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30 to leave it at the rink.' I'm always dialed that I'm always just kind of thinking about the game. And I think if you could find a way to turn it off when you're at home, when you're with your family, when you're with your friends, I think that's probably the most beneficial thing as far as the stress level goes and being able to calm your body into a state where it's not at the rink all the time. "When you're at the rink, you put in your 100 percent effort and your 100 percent attention. When you're at home, you turn it off." That would be the biggest advice Bjugstad would give young Minnesota hockey players who want to follow in his footsteps. Don't Be Shy He's so excited to be home. Back in high school, despite being dissected nightly by a horde of NHL scouts, Bjugstad scored 29 goals and 60 points in 25 games to lead the Bengals to a third straight state tournament. He combined his junior and senior years at Blaine into one so he can graduate early and fulfill his lifelong dream of slipping on a maroon and gold No. 27 sweater. After a career-high 25 goals and 42 points as a sophomore, Bjugstad returned to the Gophers and scored 21 goals before turning pro in 2013. He's scored 97 goals and 207 points in 439 career NHL games. "I think he's got incredible poten- tial," Wild General Manager Bill Guerin said. "You see the size-skill combination, I mean, health is a huge part of professional sports. You have to stay healthy. I think this off- season, it's our job and Nick's job to make sure that he is doing what he's going to need to do to stay healthy because I really do believe in the skill set that he has." Russo's Rants M H J ON L I N E . C O M | N O V. / D E C . 2 0 2 0 "Being as big as he is and having the hands and the playmaking ability is something that is rare. I know he's excited to be coming back to Minnesota, and this is a great motivator for him." – Bill Guerin Wild GM Photos / The Bjugstad Family, Getty Images, Gopher Sports "Being as big as he is and having the hands and the playmaking ability is something that is rare. Nick's had a couple off years, and he's gonna have to work hard to get his game back where it can be, and we're confident he can. I know he's excited to be coming back to Minnesota, and this is a great moti- vator for him." Bjugstad can't wait to get started, both slipping on a Wild sweater for the first time and getting reengaged in the community. "I had a lot of pride being a Minnesota Wild fan when I was a kid," he said. "I like to be around people and feed off that energy. So I want to be a role model for the kids in our community. If you see me, come up to me. If I had that oppor- tunity, when I was a kid, I would have been ecstatic. I can count on one hand how many NHL players I ever met when I was a kid. It's just good to be home." Michael Russo writes for The Athletic. He's entering his 16th sea- son covering the Wild and 26th cov- ering the National Hockey League. He hosts the Russo Hockey Show on talknorth.com and Straight From The Source podcast on The Athletic. Both podcasts can be heard wherever you get your podcasts. Russo can be heard weekly on KFAN (100.3-FM) and seen throughout the hockey sea- son on Fox Sports North and the NHL Network. Follow Russo on Twitter and Instagram at @RussoHockey. To subscribe to The Athletic at a discount, go to theath- letic.com/straightfromthesource. P R E S E N T E D B Y Bjugstad scored 54 goals in three seasons for the Gophers.