Who: Minnesota Wilderness vs. Chippewa Steel and St. Cloud Norsemen
When: Jan. 17 (at Chippewa) and 19 (at St. Cloud) 7:00 p.m., Jan. 20 (vs. St. Cloud) 7:15 p.m. All times CST
Where: Jan. 17 – Chippewa Area Ice Arena, Chippewa Falls, WI; Jan 19 – Municipal Athletic Complex, St. Cloud, MN;
Jan. 20 – Northwoods Credit Union Arena, Cloquet, MN
The lead: Busy week features trips to Chippewa and St. Cloud before returning home to complete series with
Norsemen.
Media: All of the action can be seen on nahltv.com.
Records: Chippewa: 35 games, 16- 14-5, 37 pts; St. Cloud: 15-12-9, 39 pts; Minnesota: 37 games, 22-12-3, 47 pts
Midwest Division Standings:
| Place | Team | Points | Games Played | This weekend’s opponent |
| 1 | Wilderness | 47 | 37 | 1 game @ Chippewa, home/home vs. St. Cloud |
| 2 | Janesville | 45 | 34 | Home/home vs. Chippewa |
| 2 | Wisconsin | 45 | 35 | 2 games @ Kenai River |
| 4 | Anchorage | 40 | 32 | 2 games vs. Fairbanks |
| 5 | Chippewa | 35 | 37 | 1 game vs. Wilderness, home/home vs. Janesville |
| 6 | Fairbanks | 32 | 37 | 2 games @ Anchorage |
| 7 | Springfield | 30 | 35 | 2 games @ North Iowa |
| 8 | Kenai River | 26 | 35 | 2 games vs. Wisconsin |
Tale of the tape:
| Team | GF | GA | PP | PK | PIMs |
| Chippewa | 104 | 120 | 12% | 77% | 427 |
| St. Cloud | 96 | 103 | 11% | 87% | 808 |
| Wilderness | 102 | 101 | 21% | 85% | 494 |
Source: nahl.com
Last weekend:
- Chippewa split a series at Springfield with both games finishing in OT. On 1/12, Chippewa won, 5-4; on 1/13, Springfield won, 4-3
- St. Cloud split a series at Minot: On 1/12, St. Cloud won, 3-2; on 1/13, Minot won, 5-1
- The Wilderness split a series at Wisconsin: On 1/12, Wisconsin won, 7-1; on 1/13, Minnesota won, 4-3 (SO)
Season Series:
- Vs. Chippewa: Minnesota and Chippewa have met seven times so far this season. The Wilderness leads the
series with a 6-0-1 record. This will be the fifth meeting this season in Chippewa Falls where Minnesota has a
3-0-1 record in the previous four contests. - Vs. St. Cloud: Minnesota and the Norsemen have met two times previously in 2023-24. The Norsemen won
both contests, sweeping a home/home series on Nov. 3-4, 4-0 (in St. Cloud) and 3-0 (in Cloquet).
Nelson, Walters and Mӧller Join Team: The Wilderness welcomed three new players in last weekend’s series;
- Adam Mӧller, G, Stockholm Sweden: Mӧller made his Wilderness debut Jan. 12 in the 2 nd period vs. Wisconsin
in relief of starter Nick Erickson. The 18-year-old made 15 saves on 19 shots while playing 27:55 in the 7-1
Wisconsin win. Mӧller is in his first season playing in North America and is with his third team this season,
beginning the campaign with Des Moines of the USHL before playing five games with Maine of the NAHL. - Peyton Nelson, F, Centennial, CO: Nelson played both games last weekend, generating an assist on the
Wilderness’ lone goal in game 1. The 18-year-old Jr. hockey veteran spent 2022-23 in the USHL, playing 41
games with Muskegon and Des Moines. - Hayden Walters, F, Sartell, MN: The 20-year-old returns to the Wilderness, where he began his Jr. career in
2021-22. Walters played 16 games with the Wilderness during his rookie campaign before the completing the
season with Granite City of the NA3HL, where he played 16 games. He spent 2022-23 with Kenai River, and
started this season with the Brown Bears.
Ricciardi Snaps Drought: Forward Luca Ricciardi’s two goals Saturday marked his first two scores since joining the Wilderness. The 18-year old from Thunder Bay, ONT, last scored last season during his rookie season with Nepean of the CCHL. When he scored Saturday, Ricciardi snapped a 38-game goal drought dating back to March 12, 2023.
Steel Note: Last week’s mid-season NHL Central Scouting Bureau rankings of top NHL draft prospects revealed it includes two members of the Chippewa Steel. Forward Alex Lunski and goaltender Ajay White are both included in the list of top North American prospects for the 2024 NHL draft.
Norsemen Note: This weekend’s Wilderness/St. Cloud series will feature two of the league’s top teams in completing shutouts. Minnesota and St. Cloud are tied for 2nd in the league with six shutouts—trailing only the Lone Star Brahmas with seven. Goaltender Ryan Manzella leads St. Cloud with four this season.