The Minnesota Wild, parent club of the AHL’s Houston Aeros, announced today that they have signed right wing Jesse Schultz to a contract for the 2008-09 season.
Schultz, 25 (9/28/82), recorded 66 points (26-40-66), including six power play goals, 43 penalty minutes (PIM) and a plus-15 rating while skating in all 80 regular-season games for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves in 2007-08. He added 14 points (8-6-14) in 24 playoff contests to help lead Chicago to the Calder Cup title.
Schultz has totaled 197 points (90-107-197) in 299 career regular-season AHL games with Manitoba and Chicago, and he has chipped in 30 points (16-14-30) in 58 Calder Cup Playoff tilts.
The 6-foot-1, 191-pound native of Strasbourg, Saskatchewan, skated in two NHL contests with the Vancouver Canucks in 2006-07. He is a cousin of Wild defenseman Nick Schultz.
The Wild also announced the signing of goaltender Barry Brust to a multi-year contract.
Brust, 24 (8/8/83), posted a record of 24-16-3 with a 2.27 goals-against average (GAA), a .919 save percentage and four shutouts in 43 games during his first season with the Aeros in 2007-08.
He ranked sixth in the AHL in GAA, tied for sixth in save percentage and shutouts, was named the Rbk X-Pulse/AHL Goaltender of the Month in April, won the Rbk/AHL Player of the Week award for the period ending March 9, and shared a piece of the Harry “Hap” Holmes award, given to the goaltender(s) on the team with the AHL’s lowest goals-against average during the regular season. The four shutouts also contributed to an Aeros’ franchise-best 11 shutouts in a season.
The 6-foot-2, 235-pound native of Swan River, Manitoba, was 1-2 with a 1.78 GAA, a .932 save percentage and one shutout in three playoff games for the Aeros. Brust appeared in 11 NHL contests with the Los Angeles Kings in 2006-07, recording a 2-4-1 mark with a 3.70 GAA and a .878 save percentage. He was originally selected by Minnesota in the third round (73rd overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.
