Let's Meet: Joel Broda

Make the jump and let's find out who this kid is, and why the Caps were willing to let him go.

First, since this is Hockey Wilderness, comes an awesome find from our own Call of the Wild:

This will, of course, be the first thing that crosses everyone's mind whenever we hear his name from now on. Not sure if he would appreciate that or not, but it is what it is.

On to the important part. Who is Joel Broda?

He had 73 points in 66 games, including 39 goals for the Hitmen last season. He had 87 points the previous season, despite being traded from Moose Jaw to Calgary. He isn't exactly going to be a contender for the Lady Byng, either, racking up near a minute per game in PIMs in each of his seasons. Physical and can put the puck in the net. It made such little sense to me that I asked Japer at Japer's Rink for some reasoning. He said that Broda was tagged as:

As Glen Andresen at Wild.com points out, the Wild have another guy on the roster with the same description:

Broda did wind up one of the last still skating in a shoot-out practice drill in which the players who scored got to rest while the others continued back and forth until only one remained. So maybe some moves wouldn't hurt him. Some great saves by Johan Gustaffson kept Broda skating as well.

What did the prospect himself have to say?

On his contract:

Is the plan to go to Houston?

Did Washington contact you to let you know why they decided to let you go?

Aeros Head Coach Mike Yeo had this to say about Broda:

By the way? The kid can throw down, too:

So. Keep your expectations in check for now, Wild fans. It is nice to see some depth signings, and Broda was impressive in the practices. However, it is "just practice" as Coach Yeo said. Yes, practice is important, but these guys were not out to kill each other. They were working on drills and learning, not desperately trying to win a game. They know they are being judged, but they also know no one earns a spot on an NHL roster in a development camp.

All-in-all, it looks to be a good signing, and we'll see where it takes him in Houston. There is a ton of organizational depth at the center position now, which is excellent. From weakness to strength, that's all you can ask, right?