The Minnesota Wild are closing in on having just one restricted free agent left, and David Špaček is back in the fold.
Per PuckPedia, Minnesota has re-signed the 23-year-old defenseman to a one-year, two-way deal for the 2026-27 season. The contract carries an $850K salary at the NHL level and a $110K salary in the AHL.
Špaček has been in the Wild organization for several years now, and the team originally took him 153rd overall in the 2022 NHL Draft out of the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix program. In his draft year, he put up 12 goals and 50 points in 57 games while finishing with a +21 rating.
Born in Columbus, OH, Špaček has dual citizenship in the United States and Czechia. His father, Jaroslav Špaček, was with the Columbus Blue Jackets when he was born in 2003, and the younger Špaček spent much of his youth in Czechia before heading back to North America for junior hockey.
His development has continued since turning pro for the 2023-24 season. As a rookie, Špaček recorded three goals and 12 points in 61 games, though he also finished at -16.
By the time the 2025-26 season rolled around, he had carved out a bigger role with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. In 59 games, Špaček scored seven goals and 36 points with a -1 rating, tying for third on the team in scoring.
Minnesota also gave him his first NHL look in mid-January. He appeared in two games, one against the Winnipeg Jets and one against the Montreal Canadiens, and finished scoreless while averaging 10:45 of ice time per game.
In Other News...
Wild Avoided A Massive Free Agency Nightmare With One Franchise Star
The Wild made their biggest offseason business move before the market could even open, and it looks increasingly like the timing mattered. Elliotte Friedman reported that Minnesota moved to lock up Kirill Kaprizov on an eight-year, $136 million extension before free agency, a deal that kept the franchise winger from becoming the kind of prize every contender would circle.
Philadelphias interest helps explain why the Wild did not want to let the situation linger. Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr, who originally drafted Kaprizov while in Minnesotas front office, was part of an organization that had the background and motivation to make a serious push, which only adds to the sense that the Wild dodged a much bigger headache by getting the extension done when they did. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Internal Depth
The Wild added a pair of familiar organizational pieces this week, signing defenseman David Spacek and forward Caeden Bankier to one-year, two-way deals for the 2026-27 season. It is the kind of move that rarely grabs headlines outside the room, but it does say something about how Minnesota views its pipeline: Spacek has already gotten a taste of NHL duty with the Wild, and Bankier has kept chipping in as a steady secondary scorer with Iowa.
Spaceks AHL production took a noticeable step forward last season, while Bankier continued to show he can be useful in a depth role after another solid year for the Iowa Wild. Both are coming off entry-level contracts, and the new deals keep them in the organization at a point when Minnesota is clearly trying to preserve options and reward players who have shown they can handle more responsibility if called upon. [Read more 🡒]