Despite a history of injuries, the Minnesota Wild believe defenseman Clayton Stoner is important enough to factor into their future plans.
Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher announced Thursday that the club has signed Stoner to a two-year contract extension.
Stoner, 27, missed 32 games in 2011-12 with a myriad of injuries but still led the team's defensemen and was third on the club in plus/minus rating and penalty minutes. He also had one goal and four assists and is a favorite of coach Mike Yeo's for his physical play.
The Minnesota Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association nominated Stoner as the Wild's finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which honors the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the sport.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Stoner has 16 points, a plus-9 rating and 170 penalty minutes in 116 career games over parts of three seasons with the Wild. Minnesota selected him in the third round of the 2004 NHL draft.
