Wild sign former second-rounder to three-year contract

The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman Jack Peart to a three-year entry-level contract starting in the 2024-25 season. The 20-year-old Peart was drafted by the Wild in the second round (54th overall) of the 2021 NHL entry draft and will begin his professional hockey career after spending the last three seasons at St. Cloud State (NCAA).

Peart played in 108 games for St. Cloud State and registered eight goals and 47 assists, with a plus-15 rating and 64 PIM. The native of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, set a career-high in points during the 2022-23 season when he posted three goals and 21 assists in 39 games. He had an offensive drop this past year, but the Wild saw enough from the young rearguard to lock him up to an ELC.

At the international level, Peart was a U.S. National Junior team member during the 2022 and 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships. He played in 11 games between the two tournaments and had five assists and a plus-3 rating. He won a bronze medal in 2023 as a member of the team.

With Peart locked up for the next three seasons, the rest of this season is up in the air. Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic have reported that Peart has signed an amateur tryout to play for AHL Iowa for the rest of the season and will report to Des Moines on Tuesday.