Brandon Duhaime – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – MINNESOTA WILD – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 11:39:17 +0000

SAINT PAUL, MN - FEBRUARY 17: Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov (97) shoots the puck while being defended by Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen (4) during the NHL game between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild, on February 17th, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire)

Review: The Wild are enduring a nightmare cap situation with the decision to buy out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter leaving the Wild with roughly $12.8 million in dead space in 2022-23. It’s hard to remain competitive under those conditions, but Minnesota ended up being solid with a 46-25-11 record. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson deserves a good share of the credit. In his first season out of Ottawa, the 24-year-old (25 now) posted a 22-9-7 record, 2.10 GAA and .931 save percentage in 39 outings. Veteran Marc-Andre Fleury wasn’t as good, but he was at least solid, and the combination resulted in Minnesota allowing the sixth fewest goals per game (2.67). The Wild sorely lacked scoring depth, but Kirill Kaprizov’s 40 goals and 75 points, complemented by Mats Zuccarello, Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek each recording at least 60 points, was enough to take advantage of the expert goaltending on most nights. What it wasn’t enough for was to push the Wild forward in the playoffs, though, and they consequently were ousted in the first round by Dallas.

What’s Changed? Very little, thanks to Minnesota’s cap situation. Defenseman Matt Dumba and enforcer Ryan Reaves left as free agents. Meanwhile, the Wild acquired bottom-six forward Patrick Maroon from Tampa Bay.

What would success look like? With Suter and Parise’s cap burden swelling to a combined $14.7 million this year, the Wild will once again be at a competitive disadvantage. Still, goaltender Gustavsson and forwards Eriksson Ek, Kaprizov and Boldy are young, positioning Minnesota to have a solid core for years to come. The Wild’s awkward cap situation runs through 2024-25, but after that they’ll be able to make major additions at a time when their core is in its prime. In the meantime, this is largely the same group that got them to the playoffs last year, so a similar outcome in 2023-24 wouldn’t be absurd.

What could go wrong? Though perhaps too much is resting on Gustavsson’s shoulders. He’s only played in 66 career NHL games, and not every goaltender who looks great at first goes on to have a strong career. If he regresses, that would be a huge problem because Fleury, who will turn 39 in November, shouldn’t be counted on to start regularly at this point. As it is, there’s no guarantee he’ll even be a good backup given his age.

Top Breakout Candidate: Although Minnesota had four players last year with at least 60 points, no one else on the team reached even the 40-point milestone. The Wild desperately need secondary scoring and Marco Rossi might be able to provide that. He’s been limited to an assist in 21 career NHL games, but Rossi has a lot of offensive upside and shined in the AHL last season, scoring 16 goals and 51 points in 53 outings. He should get a long look during training camp as a middle-six option.

Forwards

Kirill Kaprizov - LW

For the Minnesota Wild to have one of the most exciting players in the NHL, it’s a rare treat for their fans and for fans around the league. In just his third season, Kirill Kaprizov dazzled by piling up goals by the bucketload. He had his second straight 40-goal season by putting 40 up on the nose. His 75-point season was a drop from the 108 he had the year before, but he also missed 15 games because of a lower-body injury. Kaprizov led the Wild in goals and points for the third consecutive year and because of his outrageous ability to create offense, he’s hands down the Wild’s most important player. Minnesota was 23rd in the NHL in goals scored and Kaprizov accounted for 16.7 percent of them and nearly a third of their total offense. The Wild had strong goaltending and defense, but they had only a few players capable of finishing with regularity (four players had 20 or more goals). Kaprizov’s regular success since entering the NHL shows he can continue to do it and it’s clear the Wild absolutely need him to keep it up. While he and Mats Zuccarello were regularly together, Ryan Hartman’s injury hurt their overall production. A healthy Hartman should help Kaprizov make a run at the century mark once again.

Joel Eriksson Ek - C

The Wild’s outstanding two-way center was having a huge season for a team that was eager to make noise in the postseason, but ultimately, Joel Eriksson Ek’s season was derailed in April because he broke his leg blocking a shot late in the regular season. Eriksson Ek had 23 goals and a career-high 61 points last season in 78 games. Eriksson Ek attempted to return in Game 3 of their first round series against Dallas but lasted 19 seconds before departing for good. He ultimately needed surgery for the broken leg and will be ready for training camp and the regular season. Eriksson Ek has built up his offensive game steadily over his career, increasing his output each season since he entered the league in 2016-2017. The bar is set high for him now after his performance last season, but he teamed up mostly with Marcus Foligno and Matt Boldy last season, the latter of whom was third on the Wild in goals and points. A healthy Eriksson Ek will be vital to them returning to the postseason and improving their success therein. He’s vital to their 5-on-5 play, of course, but also to their power play and penalty kill. Do-it-all players like Eriksson Ek are the difference makers in the playoffs.

Matt Boldy - LW

While Kirill Kaprizov gets most of the attention in Minnesota, Matt Boldy is their other young star player who gives fans the most hope of a Stanley Cup down the road. In his second season in nearly twice as many games, Boldy scored 31 goals and had 63 points. He was third on the team in both categories and eight of his goals came on the power play. The Wild believe in Boldy in a big way. They signed him to a seven-year, $49 million extension in January and based on the numbers he put up, it was a heads-up move by GM Bill Guerin because further 30-goal seasons (or more) would’ve made that price a lot more uncomfortable. At 22 years old, Boldy is the key young player for the Wild. As good as Kaprizov is, he’s 26 years old after coming over from Russia. Boldy, the 12th pick in the 2019 draft, was one of the Wild’s top performers in possession and expected goal percentage at 5-on-5. While that’s not surprising for a player that had the kind of success he did, for a player at his age it’s beyond encouraging to see that he’s already among the best on the team. His career is just getting started, but the future for him is very bright.

