Whenever top prospect Alex Tuch gets frustrated with his current situation with the Minnesota Wild, he need look no further than teammate Jason Zucker for motivation.

Since making his NHL debut two weeks ago, Tuch has grown too familiar with Interstate-35 and the 250 miles of road between St. Paul and Des Moines, Iowa. He was sent down to the minors five days after his first call-up to the big leagues only to be summoned back to Minnesota three days later.

“I had no idea how long or how short or even if it was going to happen again,” said Tuch, a 20-year-old winger who this time last year was playing for Boston College. “I went down there with a little chip on my shoulder. There is always that hunger to get back up here. I was a little bit surprised with how fast it happened. I’m not too worried about it now. I’m just worried about playing.”

Three years ago Zucker, a 25-year-old winger, was going through exactly what Tuch is going through right now. In fact, Zucker basically owned that same stretch of highway, making the trek back and forth 15 times before finally sticking at the NHL level. He split his time between Iowa and Minnesota during the 2013-14 season, playing 21 games in the NHL and 22 in the American Hockey League.

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Zucker said it’s most important that Tuch doesn’t look at it as a demotion.

“It’s tough because that’s definitely the way guys are going to take it at first,” Zucker said. “I hated it at the time. I also knew I had to go down there and play my game and make the most of it the next time I came back up. It’s a process. It’s gotten me to where I’m at right now.”

Zucker is flourishing because of it. He is currently sixth on the Wild with 38 points (16 goals, 22 assists).

Tuch has noticed. And after using words like “depressing” and “disappointing” in the past to describe his feelings about getting sent to the minors, he has changed his tune recently — with Zucker playing a major role in that shift.

“He was up and down like 15 times before he finally stuck,” Tuch said. “That’s pretty crazy. He had a couple times where he played five games in five nights (between the two teams) and a bunch times when he played four games in four nights. I was, like, ‘Wow. I was pretty gassed after my four games in five nights last week.’ It’s good. It’s a good learning experience. I couldn’t be happier to be up again.”

Tuch will play his sixth NHL game of his career on Saturday when the Wild play host to the Nashville Predators. He is still without a goal or assist, and coach Bruce Boudreau has told him he needs to increase his pace to see sustained success in the NHL.

Tuch is a hulking 6-foot-4, 220-pound presence still learning how to make the most of his size. He tends to stop on pucks from time to time, and struggles with his body positioning, especially along the walls. That, coupled with the fact that he hasn’t always played at full speed, fearful of making a mistake, has made for a bumpy transition to the highest level.

He had to fix the same things to succeed in the minors, according to Iowa Wild coach Derek Lalonde.

“We dealt with that down here,” Lalonde said. “His pace was impeded at the start a little bit because he had to grow in his basic habits. He’ll figure it out. He looks a little hesitant right now. He looks a little paralyzed. That’s part of the growth. I give him credit because he’s trying his best to avoid those mistakes that cost his team the game. … It’s part of the process; it comes with time. I don’t think there’s a single player in that (locker) room that hasn’t gone through that.”

Zucker certainly went through it, finding ways to effectively use his speed rather — he is 5 foot 10, 175 pounds — than his size. It took him more than a few times going back and forth to figure it out.

“It’s not easy to come up and stick in the NHL,” Zucker said. “It doesn’t happen very often. It’s about sticking with the process.”

Could that mean Tuch needs a little more seasoning in the minors to figure it out completely? Maybe.

Tuch knows that ultimately it isn’t up to him. He just has to continue to play his game.

“We always preach for guys to control what they can control,” Lalonde said. “I think the organization has handled him very well with letting him develop down here and then giving him a shot up there. There’s more growth to come. Sometimes that’s tough for a kid to understand because they want that success so quickly. He has handled it well, I think. … I have no doubt in my mind that he’s going to turn into an impact player. I don’t mean to put him on the spot like that; I’m just confident its a matter of when.”

In the meantime, Zucker has no problem being a sounding board whenever Tuch needs it.

“He’s still developing,” Zucker said. “I told him every time he’s up here he has to make the most of it. I also told him every time he’s down there he has to make the most of it as well. He has to keep building his game.”

Tuch has taken that to heart, even if that means a few more trips on I-35.

“I’m starting to understand that it’s a business and that’s the way it goes,” Tuch said. “I have to learn from it and build from it. You can’t be too distraught about it. I’m only 20 years old, so hopefully I have a long career ahead of me.”