VP Sports & Entertainment presents: Wheat Kings netminder Ruzicka signs with Minnesota Wild
Brandon Wheat Kings netminder Filip Ruzicka is the first goaltender selected in the 2026 NHL Draft to sign an entry-level contract with their NHL club.
The 6-foot-8, 230-pound puckstopper has put pen to paper on a three-year deal with the Minnesota Wild, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin announced Tuesday.
The @mnwild just got a little taller…6'7" Filip Ruzicka is ready to guard the crease ❌#mnwild | @bdnwheatkings | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/YJ5RDcTBI1
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) June 27, 2026
Ruzicka is coming off a standout rookie campaign with the Wheat Kings.
The 18-year-old went 26-14-1-0 with a 3.19 goals-against average, a .906 save percentage and two shutouts.
He ranked seventh among all qualified WHL netminders in save percentage and wins, while being named a finalist for WHL Goaltender of the Year.
Ruzicka also went viral for a spirited goalie fight against Regina Pats puckstopper Taylor Tabashniuk on February 27.
🚨FRIDAY NIGHT GOALIE FIGHT🚨
TAYLOR TABASHNIUK DROPS THE MITTS AGAINST FILIP RUZICKA AT THE END OF THE GAME 🥊 #ReginaPatsHockey pic.twitter.com/fkjZ7iUlLM
— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) February 28, 2026
His penchant for the dramatic bled into the 2026 WHL Playoffs, where Ruzicka turned in an electric performance in his first postseason start.
The Trinec, Cze. product steered aside 64 shots in a blistering 1-0 triple overtime loss to the Calgary Hitmen.
Despite not coming out with the win, Ruzicka was named the first star of the game and garnered plenty of praise from teammates and opponents alike.
“That was epic,” Wheat Kings General Manager and Head Coach Marty Murray said prior to the NHL Draft. “He played his heart out and (had) a lot of saves that, I think, you probably had a feeling the game was going to end where he kind of come out of nowhere and used those long limbs of his to get across.
Unfortunately, couldn’t get one for him, but certainly he did his part and was exceptional, not only in that game but throughout the whole series.”
The Wild selected Ruzicka with the 137th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo, N.Y.
He’s the second player developed in the WHL to sign an entry-level deal after the 2026 Draft, following Toronto Maple Leafs first-overall pick and former Medicine Hat Tigers star Gavin McKenna.
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