Minnesota’s Stoner signs in Slovak Extraliga

Minnesota Wild defenseman Clayton Stoner has agreed to a lockout deal with Slovak club side HC Banska Bystrica, according to the team website.

Stoner, 27, was the Wild’s third-round pick in 2004 and has since become a steady presence on the back end. He had one goal and four assists in 51 games in 2011-12, and his plus-3 rating led all Wild defensemen.

In May, Minnesota inked Stoner to a two-year, $2.1 million extension.

The burly rearguard — Stoner is listed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds — will now join a Banska team with little NHL experience to speak of.

The two most noteworthy names in Bystrica are Michal Handzus, the San Jose forward that inked with the club two weeks ago, and Vladimir Orzagh, the ex-Predators forward who moved up from assistant to head coach for the 2012-13 season.