Ryan Hartman - RW

An upper-body injury wreaked havoc on Ryan Hartman last season. In 59 games, he had 15 goals and 37 points. After putting up 34 goals and 65 points two years ago, the injury sidetrack was a tough blow for him and the Wild alike. Hartman plays a rugged, physical game and is a menace all over the ice, particularly around the net in the offensive zone. Despite missing 23 games after getting injured in a fight, he was second on the team in penalty minutes (90) which affirms how much he’s able to get under the skin of opposing players. Hartman’s physical nature is needed as the center between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello because those two players aren’t out there to throw the body and get nasty. Hartman handles the dirty work, and he does it well and gets rewarded for it by cashing in on points. Hartman’s become a de facto No. 1 center because he’s most found between those two players. With Marco Rossi potentially on the way to the NHL this season, things could change up the middle for Minnesota’s forward units, but after the consistent success Hartman has had, it would take significant improvement from Rossi to unseat him.

Mats Zuccarello - C

It’s hard to find players as consistently strong offensively as Mats Zuccarello. The 35-year-old Norwegian was second on the Wild with 67 points. Zuccarello is a solid even strength scorer, but he’s also dynamite on the power play. He had nine goals and 29 points on the man advantage last season, and he averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time per game playing on the Wild’s top line. His production was a bit down compared to two years ago, but considering his age and that he had a career-high 79 points then, that he was still one of the team’s top scorers and vital to their success, it says everything you need to know about him. He teamed up on a line with Kirill Kaprizov and Ryan Hartman (as well as Sam Steel in Hartman’s injury absence) and that group drove Minnesota’s offense throughout the season. While Kaprizov and Hartman do more damage scoring goals, Zuccarello excels at setting them up to score. It’s hard to think coach Dean Evason would break that trio up this season, but if Marco Rossi makes a strong case in training camp or throughout the season, things could change. That said, the chemistry those three players have is outstanding and that goes a long way to helping set the lines. This season is a contract year for Zuccarello, and he’ll be 36 once it begins. He’ll have a lot to play for every year from here on out until he retires.

Marcus Johansson - RW

A return to Minnesota was just the thing Marcus Johansson needed to rejuvenate his game. Johansson began last season with Washington, but the Wild re-acquired him around the trade deadline and in 20 games in Minnesota he posted 18 points including six goals. Overall, he had 46 points in 80 games between the Capitals and Wild, but his play to close out the season with Minnesota earned him a new two-year, $4 million contract to stay put. Johansson was last in Minnesota in 2020 after he was acquired in a trade with Buffalo. He played 36 games in the COVID-19-shortened season and put up 14 points in 36 games and later departed for Seattle in free agency. But his return to the Twin Cities lit a fire under him and he also contributed two goals in the Wild’s six-game series loss to Dallas in the first round of the playoffs. His offensive abilities are strong, and he gives the Wild key depth they’ll need to keep up with the other playoff contenders in the West. Johansson played well on a line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy and it stands to reason he’ll be back with them again when the season begins. Johansson will turn 33 this season so his veteran presence is important, but they’ll need him to help spur Boldy to more goals and help on the power play even more this year.

Marcus Foligno - LW

Although he’s not the captain of the team, there’s little doubt that one of the Wild’s strongest on-ice leaders is Marcus Foligno. “Moose” takes care of business on the ice by chipping in with the occasional well-timed goal but also by delivering punishing hits and the occasional fight to fire his teammates up. He had seven goals and 21 points in 65 games last season (lower-body injuries caused him to miss games throughout the year) but he led the Wild with 237 hits which placed him in the top-15 in the NHL in that category. He also led the team with 97 penalty minutes. While that’s not the kind of category you want a player to lead, his penalties were generally crimes of effort because of the physical nature. Two seasons ago, Foligno had a career year with 23 goals and 42 points and assuredly the Wild would love to see him return to that kind of form, but he’ll need good health to allow for that possibility. He teamed up most often with Joel Eriksson Ek last season as well as Jordan Greenway before he was traded to Buffalo. This season he may wind up on a line with Frederick Gaudreau depending on how things shake out. One thing that’s for sure is whoever he’s on a line with can reap the benefits of having one of the league’s hardest working players leading the way.

Frederick Gaudreau - C

One of Minnesota’s most pleasant stories the past two seasons has centered around Frederick Gaudreau. When the Wild signed him as a free agent in the summer of 2021, he just finished his fourth NHL season after a year in Pittsburgh and three previously in Nashville with plenty of time spent in the AHL as well. Since becoming a regular with the Wild, he’s scored 33 goals and has 82 points in 158 games. He set a career high with 19 goals last season and finished with 38 points. His first season in Minnesota saw him put up 44 points. Playing as a third line center, Gaudreau has found a home in Minnesota and a role as the ultimate versatile forward. He played most of his minutes last season with Matt Boldy but also carved up equal amounts of time with Mats Zuccarello, Kirill Kaprizov, Jordan Greenway, Brandon Duhaime, and others. Having a player like that who can step in between any two wingers and be able to be productive and not a detriment is desperately needed for any team in the league. The Wild having Gaudreau score 35-to-45 points while being that guy helps steady their lineup in general, but he particularly makes their middle-or-bottom-six more potent offensively.

