Wild D Suter expects to be ready for training camp

Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter expects to be a full participant at training camp after undergoing season-ending surgery in April to repair a fracture in his right ankle. "The way I feel right now, I feel like I'm going to be ready for camp," said Suter, via the Wild website, in an interview published Wednesday. "I feel good right now. I feel like I'm back." Suter was injured late in the second period of a loss to the Dallas Stars on March 31. He told the Saint Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press in May that he hoped to be ready for the Wild's season opener at the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 4. Suter's recovery progression has included putting skates on for the first time during his hockey camp in late July. "I'm maybe a week and a half behind of where I'd be in the summertime," Suter said. "I'd usually start skating at the end of July, so maybe two weeks. But by next week, I'll be putting the equipment on and skating. Right now, I'm just trying to get the bad stuff out of there." Suter, 33, had played in 242 consecutive regular-season games before the injury. He had six goals and 45 assists last season, with his career-high-tying 51 points ranking fourth on the team. "I'm going to be in better shape than I've ever been in," he said. "I've never worked this hard, this much." --Field Level Media