Wild Claim Chris Porter

High-energy forward Chris Porter has been claimed off of waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers.  We last saw Porter in a Blues sweater in the first round of the playoffs last year.  Porter earns a #OneOfUs tag for having played at Shattuck St. Mary, though he is Canadian-born and attended the University of North Dakota.  He is close friends with Zach Parise, as both were in each other's wedding, and obviously from their time together at Shattuck under the tutelage of JP Parise and later as teammates at UND.  Porter has never played a complete season at the NHL level, but is known to be an energy player that can play a heavy, gritty style with his 6'1" 206lb frame.

Michael Russo talked to Parise about Porter during last season's playoffs, and here is what Parise offered about his 3rd generation teammate in an article published in April:  "He’s a really, really hardworking guy on and off the ice," Parise said of his offseason training partner. "He’s a guy that understands what he’s supposed to do. He knows that he’s supposed to go out there and be tough to play against.  Just watch, he’s physical on our D all the time, he can skate, he’s fast. To me, he’s a really effective player."

It remains to be seen what the plans for Porter might be as the Wild's lineup is not yet set in stone and there are a few forwards banged up.  This could be an indication that one of the injured forwards is going to be out for a longer period or a sign that Tyler Graovac has not made the team.   Here are Porter's career stats.  We will have more as the story develops.

I just got off the phone with Chris Porter. He's beyond shocked and beyond excited to come home #mnwild

— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) October 1, 2015