Scandella, 23 (2/23/90), recorded one goal in six regular season contests for Minnesota in 2012-13 and tallied a goal and an assist in five playoff games with the Wild. He led team defensemen in playoff scoring and ranked fourth in time on ice per game at 18:01. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound native of Montreal, Que., also registered 17 points (2-15=17) and 23 penalty minutes (PIM) in 45 games with the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League (AHL) and recorded a goal in two playoff games with Houston this season.

Scandella collected 12 points (3-9=12) in 63 games with Minnesota in 2011-12 and five points (2-3=5) in nine contests with Houston. He has recorded 15 points (4-11=15) and 25 PIM in 89 career NHL games with Minnesota in parts of three seasons. Scandella was selected by the Wild in the second-round (55th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

“I’m honored to be named this year’s recipient of the Masterton Trophy and I thank the PHWA for selecting me,” said Harding. “It’s a compliment to be a finalist alongside Sidney Crosby and Adam McQuaid and I’d like to recognize their inspiring seasons. I’m very fortunate to have the support of so many great people who have helped me through the ups and downs of multiple sclerosis, starting with my friends, family and doctors. I thank my teammates and the entire Wild organization for believing in me and for their ongoing support. I also want to thank those across the NHL, NHLPA and the MS community who reached out with their encouragement during a challenging year. I’m incredibly grateful for this honor.”

Harding becomes the first player in Wild history to win a voted-on NHL Award. Jacques Lemaire earned the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach after leading the Wild in 2003. Harding was also the first Wild player to ever be selected as a finalist for the Masterton Trophy. Harding, Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Adam McQuaid (Boston Bruins) were named finalists for this year’s award on May 14.

Harding, 28 (6/18/84), went 1-1-0 with a 3.24 goals-against average (GAA), a .863 save percentage (SV%) and one shutout in five regular season games with Minnesota this year and 1-4 with a 2.94 GAA and a .911 SV% in five playoff starts for the Wild. He stopped all 24 shots faced in his first start this season in a 1-0 victory against the Dallas Stars on Jan. 20. Harding was placed on Injured Reserved Feb. 12 and missed 33 games with the Wild as he battled multiple sclerosis, which was diagnosed last fall. He was assigned to the Houston Aeros (AHL) on a conditioning assignment April 16 and went 1-1-0, stopping 56-of-61 shots for a 3.00 GAA and .918 SV% in two starts and helped Houston clinch a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs before being recalled by Minnesota on April 22.

For more information on Harding’s Hope, a Multiple Sclerosis Charity launched by Josh Harding, please visit www.hardingshope.org and follow on Twitter and Facebook.

Harding went 13-12-4 with a 2.62 GAA, a .917 SV% and two shutouts in 34 appearances (30 starts) in 2011-12 after missing the 2010-11 season with a knee injury suffered Sept. 24, 2010, at St. Louis. The 6-foot-1, 199-pound native of Regina, Sask., has appeared in 122 games (98 starts) with Minnesota in parts of seven NHL seasons, going 42-52-8 with a 2.66 GAA, a .915 SV% and seven shutouts. He was selected by the Wild in the second-round (No. 38 overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Members of the PHWA submitted ballots for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The Twin Cities chapter of the PHWA nominated Harding this year. Last year’s winner was Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty. The NHL Writers’ Association first presented the trophy in 1968 to commemorate the late Bill Masterton, who played for the Minnesota North Stars and exhibited to a high degree the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Masterton died on Jan. 15, 1968 as a result of head injuries suffered during a game.

Leg one will include players Charlie Coyle and Jason Zucker, along with original Wild Wes Walz, and will make stops in Moorhead and Park Rapids on June 24, Wadena and Alexandria on June 25, and St. Cloud and Hutchinson on June 26.

The second leg features Josh Harding and Nate Prosser, and will make stops in Ely and Virginia on June 24, Two Harbors and Cloquet on June 25, and Brainerd and Elk River on June 26. Prosser is a native of Elk River, which is the host city for 2014 Wells Fargo Hockey Day Minnesota.

Leg three includes Clayton Stoner and Darcy Kuemper, and it will visit Eau Claire, Wisc., and La Crosse, Wisc., on June 24, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Des Moines, Iowa, on June 25, and Albert Lea and Northfield on June 26. Des Moines is the new home of the Wild’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Iowa Wild, starting in the 2013-14 season.

The first 100 fans at each location will receive a 2013 Wells Fargo Minnesota Wild Road Tour pin.

The 2013 Wells Fargo Minnesota Wild Road Tour will culminate in the Summer Bash at the John Rose OVAL in Roseville on Thursday, June 27, from 6-9 p.m. The Summer Bash will include live music, autographs from all six players on the Road Tour, interactive games, photo opportunities and more.

Harding, 28 (6/18/84), went 1-1-0 with a 3.24 goals-against average (GAA), a .863 save percentage (SV%) and one shutout in five regular season games with Minnesota this year and 1-4 with a 2.94 GAA and a .911 SV% in five playoff starts for the Wild. He stopped all 24 shots faced in his first start this season in a 1-0 victory against the Dallas Stars on Jan. 20. Harding was placed on Injured Reserved Feb. 12 and missed 33 games with the Wild as he battles multiple sclerosis, which was diagnosed last fall. He was assigned to the Houston Aeros (AHL) on a conditioning assignment April 16 and went 1-1-0, stopping 56-of-61 shots for a 3.00 GAA and .918 SV% in two starts and helped Houston clinch a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs before being recalled by Minnesota on April 22.

