James Sheppard Not on Wild Roster...yet

Youngster James Sheppard was not on the Minnesota Wilds official roster submitted to the NHL and it created quite a stir. We all KNOW Sheppard made the team, www.inthestateofhockey.com reported on it a few weeks back and don’t forget my friend even had lunch with Mr. Sheppard. In fact James Sheppard was all set to play Saturday night at the Xcel Energy Center and then ONE hour before the puck was set to drop, he found out he would be sitting the game out.

It turned out the Wild made a paperwork error and didn’t get the youngsters immigration paperwork finalized before offering him the official job in the U.S. of A.  "It's my fault," assistant GM Tom Lynn said. Lynn failed to fax official paperwork to the league notifying them that James Sheppard was cleared by the immigration office.

Sheppard will continue to practice with the Wild team but is not eligible to play until the paperwork clears. The Wild are hoping that is just a matter of days, but you never know these things don't move as quickly as they used to. Check back to www.inthestateofhockey.com to find out if you should wear your Sheppard jersey this week or let it hang in the closet a bit longer.