The Minnesota Wild landed one of the nation's top undrafted free agents last spring, signing former Clarkson center Nico Sturm for the remainder of the season.
The German forward, 24, re-upped with the Wild as a restricted free agent over the summer, helping to fill out Minnesota's prospect pipeline.
Once considered a contender to make the Wild out of training camp, Sturm hasn't taken the ice at Xcel Energy Center during a regular-season game since making his NHL debut last April.
The Wild recalled Sturm last Friday but he didn't see any game action and was sent back to Iowa a few days later, the product of his waiver-exempt status.
However, a regular role on the Wild's roster could be on the horizon. It's not hard to see where a 6-foot-3 center fits into Minnesota's plans.
With a pair of veterans occupying two spots up the middle in Mikko Koivu and Eric Staal -- both currently battling injuries -- Sturm could be a valuable asset this season and beyond.
Sturm leads all Iowa rookies with six goals -- tied for third on the team -- and five assists in 23 games.
Widely regarded for his 200-foot game, Sturm was a point-per-game player over the course of his three-year college career, registering 36 goals and 67 assists (103 points) in 118 games for Clarkson.
Sturm thrived as a setup man, racking up 31 assists in his final season for the Golden Knights, tied for third in the nation.
A prolific faceoff man in college, Sturm finished with a winning percentage north of 56% three times at Clarkson, posting a 56.2% success rate as a freshman during the 2016-17 season. He led the nation at 61.7% as a sophomore, then posted a 57.9% winning percentage as a junior last season.
Sturm was twice named the top defensive forward in his conference, tying for 12th in the nation amongst forwards with 35 blocked shots last year.
The Wild have a number of natural centers on the rise, including top youngsters Joel Eriksson Ek and Luke Kunin, but if his college resume is any indication, Sturm has all the right attributes to carve out a role of his own.
Other notes:
-- Alexander Khovanov (third round, 2018) is beginning to look like a steal. The 19-year-old center stretched his point streak to seven games with a goal and two assists on Saturday, his third three-point game in four appearances in December. He ranks third in the QMJHL with 53 points and earned an invite to Russia's selection camp ahead of this month's World Junior Championship.
-- Left wing Adam Beckman (third round, 2019) ranks fourth in the WHL with 43 points and third with 27 assists after registering two goals and an assist during a win over Seattle on Tuesday.
-- Right wing Nick Swaney (seventh round, 2017) registered a goal and three assists over the weekend, powering Minnesota Duluth to a pair of wins over Nebraska Omaha. He's up to four goals and eight assists (12 points) in 13 games.
-- Hunter Jones (second round, 2019) stretched his winning streak to six games on Saturday, backstopping Peterborough of the OHL to a 3-1 win over Kingston. Jones ranks third in the league with a .918 SV% and a 2.53 GAA.
-- Iowa's full-time starter with Kaapo Kahkonen in Minnesota, former Gophers goalie Mat Robson (undrafted, 2019), has struggled a bit since his strong start to the season. Robson has allowed at least four goals in four of his last five outings and has a .895 SV% with a 3.00 GAA in 14 appearances.
