ST PAUL, Minn. — The 'stache is sticking around for another four years.
The Minnesota Wild signed defenseman Jake Middleton — and his fuzzy upper lip — to a four-year, $17.4 million extension that will begin in the 2025-26 season.
The former seventh-round selection back in 2014 joined the Wild in March of 2022 and has spent most of his time paired with captain Jared Spurgeon on the team's top defensive line. Since arriving in Minnesota, he's provided a much-needed physical presence to the blue line. He led the team in penalty minutes and was third in hits.
Despite finishing with a minus-15 rating last season, Middleton had career highs in goals (7), assists (15), points (25) and games played (80).
The extension was announced just hours after the team dropped the full schedule for the upcoming season with a video featuring Middleton and Calder Trophy finalist Brock Faber at Valleyfair. The video shows the pair taking in several of the rides, including the iconic "Wild Thing" rollercoaster.
Watch more coverage of Minnesota sports:
Watch the latest reports from the KARE 11 sports team in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.