The Minnesota Wild grabbed headlines in this month when they landed big fish free agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Minnesota hauled in another free agent on Friday, albeit a smaller one. Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported on Friday that the Wild added defenseman Brian Connelly.
Source says #mnwild signs offensive Dman Brian Connelly of Bloomington to a 2-year, 2-way deal (2nd-leading AHL blue-line scorer last yr)
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) July 6, 2012
Connelly scored six goals and 52 points in the AHL last year splitting time between the Rockford IceHogs and Abbotsford Heat. He was second in scoring among all defensemen in the AHL in 2011-2012. He will battle in the preseason to make the final roster for the Wild, but his scoring touch is more than enough to intrigue fans and the coaching staff.
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