The Minnesota Wild officially assigned Joel Eriksson Ek to Sweden yesterday afternoon. This is a move that wouldn’t have been surprising a month ago. After all, Eriksson Ek is just a 19-year-old in a league where only the best stick around at such a young age. One might’ve expected Eriksson Ek to get a cup of coffee, learn what the NHL is all about, and use that experience as a carrot to help develop abroad.
This is a move that would’ve been surprising two weeks ago. Eriksson Ek’s debut was incredibly strong, showing off great shooting and vision while piling up 5 points in 9 games.