Minnesota Wild goaltending prospect and former Austin Ice Bats Miroslav Kopriva got his first taste of the National Hockey League this weekend, recalled by Wild President and General Manager Doug Risebrough on Friday. Kopriva backed up starter Manny Fernandez in the Wilds 4-3 overtime road loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday night to conclude the season.
Sunday, Kopriva was assigned back to Houston, joining the Ice Bats American Hockey League affiliate for the Aeros Calder Cup playoff run. Kopriva (pronounced cope-CHEE-vuh) appeared in 15 games for Austin this season, recording a 12-3 record with a 2.3 GAA and a .938 save percentage. In a dozen games with the Aeros this year, the native of Kladno, Czech Republic has a 6-4-1 mark, along with a 3.53 GAA and a .890 save percentage.
Kopriva was the 187th overall selection in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, taken by Minnesota in the 6th round. The 6-02, 176 pound netminder was named the Sher-Wood Central Hockey League Goaltender of the Week for the seventh week of the CHL season, recording a pair of wins and his first professional shutout on December 2nd, stopping all 34 shots faced in a 1-0 home win over Corpus Christi.