Hunter Haight earns AHL weekly honor before Minnesota Wild recall

Five goals in three games made Hunter Haight impossible to ignore, and the Minnesota Wild answered by putting the 22-year-old forward back into their roster picture. After Haight was named the American Hockey League’s Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending April 12, Minnesota recalled him on Sunday, a quick reward for a burst that looked less like a late hot streak than a prospect forcing a decision.

Haight’s week was built on scoring that changed games. In Texas on Tuesday, his second goal of the night snapped a tie with 13:08 left in regulation and helped Iowa beat the Stars 5-2. On Wednesday, he broke a scoreless game late in the second period for what became his second straight game-winning goal in a 4-0 win over Texas. He finished the surge on Friday at Rockford, scoring twice and adding an assist in Iowa’s 5-4 win over the IceHogs. All five of his goals came with the score tied, so every one of them pushed Iowa into the lead.

That matters because the award was not built on empty volume. Haight finished the week with six points in three games, and his production came in pressure moments for a club that needs young forwards to convert chances into wins. It also underlined why Minnesota keeps looking at him now: the Wild did not just see a scorer, they saw a player who could deliver in tight games, finish plays and handle a heavier role when the pace picked up.

The recall added another layer to Haight’s rising profile. Minnesota had already summoned him earlier this season, and on April 12 it brought him up again along with defenseman Matt Kiersted as the club prepared for its final two regular-season games and a first-round playoff matchup with Dallas. Haight had one assist in seven NHL games at that point, and his first career point came on March 19 against Chicago. He made his NHL debut on Oct. 9 at St. Louis and had earlier been recalled on March 17 as well.

The numbers behind the surge support the argument that Haight is arriving at the right level, even if the calendar is late. He had 18 goals and 14 assists for 32 points in 51 AHL games this season after posting 20 goals and 34 points in 67 games as a rookie in 2024-25. A second-round pick by Minnesota in 2022, the Strathroy, Ontario, native also represented the Wild at the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic in Rockford. From the Memorial Cup run with Saginaw to this five-goal week, Haight has kept stacking evidence that his next call-up is no courtesy move.