SUNRISE, Fla. -- For the two weeks of training camp he had hoped to make an impression on Wild coach Mike Yeo and the organization's front office, Grayson Downing was stuck on crutches because of a knee injury suffered at a rookie tournament five days before camp opened.
Hoping to show Yeo what he can do, Downing instead missed all of his first pro training camp.
But the 23-year-old center used that time as motivation, he said, determined to stand out once he got healthy. Now, less than two months after returning from the knee injury, Downing has been one of the few bright spots in the Wild's minor league system.