Wild defenseman Jake Middleton continues his ride with long-term contract

Jake Middleton left Minneapolis Sunday morning on motorcycle with his dad Steve and arrived in Salmon Arm, British Columbia, to visit his sister on Tuesday.

Along the way, Middleton made a pitstop that changed his life: The defenseman signed a new contract with the Wild at a diner in Montana.

“That was fun,” Middleton said. “That was cool.”

That Middleton secured the longest and most lucrative deal of his hockey career, a four-year contract worth $17.4 million that kicks in after next season, while on a 1,650-mile trek was fitting.

The one-time “Mr. Irrelevant” as the final player picked in the draft who shuffled between the minors and NHL for years — sometimes sleeping on the floor while living with friends — went on a long and winding journey before finding a home with the Wild.

“He’d probably be pretty proud,” Middleton said of that earlier version of himself. “Yeah, he’d just be happy it all worked out.”

Almost eight years after he’d been drafted last overall in 2014, Middleton finally cracked San Jose’s lineup for good in 2022 when he was traded to the Wild in a deadline deal.

He wasn’t sure if “the grass is going to be greener,” but it was like he moved to Augusta National.

A physical, defense-first defenseman, Middleton clicked with captain Jared Spurgeon, and the two became the Wild’s shutdown duo. In 2022-23, they had one of the lowest goals-against per 60 minutes among the most-used defensive pairings in the league, and the Wild had approximately 60% of the goals scored at 5-on-5 when they were on the ice.

But Middleton and Spurgeon didn’t play together much last season, with Spurgeon having season-ending back and hip surgeries, and a shorthanded defense was one of the reasons the Wild didn’t advance to the playoffs.

“He’s the leader of the team,” Middleton said of Spurgeon. “His voice carries a lot of weight in our dressing room, and you could feel that was missed in the time he was away.

“He’s someone who you need to have back in your lineup, and it’ll be tremendous when we do have him back.”

Although Middleton, 28, didn’t have the same impact defensively as he’d had in the past, he did step up on offense.

His seven goals and 18 assists for 25 points were all career highs; he also led the team in blocked shots (161) and dished out the third-most hits with 148.

“I wasn’t extremely happy with my year last year,” he said. “Obviously, when there’s no team success, you don’t really feel there’s personal success, either. It was nice scoring goals; that was kind of fun.

“But it was an inconsistent year for me, personally, and I’d just like to get back to that. That’s what I like to do, be a consistent guy on a nightly basis, let you know what you’re getting, and that’s something that I really want to focus on going forward here.”

One of the penalty killers on the Wild’s beleaguered unit, Middleton called the addition of PK specialist Yakov Trenin on a four-year, $14 million deal “a great signing” for the team.

“He forechecks like an animal,” Middleton said. “He finishes every check.”

As for the start of the season, when the Wild will play 10 of their first 15 games on the road, Middleton believes that’ll be good for the team — even though his wife, Natalie, is due around that time.

“You’re on the road. You’re all close. You’re tight knit,” Middleton said. “It’ll be dinners and practices. The only thing you’re focusing on is hockey.”

He’s also positive about the outlook of the team, and Middleton will help determine how much better the Wild will get.

After all, he’s now locked into the core as their longest-signed defenseman.

“I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, I think there’s good things in the future for this franchise,” Middleton said, “and I’m happy I get to be a part of it and try and see it through.”