"Nate Prosser was kidding when he called his shot.

But it was no joke when, a few hours later, he shot and the puck slithered past Columbus goaltender Curtis Sanford. It was the first NHL goal for the rookie from Elk River in a 3-1 loss to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena.

Prosser signed a two-year contract extension with the Wild on Monday, and during an interview with TV commentator Kevin Gorg, he said he'd celebrate by scoring against the Blue Jackets.

"I was just kind of throwing it out there," Prosser recalled before the Wild-Vancouver game Thursday night at the Xcel Energy Center. "It was kind of a blessing. It was pretty cool to get a contract one day and get a goal the next."

Prosser, who arranged for a group of Elk River peewee hockey players to visit the Wild dressing room after the game against the Canucks, said there's always "a boatload of people" coming to home games from his hometown. Many are friends and many are relatives because his mom, whose name is Margaret but who goes by Muggs, has eight brothers and sisters and tons of nephews and nieces. "