Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin announced today that the club has signed defenseman Viking Gustafsson Nyberg to a two-year, entry-level contract beginning immediately for the 2025-26 season.
New in the Wild
— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) April 9, 2026
We have signed defenseman Viking Gustafsson Nyberg to a two-year entry-level contract beginning in the 2025-26 season.
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Gustafsson Nyberg, 22, joins the NHL club after completing a dominant junior season at the University of Connecticut (UConn). The Stockholm, Sweden native is expected to join the Wild in Dallas today.
In 38 games with UConn this season, the left-shot blueliner recorded 11 assists and a team-leading +18 rating. Known primarily for his shutdown capabilities, he ranked second on the Huskies with 51 blocked shots and was a focal point of a defensive unit that reached the Hockey East Championship game. Before his two-year stint at UConn, he spent one season at Northern Michigan University and played junior hockey for Leksands IF in Sweden.
The signing comes after a brief but successful audition in the AHL. On April 6, the Wild originally signed Gustafsson Nyberg to an Amateur Tryout (ATO). He appeared in two games for the Iowa Wild and recorded his first point in Wednesday's matchup.
By starting the contract in the 2025-26 season, the Wild will "burn" the first year of the deal, making Gustafsson Nyberg a restricted free agent in the summer of 2027. He is expected to wear sweater No. 6 for Minnesota.