Wild and Utah hook up on a minor trade today

This just in, the Minnesota Wild and Utah Hockey Club have hooked up on a minor deal today with Minnesota sending forward Sammy Walker for future considerations.

The 25 year old Walker has scored two goals and 11 points in 30 games with the AHL's Iowa Wild this season and just one goal and two points in 13 career NHL games. He managed 14 goals and 45 points in 70 AHL games last season and went pointless in four NHL games in Minnesota.

This move likely means another shot at the NHL for Walker, as it looked like his path to a stable NHL career was blocked in Minnesota. He'll have to work his way back up to the NHL within his new organization though, as Utah have announced that Walker has been assigned to the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners.

Read below for the full press release announcement from Utah HC:

Utah Hockey Club announced today that the team has acquired forward Sammy Walker from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for future considerations. Walker has been assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (AHL).

The 25-year-old forward has tallied 1-1-2 in 13 career NHL games from 2022-24 and most recently made four appearances with the Wild last season.

Walker has skated in 30 AHL games with the Iowa Wild in 2024-25, registering 2-9-11 and 23 penalty minutes (PIM). The 5-foot-10, 180-pound forward has recorded 43-61-104 and 70 PIM in 156 career AHL games, all with Iowa. Walker finished third in goals (27) and tied for third in power-play goals (9) among all AHL rookies in 2022-23, leading the team in both categories and earning selection to the AHL All-Star Classic.

A native of Edina, Minnesota, Walker also played at the University of Minnesota from 2018-22, tallying 48-64-112 and 81 PIM in 144 career games. He captained the Gophers in each of his final three collegiate seasons (2019-22), becoming the first three-year captain in program history. Walker was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2018-19 and led the Gophers to the Frozen Four as a senior in 2021-22.

Walker was originally selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the seventh round (200th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft.