19-year old rookie sent back after 9 games despite strong performance.

His team is doing what's best for their future, but it likely won't make this any less frustrating.

A report from Minnesota Wild insider Mike Russo has revealed the the Wild have made the decision to send rookie forward Joel Eriksson Ek back to Sweden. When you consider that playing just one more game would burn a year off of Eriksson Ek's entry-level contract, it seems extremely unlikely that they will be bringing him back at any point this season.

It will likely be a source of frustration for the fan base as well, at least those viewing the move in it's short-term context, as Eriksson Ek was performing very well for the Wild in his limited sample size. He ends his nine game National Hockey League stint with 2 goals, 5 assists and a plus minus rating of 2, very respectable numbers for such a young prospect.

It's worth noting that this move also coincides with the return of forward Zach Parise from injury, so that may have also played a factor.

[pub]