Filipino Matt Dumba, 18, earns a roster spot on Minnesota Wild

When the Wild brought 2012 first-round draft pick Matt Dumba to their abbreviated training camp, the 18-year-old figured he wouldn’t be staying in Minnesota much longer than a week.

The defenseman had settled in for his second season of Canadian major junior hockey with the Red Deer Rebels, and when the Wild called Rebels coach Brent Sutter about bringing Dumba to camp, the initial plan was to take a brief look, give him a taste of the NHL and send him home.

Now it appears he will be the biggest surprise on the team’s opening night roster.

The Wild made a handful of moves Thursday, Jan. 17, that effectively set their roster in advance of their season opener Saturday. Dumba was left standing as one of the seven defensemen, and coach Mike Yeo said “you should expect that” the seventh overall pick will be with the team when it faces the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.

The lineup also will include forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who hasn’t played since he took an elbow to the head in Vancouver on Jan. 4, 2012. Bouchard was activated from injured reserve and figures to skate on the team’s third line with Kyle Brodziak and Cal Clutterbuck.

But on a roster that features all sorts of new faces, none is more surprising than Dumba’s. And there might not be anyone more surprised about it than the hard-hitting, smooth-skating defenseman.

“It’s pretty crazy,” Dumba said. “It’s an awesome feeling to be here right now.”

There’s a good chance Dumba could be headed

back to Red Deer in little more than a week. He can play up to five games with the Wild before the team has to absorb the first year of his contract. Considering the team is at the league’s 50-contract limit, Dumba likely won’t stay for more than that unless the Wild make another roster move.

For now, though, the Wild will give the teenager the chance to show what he can do.

“He’s earned it,” Yeo said. “He’s been really good up to this point. There’s no guarantees for anything except the next couple days. We definitely want to have a chance to, No. 1, reward him, and No. 2, watch him play a little bit more.”

With defenseman Tom Gilbert nursing a groin injury, it’s possible Dumba could play Saturday night, though Yeo said he expects Gilbert to skate Friday and play Saturday. And even with Dumba on the roster, Yeo is confident the Wild have enough defensive depth in their system.

Both Marco Scandella, who played 63 games last season, and Jonas Brodin, the team’s first-round pick in 2011, are close to returning from injury, Yeo said. One or both could be on the NHL roster if Dumba heads back to Red Deer. If it’s Brodin, Yeo said, the 19-year-old will be more NHL-ready than many think.

Hockey’s Future ranked the Wild’s prospect group the best in the NHL before this season, but general manager Chuck Fletcher had said he wasn’t going to put the team’s rookies on the roster unless they deserved to be there. The Wild feel, though, that Dumba and Mikael Granlund are ready now, and Brodin might not be far behind.

“Yes, he’s a young kid; he’s 19 years old. But this is a guy who’s played (in) world championships,” Yeo said. “He’s been on the ice defending against Evgeni Malkin and other players that are elite and world-class. The more you watch this kid, the more you’ll appreciate what he can bring, and realize it’s not just a young kid — it’s a kid that can be a quality NHL player.”

Also on the Minnesota Wild roster is Japanese-Canadian Devin Setoguchi

via Minnesota Wild: Matt Dumba, 18, earns a roster spot, for now – TwinCities.com.