Brandon Duhaime - RW

When Brandon Duhaime arrived in the NHL two seasons ago, he announced his presence with physical authority delivering hits and racking up penalty minutes. Last season, things calmed down a bit but a lot of that was due to unfortunate upper-body injuries that held him to 51 games. In that time, he had nine goals and one assist but still managed to pile up 146 hits and 42 penalty minutes. When you consider he had 122 PIM and 201 hits in 80 games in his rookie season the year before, it’s easy to identify which part of the game was missing from the Wild lineup. Duhaime’s feisty play fed Minnesota’s energy lines where he teamed up most often with Conor Dewar, Ryan Reaves, and Frederick Gaudreau. The message was clear when he took a shift: it was time to stir the game up and raise the temperature a few degrees. As he enters his third season, he’s hopeful the injury issues will be behind him so he can contribute regularly and give the Wild more of the physical element they’re looking for deeper in their lineup. Duhaime has no reluctance to get involved and it’s made him a favorite among the fan base.

Pat Maroon - LW

The Wild’s six-game ouster from the postseason to Dallas last year sent a message that was clear as day to read: They needed a spark. They were pushed around by the Stars and often outclassed despite it being a six-game series and to address that they brought in a Stanley Cup champion ringer in Pat Maroon. After winning the Cup three seasons in a row with St. Louis and twice with Tampa Bay, Maroon will try to bring that good fortune with him to St. Paul where the Wild could use a hearty injection of his gamesmanship and grit. Last season with Tampa Bay, Maroon had five goals and 14 points but led the NHL with 150 penalty minutes. He also posted 172 hits and while hits aren’t a lacking category on the Wild with the likes of Marcus Foligno and Brandon Duhaime among others, Maroon’s play helps establish the tone. The Wild didn’t trade for Maroon as a means to reinvent the wheel so to speak, but rather to give them a third- or fourth-line winger who can contribute and knows what it takes to go all the way and that’s a book full of lessons the Wild need to desperately study.

Defense

Jonas Brodin - D

When it comes to defensive defensemen, Jonas Brodin stands out among them as one of the most respected in the league. While Brodin can help with the offensive game, it’s how he handles himself and opponents when he’s on the ice that makes him special. He’s always tasked with the toughest matchups and must fend off the league’s most ferocious scorers, game in and game out. Brodin missed 22 games last season and had three goals and 14 points last season which was a down year for him. In recent years, 20-to-30 points has been a more likely outcome, but he can partially be excused thanks to injury. Still, his 0.23 points per game as his lowest output since 2018-2019. All that said, Brodin was the Wild’s best defenseman in shot attempt percentage and was second best in expected goal percentage. Steady is what teams want from defensemen and the Wild are ecstatic that Brodin is nothing but steady. He averaged the most time on-ice per game on the roster and as he goes, so does Minnesota’s defense. Being solid defensively doesn’t often make the highlight reels, but Brodin is exceptional in his ability.

Jared Spurgeon - D

The Minnesota Wild captain showed why he earned the “C” on his jersey with how he handles the blue line. His 34 points was the best among Wild defensemen as were his 11 goals. Spurgeon has always had a strong offensive game throughout his career and his point total fell in line almost perfectly with his career output. In six of the past seven seasons, he’s scored 30-or-more points and that one outlier season was the COVID-19-shortened 2020-2021 season and he still had 25 points that year. Spurgeon is the guy that once owned the power play but now he’s become their penalty killing stalwart thanks to the arrival of Calen Addison. That said, he’s still getting time on the power play just on a support unit instead of the main group. He averaged nearly 22 minutes of ice time per game last season and got Lady Byng votes because he only had 14 penalty minutes. Spurgeon’s all-around play is outstanding and even though he’s not exactly a large-sized player at 5’9” 166 pounds, he performs in a big way. The Wild count on him in a big way and that he paired up almost exclusively with Jacob Middleton last season, he’s got a partner who will do a lot of the dirty work needed to free him up to create offensively when needed.

Calen Addison - D

Trading Jason Zucker was not an easy move for the Wild back in February 2020, but that they came away with the Pittsburgh Penguins’ top prospect at the time turned out to be a big win because Calen Addison has lived up to his scouting reports. Addison got his first full-season taste of the NHL last season after splitting time between the AHL and NHL the previous two and put up 29 points including three goals in 62 games. Addison’s skill as a puck mover was well evident in his play and how he was able to conduct himself as the Wild’s No. 1 power play quarterback was strong as the Wild had the No. 15 power play in the league and scored 21.4 percent of the time. What the Wild hope to see out of Addison this season is a guy who’s grown into his skin and the roles he’ll move ahead with on the team. He showed savvy and confidence in how he handled the puck last season, but after getting the first real season under his belt, they’ll bank on him to be a lead puck mover in all situations and to improve upon his all-around numbers on the power play and ideally give the Wild a power play to be feared across the league.

Goaltending

Filip Gustavsson - G

When the Minnesota Wild traded veteran Cam Talbot to the Ottawa Senators and brought in the younger, cheaper Filip Gustavsson, it seemed like a gamble designed just to tide them over until prospect Jesper Wallstedt was ready to go pro. And instead, Gustavsson took the opportunity to prove that sometimes, all a young goaltender needs are a new environment with a little more structure; after putting up one of the worst performances of the rotating carousel of goaltenders Ottawa had trotted out the year prior, Gustavsson put up not just the best performance in Minnesota but one of the best in the entire league.

Gustavsson boasts a litany of prototypical Swedish goaltending traits, preferring to push across the crease from his knees and staying in motion rather than setting and trying to maintain good mental rhythm without physical accompaniment. But while he struggled not to show his hand too early during his stint in Ottawa, the more structured environment of Minnesota’s goaltending situation helped to give the young NHLer a chance to establish better harmony with his defense and look more at home holding his feet instead of giving himself away. He looked more in control of the space he occupied in the blue paint during his time with the Wild last year, and the reliability of his game – he doesn’t seem to try to do too much, even when things get chaotic around the net – helped elevate the team’s play in front of him, too. With Marc-Andre Fleury creeping closer to 40 and the team likely needing to limit the future Hall of Famer’s starts more in the coming year, the real test will be to see just how well Gustavsson can replicate his successes from last season as the likely de facto number one for the Central Division club.

