By Luke Sims -
Good luck finding a Minnesota Wild roster projection before training camp that had Ben Jones on it. The veteran forward beat out more highly skilled and experienced players to earn a spot as the Wild’s 13th forward.
With Wild training camp almost completed, their roster is starting to take shape. Jones does not have a track record of success in the NHL. However, he hasn’t looked out of place with the Wild in camp or any preseason games.
Jones caught the Wild’s attention with two goals through four games. He also fought old friend Matt Dumba after his hit on newly signed Wild forward Devin Shore.
Jones, 25, has only played two NHL games, both with the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2021-22 season. Vegas had taken Jones in the seventh round of the 2017 draft. Jones played four seasons in the OHL with the Niagara Ice Dogs before the Golden Knights drafted him. During the 2018-19 season, Jones served as the Ice Dogs’ captain and had his most productive OHL season with 102 points in 68 games.
He worked his way through the Knights system. The left-shot center has bounced around the AHL and the ECHL for almost five years, spending his last two with the Calgary Flames organization.
Jones hasn’t put up big numbers. Jones scored 97 points in 143 games in two seasons with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. With the Wild, he’ll be the first player to get an opportunity if another player suffers an injury.
Minnesota picked Jones to be its 13th forward over other veteran free agents they brought in, like Travis Boyd, Shore, Brendan Gaunce, and Reese Johnson. The Wild assigned all of those other veterans to Iowa. However, Jones stuck around through those cuts. While Minnesota had to make a tough decision, Jones made it through.
“Yeah, and it was difficult, to be honest," Hynes said. "I think Shore has played really well. Gaunce has played well. They’ve been in the conversation. Boyder has done a good job. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to see Reese Johnson much. But I would say up front, those guys were kind of all in the mix. But we went with Jonesy today and obviously Ohgren. So, we’ll see how everyone does tomorrow.”
Boyd and Shore have been serviceable bottom-six players. Boyd even flirted with a middle-six role in the 2021-22 season with the Arizona Coyotes. Still, Jones got the nod.
Money also likely factored in. All of the veterans listed above are subject to waivers. Other teams can claim them from the Wild if Minnesota sends them down to the AHL. Jones is on a two-way deal and can freely bounce from the NHL and AHL. He will make $775k for the next two years.
Roster flexibility is crucial for the Wild as they look to move prized goalie prospect Jesper Wallstedt up and down from Iowa. Liam Ohgren is another prospect who makes slightly more than the $775k veteran minimum. Ohgren makes $886k. Still, every dollar matters, given how tight Minnesota's cap is this year.
Jones’ presence as the extra forward makes Minnesota’s bottom six more versatile. Jones can play center or wing for the Wild. Jones and Freddy Gaudreau are two more centers the Wild can deploy, in addition to rookie Marat Khusnutdinov, to rotate different line combinations whenever Hynes sees fit.
The Wild signed Jones as an unheralded veteran forward. However, he’s proven that with his versatility, on and off the ice, he’s deserved that last roster spot with the Wild as the season gets underway.
All stats and data via CapWages, HockeyDB, Elite Prospects, and Evolving Hockey unless otherwise noted.
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