The Minnesota Wild have given NCAA standout Mike Reilly the first recall of his NHL career, the team announced on Wednesday.
They have reassigned defenseman Christian Folin to the Iowa Wild again — they continue to want him to find his game in the AHL before he begins to require waivers, which will happen in 15 games — and will be bringing up the former Golden Gopher.
Reilly signed with the Wild during the offseason, coming out of college as a free agent when he decided not to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who drafted him in the 4th round of the 2011 NHL draft.
Reilly has put up nine points, seventh best among AHL defensemen, and a league-worst minus-23 rating this season with Iowa. Though that minus rating has a lot to do with Reilly playing a ton of minutes on a team that has been a burning waste site in November, going the entire month without winning a game and finding themselves at the bottom of the AHL standings for the third straight year.
The Star Tribune’s Michael Russo speculated Wednesday that the recall was to given Reilly a feel for the NHL and that he won’t actually play on Thursday, particularly with the team just getting Marco Scandella back in the lineup and grabbing a win on the road against Chicago on Tuesday.