Harding went 13-12-4 with a 2.62 GAA, a .917 SV% and two shutouts in 34 appearances (30 starts) in 2011-12 after missing the 2010-11 season with a knee injury suffered Sept. 24, 2010, at St. Louis. The 6-foot-1, 199-pound native of Regina, Sask., has appeared in 122 games (98 starts) with Minnesota in parts of seven NHL seasons, going 42-52-8 with a 2.66 GAA, a .915 SV% and seven shutouts. He was selected by the Wild in the second-round (No. 38 overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PHWA) submitted ballots for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The Twin Cities chapter of the PHWA nominated Harding this year. Last year’s winner was Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty. The NHL Writers’ Association first presented the trophy in 1968 to commemorate the late Bill Masterton, who played for the Minnesota North Stars and exhibited to a high degree the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Masterton died on Jan. 15, 1968 as a result of head injuries suffered during a game.

The winner will be announced during the 2013 Stanley Cup Final, with more detail on format to be released at a later date. This marks the first time a member of the Wild has been named a finalist for this award. Wild defenseman Ryan Suter was named a finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy on May 7.

“We’re very pleased to have Raphael under contract,” said Assistant General Manager Brent Flahr. “He’s had a very good year on a quality team in Baie-Comeau that is competing for the QMJHL Championship. We look forward to seeing him in training camp.”

Bussieres, 19 (11/5/93), tallied 68 points (29-39=68), 43 penalty minutes (PIM) and a plus-27 rating in 60 games with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) this season. The 6-foot-1, 197-pound native of Longueuil, Que., totaled six power-play goals and ranked third on the team in scoring. He was named the QMJHL’s No. 2 Star in November after tallying 23 points (10-13=23) and a plus-11 rating in 13 games and tied a team record scoring a goal in eight consecutive games (Nov. 9-23). Bussieres was also named the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Player of the Week on Nov. 19 after scoring 10 points (4-6=10) in three games. He has collected 16 points (4-12=16) in 18 playoff games as Baie-Comeau trails Halifax, 3-1, in the QMJHL championship series.

Bussieres was selected by Minnesota in the second-round (No. 46 overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Suter, 28 (1/21/85), recorded 32 points (4-28=32) including 15 power-play points (3-12=15), 24 penalty minutes (PIM) and a plus-2 rating in 48 games with Minnesota this season. He led the NHL in TOI/game at 27:16, ranked second in assists and third in scoring amongst defensemen. Suter ranked first on the Wild in assists and blocked shots, tied for second with seven multi-point games and fourth in scoring. His time on ice total set a new franchise record. Suter skated more than 30 minutes in 10 games this season and logged a season-high 32:54 of ice time in Minnesota’s 3-1 win at Colorado on April 27 to help the Wild advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2008. The Wild went 18-3-3 when he registered a point this season and were 15-1-1 when he skated to a plus-rating.

The 6-foot-1, 198-pound native of Madison, Wis., has tallied 270 points (42-228=270), including 114 power play points (14-100=114), 420 PIM and a plus-45 rating in 590 career games during eight seasons with Nashville and Minnesota. This marks the first time that Suter, and a member of the Wild, has been named a finalist for this award.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association submitted ballots for the Norris Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winner will be announced during the 2013 Stanley Cup Final, with more detail on format to be released at a later date. The James Norris Memorial Trophy was presented in 1953 by the four children of the late James Norris in memory of the former owner-president of the Detroit Red Wings.

Kuemper, 22 (5/5/90), went 1-2-0 with a 2.08 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .916 save percentage (SV%) in six games (three starts) with Minnesota this season. He made his NHL debut Feb. 12 at Vancouver and won his first NHL game Feb. 17 against Detroit. Kuemper went 13-8-0 with a 1.88 GAA, a .934 SV% and four shutouts in 21 regular season games with the Aeros. Kuemper is 1-1 in two playoff starts for Houston this year stopping 67-of-70 shots faced for a 1.51 GAA, a .957 SV% and one shutout. The 6-foot-5, 207-pound native of Saskatoon, Sask., was the Wild’s sixth-round selection (No. 161 overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He wears No. 35 for Minnesota.

Scandella, 23 (2/23/90), skated in six games with Minnesota this season, scoring one goal with four penalty minutes (PIM). He tallied 15 points (2-15=17), 23 penalty minutes (PIM) and a plus-2 rating in 45 games with Houston this season. Scandella has also scored one goal in two playoff games for the Aeros this season.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound native of Montreal, Quebec skated in 63 contests with Minnesota in 2011-12 and collected 12 points (3-9=12) and 19 PIM. He ranked second among NHL rookies in blocked shots (106) and TOI/game (21:46) and logged a franchise-record 35:32 in ice time vs. Chicago on April 5, 2012. He notched two assists in 20 games with Minnesota and added 19 points (3-16=19) in 33 games with Houston during the 2010-11 campaign.

Scandella was selected by Minnesota in the second round (55th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and wears sweater No. 6 with the Wild.

Veilleux, 31 (11/16/81), notched eight points (3-5=8) and 45 penalty minutes (PIM) in 33 games with the Aeros this season. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound native of St. Georges de Beauce, Que., has not appeared in a game with Minnesota this season.Web