Projected starts: 50-55

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – MINNESOTA WILD – NHL Player Profiles

Joe Yerdon – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 18:58:24 +0000

ST. LOUIS, MO - APRIL 16: Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) starts to turn up ice during a game between the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues on April 16, 2022, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis MO (Photo by Rick Ulreich/Icon Sportswire)

FORWARDS

Kirill Kaprizov

A lot of players after a monster rookie season will have the infamous “sophomore slump” but then again, most players aren’t Kirill Kaprizov. The 25-year-old Russian built upon his Calder-winning season by scoring 47 goals and 108 points. That point total made him fifth in the NHL and his goal total tied him with Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor for fifth best. Kaprizov set Wild team records for goals, assists (61), and points in a season and set the team record for most even strength goals (33) along with Ryan Hartman. Kaprizov was also the best forward when it comes to possession with a 53.6 CF% at 5-on-5, as only defenseman Jared Spurgeon (55.4) was better. Unsurprisingly, Kaprizov was the most dangerous player on the power play leading the team with 14 goals and 31 points. To call him a difference-maker since joining the Wild would be a vast understatement. He’s a legit top-10 player in the NHL and one of its elite scorers. The questions now are how long he can perform at this level, and can he exceed what he accomplished last season. He’s already a challenger for both the Rocket Richard and Art Ross trophies and gunning for the Hart Trophy comes naturally with those. Expect him to be in all those conversations this season.

Mats Zuccarello

It’s rare to see a player have the best season of their career after turning 30, but at 34 that’s precisely what Mats Zuccarello did. He was third on the Wild with 79 points including 24 goals. Zuccarello teamed up with Kaprizov and Hartman to have, perhaps, one of the most unexpected offensive explosions by a line in the NHL. Early in his career with the New York Rangers, Zuccarello was a steady offensive player capable of scoring 45-60 points per season. His first season with Minnesota was disappointing comparably, but the past two seasons has seen him produce at the best rates of his career (0.83 and 1.13 points per game). Teaming him up with Kaprizov likely has a lot to do with that jump, if not everything, but it’s still better than almost every other season he’s played in the NHL. That doesn’t generally happen for players past age 30, never mind their mid-30s. What benefits him most is he’s a naturally smart player on offense and has tremendous vision for passing as well as a sky-high hockey IQ. His size was something always used as a reason why he wouldn’t have success, but at 5-foot-8, 184 pounds he’s proved that size doesn’t always mean results.

Joel Eriksson Ek

The 25-year-old from Sweden has become one of the better defensive forwards in the league. Eriksson Ek was the Wild’s first round pick (20th) in 2015 and the improvement in his game over the past five seasons has been as impressive as it is noticeable. He set career-highs in goals (26), assists (23), and points (49) and was the smallest player on his line with Marcus Foligno and Jordan Greenway. Mind you, Eriksson Ek is 6-foot-1 and 208 pounds. He was third on the team in key advanced statistics with a 53.2 CF% and 56.9 xG%. Eriksson Ek fits in well with his linemates because, like them, he’s unafraid to throw his body around. He was fourth in hits with 138 behind Foligno (238), Brandon Duhaime (201), and Greenway (155) respectively. Physicality is contagious, but to have it come from what’s essentially the No. 2 scoring line makes them a rare team the way the NHL is played these days. Most teams will have fast-skating or overly agile lines with finishing ability, the Wild instead have a line that will punish opponents physically and drop the gloves if needed and it’s Eriksson Ek who drives the line in all those facets.

Ryan Hartman

In the seven seasons prior to last season, Ryan Hartman never scored more than 20 goals or had more than 31 points in a single season. To say that his 34-goal, 65-point season came out of nowhere is beyond true. Even in his two years previous with the Wild there was never any kind of hint this kind of outburst was possible, never mind likely. What stands out about it is that it’s the first time he played center in a full-time basis meaning, like Buffalo’s Tage Thompson, an unexpected position change turned Hartman into a goal-scoring dynamo. What helped Hartman’s scoring explode was how he shot 14.2 percent on 239 shots, career-highs in both categories as well. Is regression likely to hit hard? Probably. In his other seasons, the highest shot percentage he posted was 11.2 percent in his first full NHL season with Chicago. Normally he’s been between 8-10 percent. That said, in no other season did he play with offense drivers like Kaprizov and Zuccarello. That Hartman is a dogged forechecker with a willingness to hit, it gives him an element to his game that his linemates Kaprizov and Zuccarello lack and plenty of reasons to watch and see if he can continue to be an offensive factor.

Matthew Boldy

The anticipation that surrounded the eventual arrival of Matthew Boldy to the NHL was at a high level in the Twin Cities and when he made it to the Wild, the wait was worth it. In 47 games, Boldy posted 15 goals and 39 points and is poised to become a serious point producer from here out. The 21-year-old was the 12th overall pick in the 2019 Draft and signed with the Wild after he finished his sophomore season at Boston College in 2021. After 24 total games in the AHL in the past two seasons, his move to the NHL happened at a rapid pace, but sometimes players just need to be where they’ll flourish best. At 6-foot-2, 201 pounds, Boldy has an NHL build. He also has the kind of vision and play-making ability to improve everyone around him. He also excels at helping creating scoring chances. Boldy posted a 57 percent expected goals rate, behind only Foligno. What will be curious to watch is where Boldy factors into the lineup. It would appear their top two lines from last season are back, and Kevin Fiala–who was traded to Los Angeles–was the other winger on Boldy’s line with Frederick Gaudreau. That will put the onus on coach Dean Evason to find ways to get Boldy more involved.

