Photos courtesy of the Minnesota Wild Facebook page
Weston Paszkiewicz and his family pose inside Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin’s office as he proudly holds up his one-day contract with the team.
With family roots in the Glencoe and Brownton area, Weston Paszkiewicz signed a one-day contract with the Minnesota Wild Thursday, Oct. 30 after suddenly being diagnosed with leukemia at the beginning of the year.
It has been a long year for Paszkiewicz, as the ten-year-old has faced more challenges than most kids his age. Yet through it all, his strength has not wavered. With the support of his family and communities throughout Minnesota, Paszkiewicz is being celebrated for his incredible courage, resilience, and positive spirit in the face of adversity. He is truly an inspiration to those around him and embodies the heart of a champion.
Paszkiewicz, whose mother, Danielle Paszkiewicz grew up in the Glencoe and Brownton area and graduated from Franklin High School, has been bravely battling leukemia since January. Last week, Paszkiewicz received the surprise of a lifetime when the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Minnesota Wild signed him to a one-day contract with the team.
For Paszkiewicz, a lifelong hockey lover, it was a dream come true – and for the family, it was a moment of reprieve amid months of being in-and-out of the hospital.
“It was the coolest thing ever,” said his grandfather Myron Schuette, who has been in the Glencoe and Brownton area all his life. “For somebody who loves hockey as much as he does, it was unbelievable.”
“That was the biggest smile we’ve seen on his face since this whole thing started,” he added.
Paszkiewicz’s love of hockey runs deep in his family. His father, John Paszkiewicz, along with his grandfather and extended relatives, have all been longtime players and fans of the sport. He first took to the ice at just five years old and has spent countless hours at the rink ever since. “Hockey is in his blood,” said Schuette.
Beyond hockey, he has a deep love for the outdoors and enjoys spending time fishing, woodworking, and playing other sports. His passion and positivity have also caught the attention of professional athletes across hockey, baseball, and basketball, many of whom have reached out to share words of encouragement and support during his journey.
“He’s just an outdoorsman through and through,” Schuette said. “He loves fishing, woodworking, baseball – anything that keeps him busy. But hockey has always been his favorite.”
Memories to last a lifetime
When the Wild and Make-A-Wish made the special day possible, Paszkiewicz was escorted to St. Paul by police and greeted with a hero’s sendoff in his hometown of Long Lake. Fire trucks lined the streets, and people waved signs and cheered as his car drove by.
“It was amazing the amount of people that showed up,” he said. “The fire department, his dad’s coworkers, the whole community – they’ve just been fantastic.”
When Paszkiewicz arrived in St. Paul, he was greeted by Wild owner Craig Leipold, General Manager Bill Guerin, and the players. Guerin had him sign his contract on the same desk where star Kirill Kaprizov had signed his own months earlier.
Before the team suited up for practice, Paszkiewicz joined them in the locker room and was greeted with smiles and friendly greetings from all the players. The Wild had even prepared a special stall for him, complete with his own nameplate and personalized Wild jersey, nestled right alongside the rest of the team.
Weston Paszkiewicz takes a shot on Minnesota Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt during the team’s morning skate.
Paszkiewicz then suited up and joined the team for their morning skate. Surrounded by Wild players, he took shots on goaltender Jesper Wallstedt – and when he scored, the team erupted in cheers, celebrating with him as one of their own.
“You see him score a goal, the smile on his face and he’s playing with NHL players, it’s awesome,” Wild Coach John Hynes said in a post on the Minnesota Wild’s Facebook page.
He bonded quickly with goaltender Marc-André Fleury, his favorite player. Continuing one of Fleury’s playful traditions, Paszkiewicz joined him in sneaking into the locker room, where the two pulled off a prank by taping the players’ shoes together into one big, tangled bundle. Their laughter together was a moment of pure joy for his family to witness.
“That was the most we’ve heard him laugh in a long time,” Schuette said. “They really took him in like one of their own.”
That evening, Paszkiewicz carried the Wild flag to center ice before the game, while his mom and siblings led the “Let’s Play Hockey” call in front of nearly 18,000 fans. Throughout the day, he was showered with gifts, surprises, and messages of encouragement from both the Wild and the opposing Pittsburgh Penguins – including a visit from Sidney Crosby, who named Paszkiewicz the Penguins’ player of the game.
For his grandparents and extended family back home in the Glencoe and Brownton area, watching his joy was an unforgettable experience.
“Seeing him out there on the ice carrying the flag, smiling, just enjoying himself – that was the best part,” he said. “After everything he’s gone through, he deserved every bit of it.”
Home, hope, and healing
Paszkiewicz was diagnosed with leukemia Jan. 4 after feeling ill over the holidays. Within two days, doctors had begun an aggressive course of chemotherapy. He’s spent much of the past nine months in-and-out of the hospital, but through it all, his family says he’s faced every challenge with calmness and courage.
“He just takes everything as it comes,” Schuette said. “Whatever he has to do, he does it without complaint. He’s unbelievable.”
Now home after a long hospital stay, Paszkiewicz is surrounded by his family – and by a wave of support stretching from Long Lake to Glencoe and Brownton.
“There’s no way to thank everyone enough,” Schuette said. “The support from this area has been incredible. We just want people to know how much it means to us.”
For the Paszkiewicz family, the Make-A-Wish day with the Minnesota Wild was more than a special event – it was a reminder of the power of community, the kindness of strangers, and the strength of one small-town boy with a big heart and an even bigger smile.