The Minnesota Wild announced two changes today, one on the ice and the other behind the bench. After Ryan Hartman was suspended yesterday for two games, the Wild needed to add a forward to their lineup. They announced this morning that they have recalled Vinni Lettieri from the Iowa Wild. He will be in the lineup for the Wild game at home tonight against the St. Louis Blues.
Lettieri has already played 11 games with the Minnesota Wild this season and has scored two goals while averaging 11:03 of ice time. He also has a 58.3% faceoff percentage, which will help the center depth while Hartman is out. During his six games with the Iowa Wild this year, he has four points (a goal and three assists).
The Wild also announced a coaching change this morning. Yesterday, the Wild announced that they had relieved Dean Evason and Bob Woods from their coaching duties. They subsequently announced that they had hired John Hynes as their new Head Coach.
This morning, they’ve also moved Pat Dwyer from his position as an assistant coach for the Iowa Wild to being an assistant to new coach John Hynes. His focus will be both defense and the penalty kill. The penalty kill has struggled, and Dwyer will have a big task ahead of him. The Wild’s PK is currently currently ranked last in the league at 66.7%.
Dwyer was an assistant coach for the Chicago Wolves in the AHL from 2020-23. That includes being a member of the Calder Cup-winning team during the 2021-22 season. Dwyer’s hiring as an assistant coach for the Iowa Wild was announced on July 5, 2023.
To hear more about yesterday’s announcement on Hartman’s suspension and the firing of both coaches, listen to the latest episode of Her Wild Side Hockey Podcast.