Marcus Foligno

In his first 10 NHL seasons, Marcus Foligno never broke the 20-goal mark, nor had he scored 30 points in a season. Last season he was able to check off both accomplishments with a 23-goal, 42-point campaign. He also never had a season with more than 100 penalty minutes either until he had 112 last year. Through his career with Buffalo and Minnesota, 30-year-old Foligno has always been a physical player who thrives on throwing the body and wearing down opponents in the process, but he’s never been the kind of offense driver he was last season. Foligno isn’t a prolific shooter. He’s never had more than 100 shots in a season, although he came close last year with 98. All this does is make it impossible to predict how he’ll score by examining his shooting percentage. Where Foligno does a lot of damage is in close to the net cleaning up rebounds and pouncing on pucks down low. His 23.5 percent shooting last season was highest in the NHL and was down four percent from the previous season. Even with all those physical numbers, his possession numbers were still strong with a 52.5 CF%, He also led the team with a 57.8 xG% which exemplifies how he's getting scoring chances in quality areas consistently while also not being on the ice for many against him. With his play style and willingness to stand up for teammates, he’s very much the heart and soul of the Wild.

Frederick Gaudreau

The Wild were a team that thrived on players having productive seasons out of the blue. Another such player was center Frederick Gaudreau. The 29-year-old from Quebec earned a spot on the Wild out of training camp and took full advantage of it and posted a career-year with 14 goals and

44 points. It was Gaudreau’s first season playing entirely in the NHL, and he earned his way onto the third line where he teamed up with Kevin Fiala and Matthew Boldy to give the Wild a third line with equal parts skill and speed. At 6-feet tall and 179 pounds, Gaudreau is a deft skater who uses forechecking to get the puck back when his line doesn’t have it. He also carved out a consistent role with the team by being solid on special teams. Gaudreau had three points on the power play and was one of their regular players on the penalty kill. Although special teams were not one of their strongest areas, Gaudreau’s penalty kill numbers, respectively, were good. If he can build on his solid play from last year, chances are strong he’ll be able to improve his stats as well.

Jordan Greenway

As part of one of the biggest, most physical lines in the NHL that can also fill the net, Jordan Greenway casts an imposing shadow. At 6-foot-6 and 227 pounds, he’s the definition of what a power forward is built like and is a tenacious forechecker as well as a physically punishing player. He hits a lot, and he hits hard. His 155 hits last season was third-best on the Wild behind Foligno and Duhaime who each had more than 200 apiece. Greenway averaged 14:34 in ice time last season and his numbers differ from his linemates Foligno and Eriksson Ek because he doesn’t get much, if any, time on special teams. Greenway is out there to wear teams down at even strength and to intimidate opponents to keep them from winning too many puck battles in corners and along the boards. Even though descriptions like that don’t sound flattering to his offensive abilities, he can add points too. He had 27 points last season, five off his career high, and his 10 goals were two shy of his career-high 12. With the way his line plays and the fact Foligno has made a living crashing the net in Minnesota, it stands to reason Greenway could scrum his way into more goals.

Tyson Jost

The 24-year-old forward and No. 10 pick from the 2016 NHL Draft was a late-season acquisition from the Colorado Avalanche which sent Nico Sturm to Denver. As a one-for-one deal it was a means of getting two players a new setting to turn things around. In 21 games with Minnesota, Jost’s first impressions were OK with two goals and four assists. In all 80 games with the Wild and Avalanche he totaled eight goals and 12 assists. His 20 points are in line with how he’s performed in his previous four-plus seasons. Unfortunately, his average ice time per game has dipped slowly since then. His 12:51 per game with the Wild wasn’t great but was nearly a minute-and-a-half more than Sturm played and two-plus minutes more than others who were regular players like Duhaime and Nick Bjugstad. With a fresh training camp with Minnesota there’s an opportunity for Jost to grab a spot on the third or fourth line and perhaps be the latest Wild player to break out. With Kevin Fiala gone to L.A., there’s a spot up for grabs next to Gaudreau and Boldy, presumably, and Jost’s junior and college career showed he has skill to fill the net. If he can reclaim that ability the Wild would be even more dangerous in the Western Conference.

DEFENSE

Jared Spurgeon

The Minnesota Wild captain thrived last season. Known best for his puck handling ability, and he used that to become their best all-around threat from the blue line. He had 40 points, with 10 of those goals, to be the top scorer on defense. He also led defensemen in key advanced statistical measures with a 55.4 CF% and a 56.4 xG% at 5-on-5. To be a player that unites both old-school and new-school types means doing a lot of everything right. Spurgeon’s 40-point season was his best since 2018-2019 when he had a career-high 43 points and by reaching 10 goals it marked the fifth time he hit double figures in the category. Spurgeon split time among two different partners on the blue line in Alex Goligoski and Jacob Middleton. With Goligoski he had a CF% of nearly 59 percent. But after Middleton was acquired from San Jose at the trade deadline the two were paired up quite often and his possession numbers were below 48 percent. Of course, Middleton’s main strength isn’t exactly puck carrying. It’s tough to believe those two would remain a pairing with those results, but the Wild offense scored almost twice as many goals as allowed at 5-on-5 (15-8) when they were together. Maintaining production and giving Spurgeon a partner that doubles as a bodyguard can be appealing.

Jonas Brodin

All Jonas Brodin does game in, and game out is play superb defense. That’s a big undersell for one of the most under-appreciated blue liners in the NHL. Brodin led the Wild in average ice time per game clocking in at 23:26 per game. He piles on the minutes because he’s their No. 1 defenseman at 5-on-5, their top defender on the penalty kill, and worked the second power play unit. It resulted in him having a career-high in points with 30, seven on the power play. At 29 years old, Brodin is as steady as can be but at a very high level. He paired up with Matt Dumba almost exclusively last season, but also had Dmitry Kulikov when Dumba missed time. His possession numbers were slightly higher with Kulikov than Dumba, but Brodin and Dumba were excellent in keeping scoring chances reduced. In general, Brodin was solid in advanced numbers. At 5-on-5 he had a 52.5 CF% (third-best among Wild defensemen) and his 55.5 xG% was second only to Jared Spurgeon on defense. A big reason for that is how well Brodin handles the puck in general as well as under pressure. Expect him to again be the rock upon which the Wild defense is built.

