Wild notes: Schroeder welcomes return from AHL

ST. LOUIS – The adrenaline began to kick in late Saturday afternoon, in the hours before Jordan Schroeder returned to the Wild lineup. That helped offset the fact that the speedy forward hadn't slept the night before, upon hearing he would be traveling to St. Louis to play in a Halloween-night game against the Blues.

Schroeder was summoned back to the Wild after third-line winger Justin Fontaine was injured during Friday night's 5-4 victory over Chicago at Xcel Energy Center. Fontaine was hurt when the Blackhawks' Andrew Desjardins caught him with a knee-on-knee hit early in the second period. Wild coach Mike Yeo said Saturday that Fontaine won't return for at least a few weeks, and he is likely to be out longer than that.

At the end of training camp, Schroeder was assigned to the Wild's AHL affiliate in Iowa, then was recalled for one game — a 3-2 victory over the Blues on Oct. 10 — before returning to the minors. He got the news of his latest call-up following Iowa's 4-0 loss at Rockford on Friday night, then made the relatively short trip to St. Louis. He played on the third line with Charlie Coyle and Thomas Vanek.

"I've been working hard to try and get my game going," said Schroeder, who has two goals and three assists in eight games with Iowa this season. "All you can do is come up and work hard.

"I'm very excited, as always. As long as I just use my speed and be responsible with the puck, I should be all right."

Yeo said he didn't want Schroeder to overthink things. The coach was impressed with his work ethic and adaptability last season, when Schroeder played 25 regular-season games and three playoff contests with the Wild after being recalled on Feb. 3.

His increasing comfort level with the team showed in training camp this fall, though he was hampered by groin and shoulder injuries. Schroeder hoped to make the leap from camp to an opening-night NHL roster for the first time in his career but wound up going to Iowa when the Wild opted to keep rookie center Tyler Graovac.

"He has to come in here and show he can really fit in,'' Yeo said of Schroeder, who had three goals and five assists with the Wild last season while playing a limited role. "That's the only message we have for him. He doesn't have to go out and do anything fancy. Just play the game.''

Defenseman Nate Prosser played his third consecutive game Saturday after being a healthy scratch in four of the Wild's first six games. Christian Folin was scratched against the Blues, sitting out his third game in a row.

Yeo said Folin is healthy, and he isn't unhappy with Folin's play. Rather, he is very happy with what he's seen from Prosser.

"Folin will get back in,'' Yeo said. "But [Prosser] deserves to stay in. You've got to do what's right.''

• Graovac missed his 10th game because of a lower-body injury, and he isn't expected back soon.