Wild sign UMass sophomore center Casey Wellman

Mar 16, 2010 - 7:45 PM ST. PAUL, Minn.(AP) -- The Minnesota Wild have signed center Casey Wellman to a two-year contract.

The deal was announced on Tuesday. Wellman just concluded his sophomore season at the University of Massachusetts, where he scored 23 goals to tie for sixth in Division I.

Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher wants to be aggressive about signing college free agents, and Wellman will join the Wild for the remainder of the season rather than going to the minors.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Wellman had 45 points as a sophomore for UMass and 33 points as a freshman.

Also Tuesday, the Wild recalled defenseman Justin Falk from Houston of the AHL as injury insurance.