The Wild has recalled goaltender Darcy Kuemper this morning and the early word, although unofficial, is that he is expected to make his NHL debut tonight against the Vancouver Canucks.

As of now, the Wild has given no reason as to why Josh Harding isn't starting, but he is still with the team in Vancouver.

General Manager Chuck Fletcher will be available after the optional morning skate, which is scheduled to start in one hour.

In 16 games, Kuemper, 22, has the second-best goals against average in the AHL (1.79), second-best save percentage (.938) and has won five in a row.

Defenseman Marco Scandella was also reassigned to Houston. As of now, it's unclear if that was to make room for Kuemper or if defenseman Jared Spurgeon will be activated for tonight's game at Vancouver.

Kuemper was named the Western Hockey League (WHL) Goaltender and Player of the Year in 2010-11 after compiling a record of 45-12-15 with a 1.86 GAA, a .933 SV% and 13 shutouts in 62 games for the Red Deer Rebels. He ranked first in the WHL in wins, GAA, SV% and shutouts.



Kuemper was selected by Minnesota in the sixth round (161st overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He has not appeared in an NHL game and will wear sweater #35 with the Wild.