Matt Dumba

This will be a season to watch Matt Dumba closely because he can become an unrestricted free agent in July. Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin are already locked in long-term and the Wild have the Ryan Suter and Zach Parise buyouts causing them cap pain for the next few seasons. The Wild added defense prospect Brock Faber in the Fiala trade and Calen Addison is knocking on the door. The Wild love Dumba but it’s fair to ask if this will be his final season in Minnesota or if he’ll even finish the season there. As one of the Wild’s jack-of-all-trades defenders, the one thing that got in Matt Dumba’s way last season was injury. A trio of injuries, two upper-body and one lower, caused him to miss 23 games, but during the 59 he did suit up he did well. He put up seven goals and 20 assists for 27 points with five coming on the power play. Since he spent nearly 90 percent of his 5-on-5 time with Brodin, there was plenty of ice time and Dumba averaged 23:06 per game. It was the sixth straight season Dumba averaged 20 or more minutes a game. Dumba plays in all situations and shows consistently how his steady game can cool down excited situations in the defensive zone. His heavy shot from the point can provide an option on offense as well. If this is it for him in Minnesota, the Wild know they’d be losing someone important.

Jacob Middleton

The allure of a tough player in the NHL will always attract fans, GMs, and coaches alike and that’s what makes Jacob Middleton so popular. Standing 6-foot-3 and 219 pounds, Middleton is a certified big guy and his penchant for using it to wear opponents down and give a bit of protection for his defense partners makes him an attractive player. Minnesota acquired him at the trade deadline last season from San Jose in exchange for goalie Kaapo Kahkonen and put him right to work with Jared Spurgeon. While their skill sets and sizes couldn’t be more different, he was brought in almost specifically with Spurgeon in mind.At nearly 27 years old, it took Middleton a few seasons to crack through to the NHL being stuck in what was a loaded Sharks system. But there he saw plenty of time providing a physical balance on a pairing with Erik Karlsson. Middleton isn’t a point-getter. In the AHL he maxed out at 28 points in 67 games with AHL San Jose back in 2017-2018. He’s also not even a tough guy in the classic sense because he’s never eclipsed 100 PIM in a season going back to his junior hockey days. But his strength comes in being smart about throwing hits (he had 118 between the Sharks and Wild last season) and not backing down from a fight (11 career fighting majors through 80 NHL games). Expect to hear more about Middleton as the season goes on.

GOALTENDING

Marc-Andre Fleury

It’s hard to say just what Minnesota is going to get this year – and it might be even harder, if possible, to root against them. They’ll enter the 2022-23 season with veteran Marc-Andre Fleury – who, with Mike Smith out in Edmonton, will be the second-oldest goaltender in the league – as their clear starter, fresh off a bizarre whirlwind year that saw him dealt to the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks and forced to make his case on the ice in order to earn a move to the playoff-bound Wild mid-season.

Fleury will be 38-years old by the time the season is over, and the story remains the same as it has been for the last four years. As one of the NHL’s most high-octane and reflex-driven goaltenders, his game will only thrive if he’s able to continue playing at the level he’s been at for the last eighteen years. He’s only as good as his most dynamic saves, and he can only post those when he’s able to perform at an elite level for a full sixty minutes. With every passing season, the wear and tear he’s sustained – his 939 career regular season NHL games are seventh among goaltenders all-time – make it riskier to bet on him continuing to achieve that goal from a technical standpoint. But despite that, he’s managed to defy the odds each and every passing season; he likely can’t pull off a 70-game season without hitting a lull, but he managed to even post quality numbers behind the free-falling Blackhawks until they dealt him to the Wild within the Division. He continues to have some magical level of youth that keeps him pushing smoothly through his crease and out into the slot, although he’s managed to rein in some of his tendencies to over-slide and get set out near the hashmarks. And ultimately, eighteen years in the NHL – behind lottery-worthy teams and Stanley Cup contenders alike – have gifted Fleury with incredible instincts. He knows his limitations at this point enough to know when to pull out all the stops and when to make the simpler save, and that seems to have left him capable of preserving his energy enough to keep his teams in games even when everyone expects him to finally bow out. The real question, it seems, isn’t if he’s still got life left – it’s simply if he has enough life left to get the Wild through a deep playoff run this year.

Projected starts: 60-65

Minnesota Wild 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

Sat, 14 Sep 2019 11:56:15 +0000

A little over one year ago, Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold decided that then GM Chuck Fletcher’s visions for building a Stanley Cup contender were out of step with his own, and let Fletcher go. The former GM was quickly snapped up by Philadelphia, after the latter had fired their GM, Ron Hextall.

In Fletcher’s place, Minnesota hired longtime Nashville Assistant GM Paul Fenton, a man known specifically for his scouting chops, in addition to being experienced by proximity to one of the more successful GMs (non-Stanley Cup winning division) in league history in David Poile. As most of you know by now, Fenton was let go this summer, making his approximately 13 month tenure at the top one of the shortest in modern NHL history.

It may be unfair to look at Fenton’s first draft helming the Wild table, as he was hired with only around one month to go until draft day. But we will look anyway. The Wild had eight selections, with three third rounders and two fifth rounders making up for the fact that they lacked picks in the second and the fourth.

