Cody McLeod named Wild development coach

Cody McLeod was a teammate of some of the Wild's top prospects last season with Iowa in the American Hockey League.

Now, he's helping mentor them as a player development coach.

"I've been getting to work with them for a couple years, so looking forward it," McLeod said Tuesday inside Tria Rink in St. Paul at the Wild's development camp. "Hopefully help them to get up here to play one day and that's the goal for all the young guys."

This fresh start for McLeod comes after a 17-year career as a pro player that included 12 seasons in the NHL with Colorado, Nashville and the New York Rangers.

Since 2019, McLeod had been with Iowa and was team captain last season while finishing with four goals and four assists and tying for the second-most penalty minutes in the league at 141.

An undrafted forward, McLeod, 38, considers reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2017 with the Predators the proudest moment of his career and he'll miss playing. But he feels ready for this new challenge.

"Anything I can pass along to help them and develop them, that's my goal," McLeod said.

Aside from hiring McLeod as a development coach, the Wild also named Matt Harder strength and conditioning coach and brought in David MacLean as a pro scout.

Harder was Iowa's strength and conditioning coach in 2021-22 and previously worked with Arizona. MacLean was a pro scout with Montreal for the past five seasons.

The Wild re-signed goaltender Zane McIntyre to a one-year, two-way contract that'll pay him $750,000 in the NHL and $300,000 in the AHL.

Last season with Iowa, McIntyre went 19-14-1 with a 2.45 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and two shutouts in 37 games after the Wild signed the 29-year-old in January. A Grand Forks native and former North Dakota standout, McIntyre was drafted in 2010 by Boston and has played seven seasons in the AHL.