It’s looking like Viking’s season for new Wild blue liner
DALLAS — When the newest member of the Wild arrived on campus as a freshman at Northern Michigan a few years ago, the native of Sweden was assigned a roommate from Minnesota who was a Vikings fan. Which seemed to be some kind of synergy at work. Hulking defenseman Viking Gustavsson Nyberg, 22, is a good bet to make his NHL debut with the Wild in one of their final three regular season games, and with a name like that, is almost destined to become a fan favorite.
“My parents liked the name, thought it was cool,” said Gustavsson Nyberg, who joined the Wild in Texas after two games on an amateur tryout contract with their AHL team in Iowa. “And then I became pretty tall soon. Yeah, fit too.
” He spent one season at NMU, then transferred to UConn for his final two seasons of college hockey. While there, he was an alternate captain last season and the school made its first two trips to the NCAA tournament. The undrafted free agent had been to development camp with Seattle and Detroit, but Gustavsson Nyberg chose the middle of the country when given signing options.
“I felt Minnesota was a good fit for me. This opportunity here, the organization too, great organization. They create good players,” he said.
“So, I felt like that was a great fit for me. ” Gustavsson Nyberg is officially listed as 6-foot-6, which would make him one of the tallest players in the NHL when he officially debuts. That could come as soon as Saturday in Nashville, where the teams are set to meet for a 4 p.