season. He gave glimpses of his outstanding playmaking abilities and performed extremely well in the defensive game. He also showed remarkable poise in shootout situations, scoring on four of six opportunities with his forehand-to-backhand flip to the top-shelf.

But after scoring eight points (3-5=8) in his first nine games, he struggled offensively, going 44 games without a goal before tallying in the season finale at Dallas.

Koivu’s contributions to the Wild were not limited to the ice, however. He was an active recruiter in getting highly-touted Finnish defenseman, Petteri Nummelin, to sign as a European free agent with Minnesota.

“It helps that players want to come here and be in a good situation, and Mikko made that clear to Petteri that it’s a good place to be. So Mikko helped us get better.”

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