The Wild's recent acquisition scored in his first game.
ST PAUL - The Minnesota Wild (32-19-4) acquired Vinnie Hinostroza off waivers on Wednesday. In his first game with the Wild, Hinostroza scored against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The 5-foot-10 forward scored his first NHL goal since November 4th when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has 55 goals, 99 assists, and 154 points in 388 career NHL games.
"I thought Vinnie came in and played well," Wild head coach John Hynes said. "Coaching against him, you kind of know the player and then obviously when we talked to management and the scouts and stuff yesterday, so I thought tonight he played well. Good speed, he's tenacious on the puck, his abilities to make some plays and, you know, plays the game smart. He did a nice job."
Hinostroza, 30, was claimed off waivers by the Wild from the Nashville Predators where he had two assists in 13 games.
With his goal on Thursday, Hinostroza became the 31st player in Wild history to score in their team debut.
"Yeah, felt really good," Hinostroza said. "Obviously, lot of emotions. Entering a new locker room sometimes can be hard to do, but this group couldn't have made it easier for me today. So I'm just happy to be a part of this. Got in late last night, so I'll go back and get some sleep tonight, and then back at it tomorrow. So it'll be nice to see a little bit of down time."
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