Wild name Paul Fenton new GM

The Minnesota Wild officially named Paul Fenton as their new general manager Monday, the team announced.

"It is my distinct pleasure to welcome Paul Fenton as the general manager of the Minnesota Wild," team owner Craig Leipold said. "Paul is uniquely suited for this job having played 10 years of professional hockey and holding 25 years of management experience in the NHL. His gift of evaluating talent is obvious in Nashville's roster and recent success.

"My relationship with Paul goes back to my early days in Nashville and I know that Wild hockey fans are going to love Paul's infectious passion for the game and unsurpassed work ethic. He's the right person to deliver a Stanley Cup to the State of Hockey."

Fenton, 58, was previously with the Nashville Predators organization for 20 seasons, the last 12 of which were spent serving as assistant GM to legendary Nashville executive David Poile.

Prior to joining the Predators, Fenton spent five seasons with the Anaheim Ducks organization in their scouring department.