Chris Stewart saw a bunch of familiar faces on Monday morning looking around the locker room after a 90-minute workout at Braemar Arena. After arriving back in Minnesota on Sunday night, he couldn’t wait to get back out on the ice.

“It’s pretty much the exact same team,” said Stewart, who played 20 games for the Wild near the end of the 2014-15 season. “It was good to get back in the locker room and get the chirps going again. There’s a lot of testosterone in that locker room. It’s fun to be around.”

Stewart, who signed a two-year, $2.3 million contract this offseason, wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to re-sign with the Wild last offseason. The Wild couldn’t afford him, though, and he ended up playing for the Anaheim Ducks on a one-year deal.

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Wild players happy to hit ‘refresh button’ with new coach Bruce Boudreau “I wanted to come back (to Minnesota), and the business side never worked out,” Stewart said. “So I had a chance to come back here and I couldn’t wait.”

Stewart said there weren’t any hard feelings, but a call from new Wild coach Bruce Boudreau this offseason helped in his decision to return.

“I talked to him a couple days before July 1 and as soon as I had that conversation I knew right away that this was the spot for me,” said Stewart, who played for Boudreau with the Ducks last season. “He’s the fastest coach ever to 400 wins, and there’s a reason for that. He’s going to bring that sense of swagger that’s going to rub off on the team.”

Stewart’s numbers have steadily declined since a 64-point breakout season with the Colorado Avalanche in 2009-10. Now viewed as more of a grinder than a playmaker, Stewart finished with eight goals and 12 assists in 56 games under Boudreau last season. He also racked up 73 penalty minutes — something that’s become a calling card of sorts for the 28-year-old veteran.

“The one thing I was impressed with him last year was how good of a team guy he was,” Boudreau said in July. “He stood up for everybody. Anybody that was picked on, he would go right up to them, and he knew how to handle it for us. He can play.”

Stewart, who likely will start on the Wild’s fourth line, hinted that other teams can expect much of the same from him this season.

“I’m not really worried about lines or anything like that,” he said. “I’m a veteran guy, and no matter where I’m at, I’m going to work hard. … I’m a big body, too, so I play that dirty game of going hard to the net and trying to get pucks back and creating space for my linemates. Those little things like sticking up for my teammates, too. That’s always come natural for me.”

Stewart spent time training in California this offseason before returning home to Toronto and “trying to get the body ready for a long season.” He hasn’t played since late April, when the Ducks lost to the Nashville Predators in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs.

“You always think it’s going to be a quick offseason,” Stewart said. “Then a month later I’m still sitting at home watching the playoffs and I start getting pissed off a little bit.”

“This offseason has been way too long for everyone,” Stewart added. ” You’re at home. You’re bored. So as soon as September hits — I’ve been watching the World Cup of Hockey the last couple days seeing that high-tempo style of play — I can’t wait.”

Needless to say, Stewart can’t wait for the Wild to open training camp on Sept. 23.

“I thought the pace was pretty good out there,” Stewart said of Monday’s workout. “I’m ready to drop the puck for real and start playing for real.”