Note: This article was originally published on Thursday, but incorrectly stated Mats Zuccarello was placed on long-term injured reserve.
The Minnesota Wild recalled Jake Lucchini from AHL Iowa and placed Mats Zuccarello on injured reserve, the team announced Thursday.
Zuccarello, 36, will miss his third straight game when the Wild host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. He has been one of the Wild's most impactful forwards so far this season and leads the team with 28 points in 28 games.
The Wild are also without Jared Spurgeon (out week-to-week with a lower-body injury) and Jonas Brodin (placed on long-term injured reserve on Dec. 13) right now. Spurgeon and Brodin will miss their fifth and sixth game in a row, respectively, on Thursday.
Lucchini is thriving in his first season in Iowa with nine goals and 20 points in 24 games after signing a one-year, two-way contract with Minnesota in July.
Brett McLean, who is in his first season as head coach of Iowa, raved about Lucchini to The Hockey News last month. McLean said he's been a leader on and off the ice, and that he's the first name to be called in important situations.
“The way we call it is he’s our (Joel Eriksson) Ek," he said, "in that he’s the one that we put out in any big deep defensive situation, any big offensive situation."
Lucchini got a taste of the NHL when he played 11 games with the Ottawa Senators during the 2022-23 campaign. The 28-year-old's NHL debut came on Dec. 14, 2022, and he scored his first career goal on Jan. 1, 2023.
When and if he plays is unknown, but he said last month that his goal was to get another opportunity at the NHL level.
“I want to play in the NHL,” Lucchini said, “and just try to continue to grow my game in order to make that step if that opportunity comes.”