Fiala feeling right at home in Wild dressing room

WINNIPEG -- For a guy being traded for the first time in his NHL career, Kevin Fiala's transition to the Wild dressing room was a relatively smooth one.
There to greet him were a number of former teammates with the Nashville Predators, guys he's skated with, practiced with and travelled with in the past.
It's almost as though he felt comfortable.

"That's what I said to myself; I can be happy. I am happy," Fiala said Tuesday night after his Wild debut in a
3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets
. "I know Pontus Aberg]. I know Tony [Bitetto
less than an hour before Monday's NHL Trade Deadline, Fiala has a big believer in Fenton, the man who walked to the podium at the NHL Draft in 2014 and picked him out of Switzerland with the 11th overall selection.
Lost in the shuffle at times, especially this season, amongst a deep group of forwards in Nashville, Fiala should get an opportunity at an expanded role in Minnesota that has been starved for consistent goal scoring for nearly two decades.

"I am very thankful and grateful for this opportunity. Paul Fenton really believes in me, and it's just awesome to see. And it gives me confidence, too," Fiala said. "Right now, I'm just looking for giving back and not just accepting. Fenton] made a big trade. He gave up [Mikael] Granlund. He's a great player. I've really got to give something back."
One thing was certain: Fenton has long been an admirer of Fiala's going back to their days in Nashville, but also since arriving in Minnesota.
"Knowing him as a player with his speed, his skill, he has a unique skill set that I think is one of the most attractive things that we have been looking for," Fenton said after the trade. "We had all year determined that we were trying to get younger, faster, more skilled."
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The relationships with Fenton and Evason provide Fiala plenty of confidence as well.
Like it was for Pontus Aberg when he was acquired last month, Fiala is coming to a place where he has big-time believers in his talent. That means something, especially for a young player still trying to reach his ceiling as a professional.

"It wasn't easy [leaving Nashville]. It was my home for three years ... five years in [that] organization," Fiala said. "But at the end of the day, you've got to see forward. This is the best for me, for my future in hockey. I've got to see that. It's very exciting. I don't have to think too much. I just got to play hockey. I'm here to play hockey. That's my job."
Fenton said he believes that ceiling as a player is yet to be reached, but he may have provided a glimpse of it last season when he scored 23 goals and 25 assists and was a plus-20 in 80 games as a 21-year-old in the NHL.
Fiala scored 18 goals and 50 points as a 19-year-old in the American Hockey League in 2015-16, where he played for Evason, who was his head coach in Milwaukee.

"I know what the skill set of Kevin Fiala is. It has nothing to do with me knowing Nashville," Fenton said. "It has to do with the player himself, with the upside he has. He scored 23 goals ... two seasons ago until he broke his leg, he was our best player in the playoffs."
For now, Fiala will just try and find even more comfort and help the Wild reach the postseason for a seventh consecutive season.
It helps that he already feels right at home with his new group.
"I think the guys are so awesome. They welcome me off the ice and on the ice. It's just a different system. It's going to take time a little bit," Fiala said. "They guys helped me a lot on the ice, too, you know. They made it easier for me, for sure."

Related:
- Fenton continues youth movement with deal for Fiala - Recapping the Wild's moves ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline