Hunter Haight scored five goals and added an assist in three games last week in an otherwise rough season for the Iowa Wild. The team has been at the bottom of the Central Division and the American Hockey League [https://thehockeynews.com/ahl] standings all season but his strong play allowed them to end the season on a hot streak. It also allowed Haight to earn the AHL Player of the Week and then get a call up to the Minnesota Wild. For Haight, it caps off a season which he powered through despite minimal help and still made it to the NHL. And with some luck, he might be a regular on the team next season. HAIGHT’S BIG SEASON AS A WILD PROSPECT Haight, like many prospects in the AHL, took time to develop. A 2022 second round draft selection who was undersized and had plenty of skill didn’t join the team right away. Instead, he spent two more seasons in the Ontario Hockey League to build up the physical strength to play at the next level. You May Also Like: AHL Notebook: Playoff Pushes, David Carle & More [https://thehockeynews.com/ahl/latest-news/ahl-notebook-playoff-pushes-david-carle-more] The skill was always there with Haight and it showed when he joined the AHL team in 2024-25. In 67 games, he scored 20 goals and added 14 assists for an Iowa team that would end up in last place in the Central Division. There isn’t much help on the Wild, a team that depleted its farm system in recent years thanks to blockbuster trades. Yet, Haight was a bright spot, scoring 18 goals and 14 assists in 51 games. It’s why the NHL team gave him a late season call up with the team already locked into a playoff spot, rewardinging him for a long season of hard work. IT’S NOT JUST HAIGHT EITHER MAKING A LASTING IMPRESSION ON THE WILD The Wild are already in a playoff spot and their matchup won’t change with a win or a loss. In other words, their final two or three games are meaningless, at least to the typical hockey fans. But for players in the AHL, this is their chance to show the NHL team what they can do, even if they won’t be on the playoff team, they can prove they belong on the team next season. Related: How The Bridgeport Islanders Turned Things Around Under Rocky Thompson [https://thehockeynews.com/ahl/latest-news/how-the-bridgeport-islanders-turned-things-around] Haight got the call with this in mind. The Wild also called up Viking Gustavsson Nyberg, a defenseman who spent most of the season in college but stood out in his brief time in Iowa. The Minnesota Viking (which is a fitting name for the team he plays for) also has a chance to make a strong impression on a team that can use defense reinforcement, especially at the start of next season. This is a popular call up week in the AHL. Many players are finally getting their shots and becoming AHL grads. These games, even on teams that are going nowhere, aren’t meaningless and instead are their chance to put themselves in the spotlight, even for a handful of games. THIS WEEK WAS A BRIGHT SPOT FOR THE WILD The Iowa Wild are wrapping up another rough season. They won’t make the playoffs for the second season in a row and there’s not a lot of hope moving forward that things will turn around. They hired Greg Cronin in the offseason hoping he’d develop the prospects and build a winning culture. He did one of the two. This week highlights those players who worked all season on their development. And for the league, it highlights the teams who aren’t focused on winning. It’s hard to follow an AHL team that loses game after game but when the prospects like Haight power through it and make the NHL, it gives the fans some compensation.
