SUNDAY'S STORY LINE: Steven Kampfer acquired Monday from Boston for Greg Zanon is scheduled to make his Wild debut tonight. Kampfer, 23, will be the 43rd player to skate for Minnesota this season.
The defenseman was sent to Houston after he was acquired from the Bruins, but didn't have a chance to play a game for the Aeros.
Kampfer said he was a little surprised to get the call up so soon, but is looking forward to the opportunity.
"You have to prove yourself every day and you have to make sure you are making the most of your opportunity. Definitely I think it is an opportunity to go out and show the coaches and management that I can play and I can play in the NHL," noted Kampfer.
Though he didn't play a game in Houston, Kampfer did participate in two practices with the Aeros and was able to get acclimated with the system both Minnesota and Houston play.
"It was good to learn the system a little down there and come up and you are not getting bombarded with everything all at once," said Kampfer.
Kampfer is a puck-moving defenseman that has the ability to make a good first pass out of the defensive zone and assist in moving the puck up the ice and to the forwards.
Mike Yeo, who has been searching for offense from his defenseman all year, is excited to see what Kampfer can bring to the table.
"He moves well, passes the puck well; we are anxious to see if he can come in and fit right in," said Yeo.
Kampfer will be paired with another puck-moving defenseman tonight in Tom Gilbert. Yeo hopes the two can help generate offense from the back end.
"Both guys move the puck well. If we can get those guys executing well it would be nice to throw those guys out there with Cullen's line or Brodziak's line and hopefully their (Gilbert and Kampfer) execution can help those guys create a little bit more, whether it is off the rush or just getting the puck into the offensive zone," added Yeo.
Yeo said he plans to use Kampfer on the 2nd power play unit, but wants to ease the young defenseman into situations.
"We want give him a good chance to succeed. We want to give him the opportunities but we don't want to put too much on his plate," added Yeo.
OTHER LINEUP NOTES: Cal Clutterbuck, who was injured in Detroit, is a game-time decision. Nick Palmieri is out with an upper body injury. Yeo would not say who would start in net tonight.
HE SAID IT: "You look going into tonight and we still don't know are line combos for the game tonight. It is not an easy way to prepare -- that is for sure. We don't like to do it that way, but that is what we are dealt with. Even through the course of the game we find ourselves mixing and matching a lot of our lines all game long whether it is trying to find the chemistry or just because we have lost guys through the course of the game. For me personally, it affects the way that you try to match your lines the people you get out against different lines." —Yeo on juggling the lineup and lines due to injury
