The Minnesota Wild announced they will call up Devin Shore and Ben Jones to fill in the forward spots left by multiple injuries.
Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello suffered injuries during Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. Eriksson Ek is day-to-day, but Zuccarello underwent surgery on Friday, and the Wild placed him on injured reserve. Therefore, Shore, 30, has another NHL opportunity in his up-and-down career.
Shore is 10 years into his NHL career but hasn’t established himself in the last few years and has been traded or moved teams 5 times.
The Dallas Stars drafted Shore in 2012 as the 61st overall pick. He began his pro career in 2014-15, playing for the AHL’s Texas Stars. Shore played 19 games during his first season, then another 23 in the AHL, and 3 for the Dallas Stars in his second season. After that, Shore played two full seasons for Dallas in 2016-17 and 2017-18, producing 33 and 32 points, respectively.
It seemed like Shore’s career was taking off in 2018. Dallas gave him consistent ice time, and he was producing. He got another 17 points in 42 games with the Stars in the 2018-19 season. However, halfway through the season, they traded him to the Anaheim Ducks for Andrew Cogliano. It was a change-of-scenery trade. Both players were struggling, seeing less ice time and not producing as expected.
Shore started the 2019-2020 season with the Ducks, but they traded him to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Sonny Milano in February 2020. In October of that year, Columbus released him.
In the following January, Shore signed a contract with the Edmonton Oilers. Although they immediately placed him on waivers, Shore spent 3 seasons with the Oilers, averaging 45 games a season. His final season in Edmonton was in 2022-23 after they sent him down to the AHL Bakersfield Condors, only to bring him back up less than a week later.
Shore eventually left Edmonton and signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Seattle Kraken for the 2023-24 season. Seattle placed him on waivers and shuttled him between the Kraken and the AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. While he produced 25 points over 39 points for the Firebirds, he only scored one goal for the Kraken during his 23 games. However, it was a cool goal: He knocked the puck out of mid-air and put it through the five-hole.
Next, the Ajax, Ont. native signed another one-year, two-way contract with the Wild for this season. Shore has spent the season in Iowa, where he got his 10th point in 14 games against Texas on Saturday. Noticeably, Shore found the rebound from Jones’ shot on net.
The pair have chemistry. They connected to score against the San Jose Barracuda in November.
Shore may benefit from getting called up with Jones. The two forwards will likely round out the fourth line. While they will likely get minimal ice time, they should continue to produce in Minnesota.
The Wild likely intend for Shore to be a placeholder while Zuccarello and Eriksson Ek recover. Historically, Shore hasn’t produced in the NHL despite his AHL numbers. In 443 games, Shore has 139 points and a -53. However, he may find his game and become a more permanent part of the lineup.
While most impact players produce earlier in their career, some are late bloomers. Deryk Engelland started in the AHL in 2003-04 playing for the Lowell Devils and stayed in the AHL until 2009-2010, where he finally got a shot playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins at 28 years old. He played consistently in the NHL until his retirement in 2020.
Considering Shore’s past NHL experience and success in Dallas, Minnesota may be the right fit for him. He also doesn’t have to score many goals to make a difference. Shore was a great personality fit in Edmonton and brings energy. A confident veteran player can often be a guiding force behind the team’s success.
The Wild have had an incredible start to the season. Tuesday’s game against the St. Louis Blues will have relatively low stakes and give Shore and Jones room to find their place on the team. The Blues aren’t having a particularly good season, with an 8-11-0 record. St. Louis has already lost to the Wild 4-1 once this year, and Shore can maintain a spot by assuring Minnesota it won’t experience a dropoff in play with him in the lineup.
