SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has recalled forwards Mikael Granlund (pronounced pronounced mih-kigh-EHL GRAHN-lund), Jake Dowell and Stephane Veilleux (pronounced (STEH-fan VAY-oo) from the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League (AHL).

    Dowell, 28 (3/4/85), skated in two games with Minnesota this season and averaged 8:32 in TOI/game. He recorded nine points (4-5=9) and 34 penalty minutes (PIM) in 37 games with Houston this season and added one assist in four playoff games. The 6-foot, 202-pound native of Eau Claire, Wisc., was signed by the Wild as a free agent July 4, 2012. Dowell has skated in 156 NHL games with Chicago, Dallas and Minnesota posting 33 points (11-22=33) and 133 PIM. He was originally selected by Chicago in the fifth-round (No. 140 overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Dowell wears No. 18 for Minnesota.

    Granlund, 21 (2/26/92), collected eight points (2-6=8) in 27 games with Minnesota this season. The 5-foot-10, 186-pound native of Oulu, Fin., recorded 28 points (10-18=28) in 29 games with the Aeros this season and added two points (1-1=2) in five playoff games. He was named the AHL Rookie of the Month for October scoring 10 points (3-7=10) and a +5 rating in seven games. Granlund was Minnesota’s first-round pick (ninth overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and wears sweater No. 64 with the Wild.

    Veilleux, 31 (11/16/81), notched eight points (3-5=8) and 45 PIM in 33 regular season games with the Aeros this season and added one assist, six penalty minutes and a plus-2 rating in three playoff games with Houston. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound native of St. Georges de Beauce, Que., did not skate in a game with Minnesota this season. He collected two assists and 15 PIM in 21 games with Minnesota last season after being acquired in a trade with New Jersey on Feb. 24, 2012. Veilleux has recorded 101 points (46-55=101) and 317 PIM in 460 career NHL games with Minnesota, Tampa Bay and New Jersey including 92 points (43-49=92) and 269 PIM in 382 games with the Wild. Veilleux ranks eighth on the franchise’s all-time games played list and 10^th in PIM. He was originally selected by Minnesota in the third-round (No. 93 overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. Veilleux wears No. 19 for the Wild.

    SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has recalled forwards Stephane Veilleux and Jason Zucker from the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League (AHL) and reassigned forwards Jake Dowell and Carson McMillan to Houston.

    Veilleux, 31 (11/16/81), notched eight points (3-5=8) and 45 penalty minutes (PIM) in 33 games with the Aeros this season. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound native of St. Georges de Beauce, Que., has not appeared in a game with Minnesota this season. He wears No. 19 for the Wild.

    Zucker, 21 (1/16/92), has totaled five points (4-1=5) and was a plus-four rating in 19 games with the Wild this season. He ranked second in scoring on the Aeros with 50 points (24-26=50) in 55 contests and was named to the 2012-13 AHL All-Rookie Team. He wears No. 16 for Minnesota.

    Dowell, 28 (3/4/85), skated in two games with Minnesota after being recalled on April 22 and averaged 8:32 in TOI/game. He recorded nine points (4-5=9) and 34 PIM in 37 games with Houston this season.

    McMillan, 24 (9/10/88), was recalled on April 26 and did not appear in Friday’s game against Edmonton. He recorded 18 points (9-9=18), 31 PIM and a plus-4 rating in 64 games with Houston this season.

    Minnesota plays at Colorado tonight at 6:30 pm CT on FOX Sports North

SAINT PAUL, Minn. - The Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL) announced today that its American Hockey League (AHL) developmental affiliate will relocate from Houston, Texas, to Des Moines, Iowa, beginning with the 2013-14 season.

“Our organization has enjoyed tremendous support from the loyal, passionate hockey fans in Houston since 2001,” Wild Assistant to the General Manager/Aeros General Manager Jim Mill said. “There is a great hockey history in Houston, beginning with the Apollos in 1965, and continuing with the Aeros in the WHA, IHL and AHL. We are honored to have been a part of this hockey tradition.”

“We are grateful to our corporate and community partners, as well as our hard-working staff in Houston,” Mill added.

“We were not able to find agreement on terms of a new arena lease which would allow us to continue to successfully operate our franchise. We thank Toyota Center for the partnership we’ve had since moving there in 2003,” Wild Chief Operating Officer Matt Majka said.

“We have enjoyed a very strong relationship with the Aeros dating back to Toyota Center’s inaugural 2003 season. Both parties worked diligently and in good faith during this process, but unfortunately we were unable to reach an agreement. We wish the Aeros continued success,” Houston Rockets/Clutch City Sports & Entertainment CEO Tad Brown said.

“On behalf of our Board of Governors, I would like to thank the fans of the Houston Aeros for the terrific support they have shown their team and the American Hockey League for the last 12 years,” American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews said.

SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has assigned goaltender Josh Harding to the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League (AHL) on a conditioning assignment.

Harding, 28 (6/18//84), went 1-1-0 with a 2.92 goals-against average (GAA), a .885 save percentage (SV%) and one shutout in four games with Minnesota this season before being placed on Injured Reserved Feb. 12. He stopped all 24 shots faced in his first start this season in a 1-0 victory against the Dallas Starts on Jan. 20. Harding last appeared in a game for the Wild on Feb. 7 against the Vancouver Canucks. Houston completes the AHL regular season with three games this weekend playing at Texas (Fri.), at San Antonio (Sat.) and at Oklahoma City (Sun.).

He went 13-12-4 with a 2.62 GAA, a .917 SV% and two shutouts in 34 appearances (30 starts) in 2011-12 after missing the 2010-11 season with a knee injury suffered Sept. 24, 2010, at St. Louis. The 6-foot-1, 199-pound native of Regina, Sask, has appeared in 121 games (98 starts) with Minnesota in parts of seven NHL seasons, going 42-52-8 with a 2.65 GAA, a .915 SV% and seven shutouts. Harding was selected by the Wild in the second-round (No. 38 overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Jason Zucker, who has scored 4 goals and added one assist for the Wild this season, has been named to the American Hockey League’s all rookie team for his play with the Houston Aeros.

Zucker leads the Aeros in goals scored with 24 and is tied for the team lead in points with 48 in 53 games played. He ranks third among all AHL rookies in goals, tied for third in points, first in power-play goals (12), second in power-play points (23), first in shots (196) and first in game-winning goals (8). Overall, Zucker is tied for the AHL lead in game-winning goals. The 21-year old, totaled five points (4-1=5) and was a plus-five in 14 games with the Minnesota Wild this season. He scored his first NHL goal in his season debut Feb. 17 versus Detroit. The 5-foot-11, 186-pound forward was born in Newport Beach, Calif., and raised in Las Vegas, Nev. In January, Zucker a goal and an assist in the Western Conference’s 7-6 win in the AHL All-Star Game.

Zucker collected 46 points (22-24=46) in 38 games during his sophomore campaign at the University of Denver last season. He also served as team captain for Team USA at the 2012 World Junior Championship and tallied seven points (3-4=7) in six games. He was selected by Minnesota in the second round (No. 59) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.