The Minnesota Wild on Tuesday announced they have assigned goaltender Josh Harding to the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League on a conditioning assignment.
Harding, 28, went 1-1-0 with a 2.92 goals-against average, an .885 save percentage and one shutout in four games with Minnesota this season before being placed on Injured Reserved Feb. 12. He stopped all 24 shots faced in his first start this season in a 1-0 victory against the Dallas Starts on Jan. 20. Harding last appeared in a game for the Wild on Feb. 7 against the Vancouver Canucks.
Houston completes the AHL regular season with three games this weekend playing at Texas (Fri.), at San Antonio (Sat.) and at Oklahoma City (Sun.).
Harding went 13-12-4 with a 2.62 GAA, a .917 save percentage and two shutouts in 34 appearances in 2011-12 after missing the 2010-11 season with a knee injury suffered Sept. 24, 2010, at St. Louis. The 6-foot-1, 199-pound native of Regina, Sask, has appeared in 121 games with Minnesota in parts of seven NHL seasons, going 42-52-8 with a 2.65 GAA, a .915 save percentage and seven shutouts.
Harding was selected by the Wild in the second round (38th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.
Harding played for Houston from 2004-07, suiting up 118 times for the Aeros. Over his tenure, Harding was 67-40-1, posting a 2.48 GAA and a .923 save percentage. He also racked up seven shutouts.