Their third third rounder, Connor Dewar, had a really impressive post draft season with Everett in the WHL and saw his stick rise accordingly, jumping from 12^th to 3^rd on the Minnesota list. Additionally, the second third rounder, Alexander Khovanov was fine during a healthy season, and he moved up a few spots as well, from ninth to sixth.

On the other hand, the other six picks have been disappointing to a man. First rounder Filip Johansson was seen as a reach on draft day and he had a brutal year in Sweden. Similarly, the first third rounder, Jack McBain, had a difficult transition from the OJHL to Boston College. Both players remain in our top ten for the Wild, which is a reflection of the dearth of talent in the ranks more than their present standing in the industry. As high-ish picks, the Wild will not be giving up on either anytime soon, but they have moved in the wrong direction. Finally, none of the four late round picks had done enough to make the current iteration of the Minnesota top 20, although some of them received some consideration for late slots.

Going back to the fairness issue, we should point out that we really liked the Minnesota draft haul this year, which you will note by reading on, and Paul Fenton’s long term legacy will need to take that into account, however the players eventually turn out.

Of course, scouting is only one element of a General Manager’s position, and scouting for the draft is but one element of scouting. The fact is that Fenton was fired due to reasons that were largely not connected to scouting. Whoever is selected to replace him will have a lot more time to prepare for his/her first draft and has a good chance to make a better first pick than Johansson is looking to be. But as far as scouting for the draft goes, the main reason Fenton was (apparently) hired in the first place, he leaves with a mixed, at best, record.

-Ryan Wagman

SAINT PAUL, MN - JUNE 28: Minnesota Wild Development Camp attendee Matthew Boldy (67) makes a pass during the Minnesota Wild Development Camp 3-on-3 Tournament on June 28, 2019 at TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center in St. Paul, MN (Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire)

1 Kirill Kaprizov, LW (135^th overall, 2015. Last Year: 1) An elite offensive player who is already one of the top KHL talents at his young age, Kaprizov is a gifted forward with an impressive resume under his belt. Last year, he led the whole league in goals and game-winning goals, and also won the Gagarin Cup with CSKA before helping Russia to get back home with a bronze medal at the IIHF World Championship. With his size, hands, and poise, he won’t have many problems in adapting to the more demanding NHL game and it will be exciting to see what he can done there after his contract with CSKA will run out next April 30. He is a hard worker, and won’t be a defensive liability for his team, but Kaprizov is a top-six player and won’t contribute much on a bottom-six, defensive oriented role. - ASR

2 Matthew Boldy, LW (12^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Of all of the players on last year’s UNSTDP U18 class, none had come as far in their two year run with the Program as did Boldy. A true five-tool winger, he may have lacked the flash of the team’s first line with the likes of Jack Hughes and Cole Caufield, he has a sniper’s pure wrist shot and high end puck skills to boot. The latter skill was something that shone with greater and greater frequency as his draft year progressed, with few games occurring in the second half in which Boldy did not try something audacious – and usually succeed. Notwithstanding his offensive game, he earns plaudits for his attention to detail in his own end as well. He is a very good penalty killer and plays aggressively all over the ice. With his mature frame and full set of skills, he may not need more than one year at Boston College before he is ready to take on the pros. He has first line possibilities. - RW

3 Connor Dewar, LW (92^nd overall, 2018. Last Year: 12) Dewar went undrafted in his initial draft year, but improved drastically and had a real breakout season, posting 38 goals and 68 points in 68 games, earning a third round selection. He followed that up by being named Captain of the Silvertips, and putting up an impressive 36 goals and 81 points in only 59 games. He is a smaller forward with good speed and puck skills, and a relentless work ethic. He has good offensive skills, and he plays a nice two-way game. He projects to be a bottom six forward at the highest level, and should compete for a spot in Iowa this season. - KO

4 Marshall Warren, D (166^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) One of the more polarizing prospects in the 2019 draft class, we were smitten by his speed and his zest for making life difficult for opposing teams, but the NHL was not as convinced, with some seeing more of a tweener, a defender who has offensive skill, but not enough to quarterback your first power play unit, while lacking the frame or defensive mindset to handle tough shifts in his own zone. Furthermore, playing on a stacked USNTDP last year, along with the Wild’s first round pick, Boldy, it was easy to overlook Warren in favor of one or another defender who had a more well-defined role. Nevertheless, by snagging the Boston College commit in the sixth round, we feel that the Wild got the best value pick in the entire draft. If he shows growth in his reads and picks his spots a touch better, he could end up a very good second pairing, second power play defender down the line. - RW

5 Vladislav Firstov, LW (42^nd overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) For a first time North American combatant, Firstov impressed. He clearly has a strong offensive skill game and has the ability to drive the offense. His puck skills show the occasional jaw dropping element. He also has the ability to turn on the jets and push the opposing team back on their heels. There is more than enough here to convince a team to be patient with him, and enough occasional glimpses of dominant shifts to suspect that his team won’t need to be patient. But Firstov is not a player without red flags. He tends to disappear in his own end and can demonstrate a tendency to float in either end when the puck is not within sniffing distance. Furthermore, despite a solid frame and the ability to play with strength, he too often sticks to the perimeter and avoids heavy play. He might flame out at the University of Connecticut, but he could also emerge smelling like a second line winger. - RW

6 Alexander Khovanov, C (86^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 9) Khovanov is a very strong offensive player with warts to his game. He handles the puck very well, distributes the puck expertly, can fire a great shot and controls the pace of the game with the puck on his stick. However, his weaknesses lie underneath the strong boxcar numbers of 74 points in 64 games this season, and 10 in 10 in the playoffs. He is prone to bad turnovers and taking bad penalties, as he finished fifth in minor penalties last year with 47. He suffers from inconsistent effort in the defensive zone; some shifts he is tenacious on the backcheck and others he is lackadaisical. He can take himself out of the game with frustration and lack of focus, and other teams have zeroed in on it in their game planning. He projects to be an impact offensive player, if Minnesota can keep him focused. - MS

