MINNESOTA WILD RE-SIGNS LEFT WING PIERRE-MARC BOUCHARD

TWENTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD LED HOUSTON AEROS IN POINTS AND ASSISTS LAST SEASON

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President and General Manager Doug Risebrough announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed left wing Pierre-Marc Bouchard (pronounced BOO-shahrd) to a 2005-06 contract.



Bouchard, 21 (4/27/84), was Minnesota’s first pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft (eighth overall) and has tallied 42 points in 111 NHL games. The Sherbrooke, Quebec-native spent the 2004-05 season with the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League (AHL) and paced the squad in points (54), assists (42), multiple point games (14) and tied for the team lead with seven power play goals.



The 5-foot-10, 172-pound Bouchard played in a career-high 61 games with the Wild in 2003-04, and established career-highs in assists (18), points (22) and penalty minutes (22) while averaging 14 minutes of ice time per game.



Per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.