Story by
Former Minnesota Wild Defenseman Headlines 2026 USA Hockey Hall Of Fame Class
- Story by
- Former Minnesota Wild Defenseman Headlines 2026 USA Hockey Hall Of Fame Class
On Thursday, USA Hockey revealed its 2026 Hockey Hall of Fame class, which featured former Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter .
Joining Suter in the 2026 class are the Kessel siblings, three-time Stanley Cup champion Phil Kessel , one-time Olympic gold medalist Amanda Kessel, one-time Cup winner T.J. Oshie , and former NHL head athletic trainer Stan Wong.
Advertisement
Suter had an illustrious NHL career, scoring 107 goals and totaling 696 points in 1,526 games. Of those 1,526 games, 656 were played in a Wild jersey. Suter, alongside Zach Parise , signed the unforgettable 13-year contract with the Wild.
In the end, the Wild were forced to buy out the remainder of the contracts and are still on the books, paying Parise and Suter $833,333 until the conclusion of the 2028-29 season.
Although it ended on a sour note, Suter was still a very effective player for the Wild. In those nine seasons spent in Minnesota, Suter received Norris Trophy votes seven times, including a second-place finish in the 2012-13 season.
Suter was a star defenseman for the Nashville Predators and Wild throughout his prime, and ended his career staying in the Central Division, spending three seasons with the Dallas Stars and one with the St. Louis Blues . Despite nearing 40 years of age as his career ended, Suter played his final seven seasons without missing a regular-season game and maintained an Ironman streak of 535 games.
'I'm Excited To Get Going': Quinn Hughes Says Wild Have Nothing Left To Prove To Him
Advertisement
Internationally, Suter was a mainstay for Team USA, appearing in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics and serving as an alternate captain in 2014. He also served as an alternate captain at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Suter won three medals with Team USA: gold at the World Junior Championship and the U-18s, and silver at the Olympics. Suter represented Team USA at the World Championship five times, but never won a medal.
Suter wasn't the flashiest or the most physically dominant defender. Still, he was as effective as any, and few defensemen all time were better at eating minutes than the seventh overall pick of the 2003 NHL draft.
Suter had an excellent career, and it's only right that USA Hockey recognized him.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.
Advertisement
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source . Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here . And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
