Rieger Lorenz, Jeremy Lauzon, the Wild and the Golden Knights shared the ice on a Monday night in Saint Paul, and one rookie made sure nobody forgot his name.
In just his second NHL game, Lorenz dropped the gloves with Lauzon in one of the heaviest tilts of the season so far.
That's a bold move for a 22-year-old fresh off a call-up from AHL Iowa. He only made his NHL debut in Florida on Saturday.
Lauzon is no easy assignment. The 29-year-old Vegas defenceman carries a $4,000,000 cap hit and plays a hard game on the back end.
Neither player backed off. It was a long, heavy exchange, the kind that changes the energy in a building.
Vegas came in at 5-1-0 after an overtime win over Los Angeles, while Minnesota was 3-1-1 after a 4-1 win in Florida.
John Hynes' Wild get a jolt from a rookie call-up
The Wild called Lorenz up with injuries piling up, including to Brock Faber. A 2022 second-round pick, he was expected to bring energy, and he wasted no time doing it.
He carries a $1,013,750 cap hit and is still looking for his first NHL point. On this night, points weren't the point.
Minnesota needed a lift. Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek have been searching for offence, and a rookie standing up like that can wake a whole bench up.
This is how a call-up earns respect fast. Teammates remember the kid who stood in against a veteran in his second game, long after they forget his stat line.
It's like the new guy at work volunteering for the hardest job on his second day. Nobody asks him to prove himself after that.
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The Wild visit Winnipeg on Tuesday on the second half of a back-to-back. Ryan Craig's Golden Knights will remember the rookie's name.
Lorenz may head back to Iowa once the Wild get healthy. After tonight, he's made that decision a lot harder for John Hynes.
Has Rieger Lorenz earned a regular spot with the Wild?
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