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Gophers' Mike Koster signs pro contract with Wild's ECHL affiliate

Koster served as a co-captain for Minnesota this past season.
Nolan O'Hara|
Minnesota's Mike Koster celebrates his goal against Michigan State during the first period on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024, at Munn Arena in East Lansing, Mich.
Minnesota's Mike Koster celebrates his goal against Michigan State during the first period on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024, at Munn Arena in East Lansing, Mich. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Gophers men's hockey defenseman Mike Koster signed his first professional contract with the ECHL's Iowa Heartlanders, the team announced on Tuesday. Koster is the latest among several Gophers players to sign land deals after the season.

Koster was a co-captain as a graduate student at the U this year and played in 40 total games, recording 20 points (4 goals, 16 assists) and 53 blocked shots. Koster played in 180 total games across five seasons with the Gophers, finishing his career with 89 points (18 goals, 71 assists). The Chaska, Minn., native made Big Ten All-Tournament Team in 2020-21.

The ECHL is one of the NHL's farm leagues alongside the AHL. The Heartlanders are affiliated with the Minnesota Wild.

Several Gophers players have made the leap to the pro ranks following a heartbreaking end to the season in the NCAA Tournament. In addition to Koster joining the Heartlanders, five other Gophers have signed entry-level NHL contracts. Jimmy Snuggerud inked a deal with the St. Louis Blues; Sam Rinzel and Oliver Moore signed deals with the Chicago Blackhawks; Matthew Wood signed with the Nashville Predators; and Connor Kurth joined the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Koster won't be joining them in the NHL as of yet, but perhaps he works his way through the Wild's farm system and finds himself taking the ice at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., in the not-too-distant future.

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Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

Nolan O'Hara covers all things Minnesota sports, primarily the Timberwolves, for Bring Me The News and Sports Illustrated's On SI network. He previously worked as a copy editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism. His work has appeared in the Pioneer Press, Ratchet & Wrench magazine, the Minnesota Daily and a number of local newspapers in Minnesota, among other publications.

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