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Wild’s Dumba set to make NHL debut

mattdumbagetty

Minnesota Wild prospect Matt Dumba is primed to make his NHL debut against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

The 19-year-old was selected seventh overall in the 2012 NHL Draft. His parents will be on hand.

All warm and fuzzy feelings aside, the defenseman wants to carry over an impressive preseason into high-level action for the Wild. Head coach Mike Yeo seems eager to see if he can pull it off.

“I’m excited for him,” Yeo said. “This guy’s a big part of our future. He’s had a really strong camp, so I’m excited to get him there and see how he goes out and performs at this time of year. We’ve seen it. We saw it Game 1 for us, the pace of play, the intensity picks up right now, so you want to see how he handles that.”

Dumba had a great 2012-13 season in the WHL, scoring 42 points in 62 games for the Red Deer Rebels. He also got his feel wet with the AHL’s Houston Aeros, though he failed to register a point in three regular season and five postseason games at that level.

Who knows how many games he’ll get a crack at with the Wild this year; a lot of that depends on his short-term work and the team’s long-term plans.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins