Creating a Greater State of Hockey: February Recap

Volunteer of the Month

For March’s Volunteer of the Month, we are proud to recognize Arielle Loubier. On March 12, Arielle joined us at our Heart of the Wild event at the Special Olympics Minnesota Polar Plunge, where she assisted with event setup. Throughout the day, Arielle consistently checked in with others and maintained a positive attitude, demonstrating her strong commitment to supporting our community.

Heart of the Wild

On March 12, Minnesota Wild employees volunteered with Special Olympics Minnesota for their 2026 Polar Plunge. Our group assisted with packing executive incentive bags and setting up tables for the check-in tent. Since Lake Nokomis hosts their largest Polar Plunge, we were excited to support such a big event!

Make-A-Wish

Breelyn

On March 10, the Minnesota Wild granted a Wish for Breelyn, age 11, giving her an unforgettable day alongside the team. Breelyn spent time with the players, enjoyed a post-practice lunch with the team, and took part in a shopping spree at the Hockey Lodge. She also had the opportunity to sit on the bench during warmups, watch the game from on-the-glass seats, and cap off the day with a postgame meet-and-greet with the players.

Kellen

The Wild was also proud to host Kellen for his Wish on March 12. Kellen had the opportunity to take the ice with the team for morning practice, including shooting on net with goaltenders Filip Gustavsson, Jesper Wallstedt, and former Wild goalie Marc-André Fleury. He then received an in-depth tour of the press box before the game, joined the pregame fist-bump tunnel, and participated in the FanDuel Broadcast alongside Anthony LaPanta and Alex Stalock. Kellen capped off an unforgettable day with a postgame interview with Kevin Gorg, followed by a player meet-and-greet and locker room tour.

Boys State Banquets

In partnership with Minnesota Hockey, the Minnesota Wild hosted the annual Boys High School State Hockey Banquets for Classes A and AA, a longstanding tradition celebrating Minnesota’s top high school hockey programs. State tournament teams gathered at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in downtown Saint Paul, where players walked the Green Carpet alongside the historic Eveleth Trophy, an iconic traveling trophy honoring Minnesota’s high school state champions. Players also participated in interviews with Play-By-Play Announcer Joe O’Donnell and All Hockey Hair Team’s John King, sharing their tournament experiences and goals. The evening continued with a formal dinner, coach interviews, and player Q&A sessions, recognizing the dedication, teamwork, and achievements of the State of Hockey’s finest boys’ high school teams.

Pride Night

On March 10, the Minnesota Wild hosted its annual Pride Night. The celebration included a Happy Hour where fans mingled, enjoyed specialty cocktails, and participated in the Community Team Service Project benefiting Twin Cities Pride’s Rainbow Wardrobe. During the event, the Wild presented a check to Twin Cities Pride to demonstrate our continued support. Also, a part of this sold out ticket pack event was a custom Pride shersey, featuring TC Pride’s logo.

In conjunction with Pride Night, the Minnesota Wild Foundation hosted a Theme Night Auction featuring signed Pride memorabilia, including plaques, decorative license plates, and pucks. On the concourse during the game, the final Mystery Puck sale of the season also took place. This special event featured player-signed Pride pucks, each wrapped to keep the autograph a surprise for fans. All proceeds benefited the Minnesota Wild Foundation.

Program Sales

Program sales are another way that the Minnesota Wild Foundation supports community hockey. At every home game, a Minnesota youth hockey association has the opportunity to sell game programs.

This month, the Foundation has awarded $12,000 in grants to the teams that sold programs. These grants help cover essential costs such as new jerseys, equipment, travel and more.

Split the Pot

The Minnesota Wild Foundation announced in late February that it had been granted a charitable gambling license. As a result, a new format of the Split the Pot Raffle took effect on March 1. The Minnesota Wild Foundation is now the sole beneficiary of all raffle proceeds, fans can use debit cards to purchase tickets and are now eligible to win up to $50,000 each night. We are excited to enhance the fan experience through the Split the Pot Raffle and expand our capacity to support grant programming. In March, the fans have helped us raise over $157,000 with this new raffle format!

Wild University

On March 11, students from the Boys & Girls Club met with Play-By-Play announcer Joe O’Donnell. On March 12, a handful of students attended the game to watch Joe call it live. They had the opportunity to sit in the press box and see firsthand what a game day looks like from his perspective.

For many of the kids, this was their first NHL game, and they haven’t stopped talking about how amazing the experience was!

Hockey Talks

On March 19, we hosted our annual Hockey Talks program. This year’s speaker featured Wild alumni Erik Westrum.

Erik spoke about the importance of supporting those who may be battling mental health challenges. As part of the Hockey Talks ticket package, attendees also received a Happiness Project T-shirt, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). We are proud to be one of several NHL teams encouraging conversations around mental health and sharing support and resources from leading experts to help reduce stigma and misconceptions surrounding mental illness.

Faceoff for Fitness

This month, we visited three schools in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area: Holy Spirit Catholic School, Four Seasons A+ Elementary, and Annunciation Catholic School. During each visit, we shared fitness and exercise tips with students and highlighted how staying active helps hockey players perform at a high level.

These visits marked our 19th school appearance of the year!

Whiskey and Wine with the Wild

Brock Faber hosted this year’s Whiskey and Wine with the Wild on March 21, where fans had the opportunity to mingle with players following their overtime win against the Dallas Stars. Guests sampled food and beverages from a variety of vendors, took photos with Faber’s gold medal from the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, and bid on exclusive items in the online auction, all benefitting the Minnesota Wild Foundation. The evening also featured a $15,000 check presentation, donated on Faber’s behalf to Minnesota Special Hockey.