Wild bring Stalock home say who? Mar 29, 2017 at 10:10 p.m. 
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Former Minnesota Duluth goalie Alex Stalock (left) deflects a loose puck near Denver's Rhett Rakhshani at the DECC in Duluth. (2009 file / News Tribune) ST. PAUL — South St. Paul native Alex Stalock is coming home, at least for now.
Stalock, a former Minnesota Duluth goaltender, was recalled by the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday after spending the entire season as the No. 1 goalie with the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League. He is 20-16-7 with a 2.31 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage and four shutouts in 45 games in the minors.
The 29-year-old Stalock provides another body between the pipes, and his call-up coincides with the well-documented struggles of backup goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who is 7-5-3 with a 3.26 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.
To make matters worse for Kuemper, it seems that coach Bruce Boudreau has lost confidence in him.
Published reports say Stalock will start for the Wild tonight against Ottawa.
Stalock played three seasons at UMD from 2006-09 and ranked first in the NCAA in minutes played and led the Bulldogs to the WCHA playoff championship and the NCAA West Regional final in 2009.
Stalock signed a two-year, $1.3 million contract extension in February. He is on a one-way contract in the first year of the deal and a two-way contract in the second year.
A fourth-round pick in the 2005 NHL Draft, Stalock has played in 62 NHL games, all with the San Jose Sharks. He knew going into this season that he likely would spend it all in the minors.
Wild sign KloosAfter wrapping up his senior season at the University of Minnesota with last week's NCAA tournament loss to Notre Dame, senior center Justin Kloos needed some time to decompress.
"It's still tough," he said of Saturday's 3-2 defeat. "I'd still love to be playing college hockey right now. That wasn't in the cards. I'll have my regrets about that. Overall I'm really happy about my experience. You've got to live with it and move on."
Kloos started that process on Wednesday, signing a two-year, entry-level contract with the Wild, which will begin during the 2017-18 season. He will finish the rest of this season with the Iowa Wild.
"This morning I went over to the Minnesota Wild offices (in St. Paul) and made it official," Kloos said. "It's something I'll always remember. I've been looking forward to this since I was a little kid."
Kloos wasn't given much time to celebrate, immediately hopping in a car destined for Des Moines to join the AHL team. He chatted briefly with minor-league coach Derek Lalonde, though he was unsure what his exact role would be in the coming days.
"We practice (today); I know that," Kloos said. "I guess we'll figure out the rest from there."
Kloos served as team captain in his final two seasons with the Gophers, finishing his senior year with 18 goals and 25 assists. He finished with 150 points (63 goals, 87 assists) over the course of an illustrious four-year career with the Gophers.
Kloos, who graduated from Lakeville South High School, said the fact that he's from the area wasn't a big factor in his decision. He chose the Wild over offers from the Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings because he felt it provided the best track to the next level.
"It happens to be the Wild, and that's great being from here," Kloos said. "It was more about the opportunity and where they see me fitting in. I was looking for a good opportunity as far as a chance to play on a team that needed me. I wanted a good chance to make an impression, and I felt like I could help them. ... Obviously some of those centers (with the Minnesota Wild) are really good. They are getting older, though, and they can't play forever. I'm hoping to give them more depth."
Kloos likely will be in the lineup when the Iowa Wild play the Chicago Wolves on Friday. That statement in and of itself is something Kloos is still getting used to.
"I don't know if it's totally set in yet that I'm not a member of the Gophers anymore," he said. "I'm sure it'll set in soon. I'm excited to be a member of the Minnesota Wild."
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