The Minnesota Wild made a minor league trade with the Chicago Blackhawks Wednesday.
1500 ESPN reports the Wild have sent defenseman Brian Connelly to Chicago in exchange for forward Brad Winchester.
Winchester has played in 55 games this season for the Blackhawks’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. He had scored 16 goals and also had 14 assists.
Over his career, Winchester has recorded 68 points in 390 career NHL games spanning over seven seasons with Edmonton, Dallas, St. Louis, Anaheim and San Jose.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound native of Madison, Wisconsin, was originally selected by Edmonton in the second-round of the 2000 NHL entry draft.
According to Pro Hockey Talk, Winchester’s last NHL action came during the 2011-12 campaign. He scored 10 points in 67 games for San Jose.
Connelly has emerged as a decent offensive defenseman. He led the Iowa Wild (AHL) in scoring this season with 32 points in 50 games. The Bloomington native was signed as a free agent in July 2012.
