SAINT PAUL, Minn. - The National Hockey League's (NHL) Minnesota Wild announced today it will host the second annual Wild Gaming Tournament. The tournament, powered by Smash.gg, will consist of two rounds of competition: an online qualifiers tournament, presented by Jack Link's Beef Jerky, and a live finals event, presented by Mall of America®.

"We're thrilled to be able to continue to provide unique experiences for our fans," said Jamie Spencer, Minnesota Wild Executive Vice President of Business Development. "This gaming tournament is the perfect combination of esports, hockey and fan experience, with the goal of creating a greater State of Hockey."

Players will go head-to-head in EA SPORTS NHL® 20 on PlayStation 4 during single elimination, online qualifying matches, presented by Jack Link's Beef Jerky, slated for December 14 and 15. The top four competitors from the online qualifiers tournament will compete in the 2020 Wild Gaming Finals on Sunday, Jan. 19 in the Rotunda at MOA®.

The finals competition will feature live best-of-three matches with the winners taking home part of a $5,000 prize purse. The in-person finals event will be live streamed on Twitch.tv/minnesotawild_official. Special guests, including Minnesota Wild players and NHL 20 professional gamers, will be in attendance.

Registration opens on December 2 at 12 p.m. CT. Participants must be 13 years of age or older and from a qualifying state or country to be eligible.

To register and more information on the 2020 Wild Gaming Tournament, visit wild.com/gaming.

About Mall of America
At 5.6 million square feet, Mall of America is the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America with more than 520 world-class retail stores and restaurants; Nickelodeon Universe, the nation's largest indoor theme park; SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium; FlyOver America; Crayola Experience; Hard Rock Café; The Escape Game; CMX Cinemas; and more. The Mall opened in 1992 and is located in Bloomington, Minn., minutes from downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul and adjacent to the MSP International Airport. Follow Mall of America on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our blog. Download the Mall of America app from the App Store for iOS or Google Play for Android.

-- WILD --