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After blowout loss, Wild recall prized prospect Tuch

2014 NHL Draft - Round 1

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 27: Alex Tuch is selected eighteenth overall by the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at the Wells Fargo Center on June 27, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

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Minnesota suffered one of its worst defeats of the season on Wednesday, a 5-1 thumping in Calgary.

Perhaps it was time to send a bit of a message. Just hours after the Saddledome debacle, the Wild recalled Alex Tuch from AHL Iowa.

Tuch, of course, is the ballyhooed youngster taken 18th overall at the ’14 draft. The big-bodied forward has starred at virtually every level -- including the American League, where he scored a pair of goals in last weekend’s All-Star Game.

“At some point we have to see where he’s at,” Wild GM Chuck Fletcher said, per the Star-Tribune. “He’s a 6-foot-4 guy with skill that’s led our team in all the different metrics in Iowa, whether it’s Corsi, scoring chances or plus-minus.”

Tuch, 20, is only in his first year of professional hockey. He spent the previous two campaigns lighting it up at Boston College, and has transitioned seamlessly to the next level with 11 goals and 22 points in 34 games for Iowa -- despite being one of the youngest players on the roster.

Tuch’s recall also comes with Charlie Coyle mired in an awful slump.

Coyle hasn’t scored a single goal in his last 17 games and has failed to respond to criticisms from head coach Bruce Boudreau. Things seemed to hit a low last night, when Coyle was demoted to the fourth line.

“I don’t know. I’m at a loss,” Boudreau said in trying to explain Coyle’s struggles. “We’ll figure it out. I’m told he’s gone through this every year. I’ll have a talk with him [Thursday] and see if we can’t get him straightened out.”

The Wild next play on Saturday, in Vancouver, which is where Tuch’s expected to make his NHL debut.