Mathew Dumba's rookie season with the Minnesota Wild will include a stop in junior hockey.
Minnesota loaned Dumba, the team's 2012 first-round draft pick, to the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League.
Dumba, 19, was away from Minnesota since Dec. 11 while playing for Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championships in Sweden. Dumba, an assistant captain for Canada, had one assist in seven games in the tournament.
Dumba had one goal and one assist in 13 games with the Wild this season. On Oct. 5, he became the second-youngest defenseman to make his NHL debut with the Wild. Dumba's first-year of eligibility was used this season by playing in more than nine games.
Portland had acquired Dumba's WHL rights in December from Red Deer, where Dumba had played the past four seasons.
Follow Brian Hall on Twitter
