The Minnesota Wild have invited journey man center Dave Steckel, most recently an Anaheim Duck, to a pro tryout, according to several news outlets.
Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reports that Steckel, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound native of Milwaukee and former Ohio State standout, has long been one of the NHL’s best in the faceoff circle.
A pro tryout doesn’t bind Steckel to Minnesota, according to Russo. He will remain an unrestricted free agent throughout training camp and can sign with any team.
Steckel split last season between Toronto and Anaheim and had a nice run with the Ducks, scoring six points in 21 games while averaging 10:37 TOI per game, according to ProHockeyTalk at NBC Sports.
Steckel won 57.1 percent of his faceoffs last season for Anaheim.
Two years ago, he ranked sixth in the NHL (58 percent), in 2010-11 he led the NHL by winning 62.3 percent of his draws, he ranked second in 2009-10 (59.2 percent), fifth in 2008-09 (57.9 percent) and seventh in 2007-08 (56.3 percent).
