Spurgeon named Wild captain, takes over for Koivu

For the first time since 2009, the Minnesota Wild will have a new captain.

Defenseman Jared Spurgeon was named the captain of the Wild on Sunday. Spurgeon, 31, replaced longtime Minnesota forward Mikko Koivu who was captain for 12 years and recently signed a one-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets this offseason.

Spurgeon is the Wild’s longest-tenured player and is entering his 11th season with the franchise. He picked up 32 points last season after signing a seven-year, $53.025 contract extension in September 2019.

Spurgeon was originally signed by Minnesota in 2010 and has gone on to score 280 points in 653 regular-season games with the Wild.

Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin also announced that Zach Parise and Ryan Suter will continue their roles as alternate captains.