Wes Walz

Wes Walz was a Canadian center on the Minnesota Wild before he retired in 2007.

Walz was drafted by Boston in 1989, and debuted in the NHL the same year. He bounced back and forth between the NHL and the AHL for the next five seasons, playing games with Boston, Philadelphia, Calgary and Detroit. He then played four seasons in Switzerland before returning to North America to play with Minnesota. Walz impressed head coach Jacques Lemaire and earned himself a large amount of playing time, playing all 82 games and earning recognition as one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL. He retired as the Wild’s leader in all-time games played, although he has now been passed by Marian Gaborik.