Release from Minnesota Wild:   

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. –Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has agreed to terms with free agent left wing Zach Parise (pronounced pah-REE-say) and free agent defenseman Ryan Suter (pronounced SOO-tuhr) on 13-year contracts.

     “This is a great day in the history of the Minnesota Wild,” said Fletcher. “We are extremely excited to add the collective skill, experience and character of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to an already promising roster. We view this as a rare opportunity for us to transform our franchise by adding two marquee players, who are both in the prime of their careers, at the same time. I am grateful to Zach and Ryan and I am also thankful for the substantial commitment and support of Craig Leipold throughout this process. This is a huge step forward in our quest to bring a Stanley Cup to the deserving fans of the State of Hockey.”

     Parise, 27 (7/28/84), captained the New Jersey Devils to the Stanley Cup Final collecting 69 points (31-38=69) and 32 penalty minutes (PIM) in 82 games. He was named the ninth captain in New Jersey history on Oct. 5, 2011 and logged a career-high 21:29 in TOI/game. Parise ranked seventh among NHL forwards in TOI/game and eighth in the NHL with 293 shots. The Minneapolis, Minn., native added 15 points (8-7=15) in 24 playoff games ranking first in the NHL in postseason shots (87), tied for first in goals and tied for sixth in scoring. Parise has tallied 30 or more goals in five of the last six seasons and owns 410 points (194-216=410), 177 PIM, a plus-57 rating and 37 game-winning goals in 502 career NHL contests with New Jersey. He played in the 20005 AHL All-Star Game, was named MVP of the 2007 NHL YoungStars Game, played in the 2009 NHL All-Star Game and was named to the 2009 NHL Second All-Star Team. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound left wing recorded 43 points (21-22=43) in 61 playoff contests with the Devils.

     Suter, 27 (1/21/85), recorded career-highs with 46 points (7-39=46) and 25 power play points (3-22=25) in 79 games with Nashville this season. He posted a plus-15 rating and 30 penalty minutes (PIM) and finished eighth in Norris Trophy voting. Suter set a career-high and ranked third in the NHL in TOI/game at 26:30, was third among NHL defensemen in power play points and 10^th in scoring. He added four points (1-3=4) in 10 playoff games for the Predators and ranked third in the NHL in TOI/game at 28:49. Suter ranks eighth in the NHL in time on ice since 2006-07. The 6-foot-1, 198-pound native of Madison, Wis., has tallied 238 points (38-200=238), including 99 power play points (11-88=99), 396 PIM and a plus-43 rating in 542 career games during seven seasons with Nashville. Suter owns 13 points (4-9=13) in 39 playoff contests.

     Parise was named to the 2010 Olympic All-Star Team and ranked tied for third in tournament scoring with eight points (4-4=8) in six games serving as an alternate captain as Team USA earned a silver medal. He has also served as an alternate captain on the gold medal-winning 2004 U.S. National Junior Team, as well as the 2008 U.S. Men’s National Team. Parise was named the tournament MVP in 2004 ranking tied for first in scoring with 11 points (5-6=11) in six games. He also competed at two other IIHF World Men’s Championships (2005, 2007), the 2003 IIHF World Junior Championship and was a member of gold medal-winning 2002 U.S. Men’s National Under-18 Team at the IIHF World Men’s Under-18 Championship.

     He spent two seasons at the University of North Dakota (2002-04) tallying 116 points (49-67=116) and 58 PIM in 76 matches and was named to the 2003 WCHA All-Rookie Team, the 2004 NCAA West First All-American Team and the 2004 WCHA First All-Star Team. Parise played two seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary’s (2000-02) collecting 340 points (146-194=340) in 125 games. He was selected by New Jersey with the 17^th overall selection in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

     Zach’s father, J.P Parise, played 14 seasons in the NHL with Boston, Minnesota, Toronto, the New York Islanders and Cleveland and recorded 594 points (238-356=594) and 706 PIM in 890 games. J.P. also served as an assistant coach with the Minnesota North Stars for six seasons (1980-83, 84-85, 86-88).

     Suter has competed in 10 international competitions for Team USA. He earned a silver medal at the 2010 Olympics serving as an alternate captain for the United States. Suter served as the captain of the 2005 U.S. National Junior Team at the IIHF World Junior Championship. He has been a member of Team USA at four IIHF World Men’s Championships (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009), three IIHF World Junior Championships (2003, 2004, 2005) and two IIHF World Men’s Under-18 Championships (2002, 2003), winning gold with the 2004 U.S. National Junior Team and the 2002 U.S. Men’s National Under-18 Team.

     Suter played one season at the University of Wisconsin (2003-04), where he was teammates with current Wild defenseman Tom Gilbert, and tallied 19 points (3-16=19) and 93 PIM and was named to the 2004 WCHA All-Rookie Team. He was selected by Nashville with the seventh overall pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

     Ryan’s father, Bob Suter, was a member of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. Olympic Team, and his uncle, Gary Suter, played 17 seasons in the NHL with Calgary, Chicago and San Jose (1985-2002).