The Minnesota Wild recalled forward Hunter Haight and defenseman Carson Lambos from Iowa on the same day it placed Jared Spurgeon on Injured Reserve, a roster shift that changes the club’s blue line heading into tonight’s game. Bill Guerin announced the move Thursday.
The timing matters because the Wild host the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at 7 5 p.m. on Wild+ and KFAN FM 100.3, and the club has to cover an NHL spot immediately. Spurgeon’s move to Injured Reserve creates that opening, even as Minnesota turns to two players who have already spent time with the team before. Haight and Lambos are both coming up from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League, giving Minnesota options from within its own system rather than reaching outside it.
Haight, 22, has given Iowa production this season. He had five points, four penalty minutes, a plus-four rating and eight shots on goal in six games, and he led Iowa in goals and plus/minus while ranking second on the club in points. He also has a head start on the NHL level after making his debut last season at St. Louis on Oct. 9, 2025, and finishing with one assist in seven games for Minnesota.
The recall also puts another familiar name back in the mix. Lambos, 23, had two points, five penalty minutes and 15 shots on goal in six games with Iowa this season, ranking second on the club in shots on goal. He made his NHL debut at Columbus on Dec. 18, 2025, and has already shown Minnesota what his game looks like at that level. The move leaves the Wild with a clear short-term answer for tonight, but it does not say how long Spurgeon will be out, which is the part of this roster shuffle that still hangs over the team.
If Minnesota needed proof of how quickly the season can turn, this was it: one injured defenseman, two recalls, and a game against Columbus waiting the same night.
