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Minnesota sends Tuch to AHL, while Eriksson Ek remains

2015 NHL Draft - Round One

SUNRISE, FL - JUNE 26: Joel Eriksson Ek poses after being selected 20th overall by the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center on June 26, 2015 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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It was always going to be tough for Alex Tuch to make the Minnesota Wild out of training camp. The team already had four NHL veterans at right wing -- Charlie Coyle, Jason Zucker, Jason Pominville, and Chris Stewart -- while Tuch is only 20 years old and has yet to play a single regular-season game as a professional.

So today’s news that Tuch, the former Boston College star, has been assigned to AHL Iowa should come as no real surprise. The Wild also sent Jordan Schroeder, Kurtis Gabriel and Hunter Warner down to the farm.

Related: Alex Tuch is looking to make the leap

While Tuch was sent down, another of the Wild’s top prospects, forward Joel Eriksson Ek, remained. The 19-year-old Swede was a first-round draft pick in 2015, and it sounds like he has a good chance to start the season in the NHL.

Eriksson Ek, a center, outlasted 23-year-old center Tyler Graovac, who today was placed on waivers. (Presumably Graovac will be assigned to the AHL should he clear.)

Suffice to say, Eriksson Ek is a very important prospect for a team whose top two centers, Eric Staal and Mikko Koivu, are on the tail ends of their careers.

According to the Star Tribune, if Eriksson Ek doesn’t stick with the Wild, he could return to Sweden for another season with Färjestad.