Jost excited to rediscover untapped offensive potential with Wild

Tyson Jost began his Tuesday in Los Angeles, just like he would any other normal game day.
He ended it 1,800 miles away in a hotel room in downtown St. Paul, just a short walk from his new home arena. Jost was preparing himself for the Colorado's game against the L.A. Kings tonight at Crypto.com Arena, but while embarking on his typical stretching routine, his phone rang. On the opposite end of the call was Avalanche General Manager Joe Sakic, telling him he had been traded to Minnesota.

"After that, it was kind of a whirlwind," Jost told Wild.com just moments after arriving in the Twin Cities. "Drove off to the airport, hopped on a flight and here I am in Minny now. It's good, I'm excited."
The deal marked the first time in Jost's pro career he'd been traded, as the No. 10 overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft was sent to Minnesota in exchange for Nico Sturm.
Jost is familiar with Minnesota, having played a year of college hockey just across the border in Grand Forks at the University of North Dakota, where he was named to the NCHC All-Rookie team and finished second on the Fighting Hawks in scoring as an 18-year-old freshman.
Before that, Jost became just the second UND player ever selected in the top-10 of the NHL Draft (Jonathan Toews).
"I know a lot about Minnesota, and I have a lot of friends out here," Jost said. "It's a great team, a great hockey city and it's beautiful. As soon as I heard it was Minnesota, I was really excited to come in here and help this team win down the stretch and into the playoffs, and do everything I can to help this team win."

Wild General Manager Bill Guerin addressed the media earlier in the day on Tuesday and said a change of scenery could benefit both Jost and Sturm.
"I think it's a win-win because I think both players were in need of a change. Nico gave us a couple of great years. I think he was one of the better college free agent signings in the last few years. And we wish him nothing but the best, and he's going to a good situation," Guerin said. "[But] we're very excited to have Tyson. We think there's a lot more potential for Tyson to grow and become the player that he wants to be."
Jost agreed, noting that it was difficult at times to crack a loaded Colorado forward group that boasts one of the best top-6 groups in the NHL.
"I loved my time in Colorado; the city, all the guys there. I have nothing but amazing things to say about my time in Colorado. I'm definitely going to miss it," Jost said. "But I think a change of scenery will be awesome. Hopefully I can come into my own here and I'm sure one thing fans will find out about me here is I'll do anything I can to help the team win. I'll work my hardest.
"I'm really excited. This is a fresh start here and I can't wait to get going."
Just an example of Jost's willingness to do anything: he's been playing with a broken jaw for the past couple of weeks after taking a puck to the face in a game against the Calgary Flames on March 5.
"I've spent a lot of time at the dentist," Jost said. "Still got a couple of wires on my bottom teeth, got the bowl on right now. It's been an interesting week for sure, but it's not too bad, I'm feeling a little bit better."
The clear bowl on the front of his helmet is a departure from the full cage he wore at UND.
"I actually tried the cage [last week] and I must have gotten a little too accustomed to the visor," Jost said. "I put it on and I could barely see, so I went to a bubble."
With Minnesota, Jost is hoping to rediscover some of the scoring touch that made him a high draft pick and one of the top incoming freshman hockey players in the country back in 2016.
In his final season with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL, Jost was named Hockey Canada's Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) National Player of the Year, as well as the CJHL's MVP and its Top Forward. Jost was also named the Most Valuable Player of the BCHL after tallying 104 points and leading the league with 62 assists in just 48 games played.
He scored 16 goals and averaged more than a point per game in his lone season at UND. But because of Colorado's depth, Jost changed his game to more of a checking style in the pros, playing nearly two minutes per night on the penalty kill and skating in a third or fourth-line role.
"It was tough to find a spot in Colorado," Jost said. "I turned into more of a PK guy and defensive role, kind of a checking role, which is totally fine. But I really want to expand my game and get back to that place where I was with making plays and being creative and that offensive touch. I'm really hoping I can do that here, get into a rhythm and find some flow in the lineup.
"I think this will be a great opportunity for me to showcase that stuff and to be the kind of player I know I am and can be."
That's the kind of player Guerin said he hopes the Wild was targeting in the deal.
"Yeah that's what I'm hoping for," Guerin said. "To be honest, I don't know what went on in Colorado with him. Yeah, he was behind some really talented guys, some guys that play big minutes, big responsibilities. He's gonna have to earn everything he gets here, just like everyone else on our team. But we do feel there is some untapped potential with this kid and hopefully he proves us right."
Jost is expected to make his debut with the Wild on Wednesday night when it hosts the Boston Bruins at Xcel Energy Center.
The expectation is that the Wild will ease him into the lineup in his first game, but it may not take long for him to elevate and get a chance to showcase some of that untapped offensive potential in short order.
"We've got things set pretty well for tomorrow. But you never know what happens during the course of the game," Guerin said. "I do know that before we made the trade, we understand what his skill set is and the opportunities that he's going to need to become a better player.
"Defensively, actually, the last couple of years, he's been very strong. And that's one thing that we really like about him. So I think he can fill a lot of different roles for us. But I know one thing he really wants to do is get the opportunity to play offensively and produce. So at some point in time, he'll get that opportunity."