7 Nico Sturm, C (Undrafted free agent, signed Apr. 1, 2019. Last Year: IE) When Sturm was first draft eligible, he was a decent U18 player in Germany, and barely even on the German national team radar. In his second year of eligibility, he played in the NAHL, and struggled mightily. But it got better. His second go round in the NAHL was strong and he even played for Team Germay in the WJC. He then he won a USHL championship with Tri-City before moving on to study and play at Clarkson. He was much better as a collegian than he was prior and was one of the most coveted NCAA free agents this past year. His season ended ignominiously with a game misconduct in the first round of the NCAA playoffs, but he agreed to an NHL entry level deal with the Wild three days later. He has great size and skates very well, with intriguing puck skills to boot. He is close to ready and has a third line ceiling. - RW

8 Filip Johansson, D (24^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 4) For a first-round draft choice in 2018, Johansson didn’t have a strong season in 2018-19. In his draft year he was promoted to senior hockey and showed great promise in Allsvenskan. He played a smart, solid and mature game. Last season he was a regular in Allsvenskan but struggled. He met adversity with bigger responsibility and couldn’t put up offensive numbers or strong defensive numbers. He still is only 19 years old and is a smart player with good tools, so it is far too early to write him off as a prospect. Johansson has the potential to become a solid two-way right-handed defenseman who contributes well at both ends of the ice. The upcoming season he will be a rookie in the SHL as his team earned promotion. Hopefully he can take a big step and handle the higher level well with his smarts. As for now, the NHL is a long-term project. - JH

9 Jack McBain, C (63^rd overall, 2018. Last Year: 6) McBain comes from a hockey family and you can see that in his play. He is a smart, strong, adaptable forward who is still finding his way in college hockey. At 6-3”, 201, he went from being an OJHL All-Star to a developing player for Boston College. He showed flashes last year scoring 6 goals and 13 points in 35 games. His speed is good, but he needs to be better in his own end. He played as a third-line left winger last season, but he is capable of being a center again down the road. He will have to show improvement to get back in the middle again. He has the look of a 3^rd or 4^th line player as a pro down the road. He still has a lot of work to do between now and then. - RC

10 Kaapo Kahkonen, G (109^th overall, 2014. Last Year: 7) What Kahkonen did in his first North American pro year, amid a decent at best defensive squad with AHL Iowa, borders on incredible. The average-sized, mature goaltender wasted no time getting accustomed to the smaller ice, earning AHL All-Star honors at just 22 years of age. His calm, composed mentality in the crease bodes well for his highly-athletic, technically-refined butterfly style, and his maturity as a young netminder was on display for all of last season in Des Moines. From a talent standpoint, he projects to be a mid-tier NHL starter in the near future, but a worrisome note for him is that veteran Andrew Hammond essentially stole the starting job in the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs. Coupled with the fact that the Wild selected goaltender Hunter Jones in the second round of the 2019 draft, and Kahkonen might have a harder road to the big leagues than expected. - TD

11 Louie Belpedio, D (80^th overall, 2014. Last Year: 5) A right-handed, puck-moving defenseman is an untouchable prospective asset to any organization, but throw in some offensive upside and a veteran level of composure, and you have a surefire future NHLer. The 2014 third-rounder finished off his first pro year -- which featured some cameos with Minnesota -- with a solid 71-6-15-21 stat line, exhibiting just what makes him an intriguing prospect moving forward: his smarts are top notch, and his speedy skating and vision make his mission of exiting the zone as fast as possible an easy one most times. While his defensive awareness and physical play below the dots have improved since the beginning of last season, his stick-readiness and gaps when defending against zone entries still need some major upgrades. Long term, Belpedio could be a bottom-pair d-man with second power-play time. - TD

12 Ivan Lodnia, RW (85^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 8) Lodnia is a change of pace winger who is always looking to attack the offensive zone. His skating has improved and it has allowed him to be effective at gaining entry to the blueline. He has also become stronger on the puck and it has made him more effective playing in the middle of the ice. He was a very effective 5-on-5 performer this past season in Niagara, even though he missed a few months with an upper body injury. As an NHL player, Lodnia projects as a middle six winger for the Wild. How fast he makes Minnesota’s lineup is going to be dictated by how quickly he is able to improve his play away from the puck as he will need to be the type to do the dirty work on a scoring line and become a little more versatile. - BO

13 Hunter Jones, G (59^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Hunter Jones has everything you are looking for in an NHL netminder, particularly size and athleticism. He was having a terrific draft season and a major breakout with Peterborough until he hit a wall in the second half due to being overworked. At this point, it is just about finding consistency for Jones, and being able to bounce back from weaker goals or performances. The upcoming OHL season will be a big one for him as he looks to be good from start to finish. With a more consistent year, he could put himself on the map as a potential starter for Canada at the World Junior Championships and is definitely a candidate for goaltender of the future in Minnesota. - BO

14 Brandon Duhaime, RW (106^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 11) Florida native Duhaime is a late bloomer who was drafted in his second year of eligibility after a decent season in the USHL. He progressed at a steadily faster pace over three years with Providence, culminating in an impressive junior campaign after which Minnesota gave him an entry level deal. Ostensibly a power forward, he can get to a nice top speed, but usually plays at a more stately pace. He is tough to handle when he forechecks and is likewise active in his own end. His offensive skills don’t seem likely to translate much as a pro, but his hockey IQ and physicality will give him a chance to play a fourth line role. - RW

15 Matvey Guskov, C (149th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Even if Guskov did not have the type of draft season some had expected of him, he was a great dice roll by the Wild in the back half of the draft. He is a really athletic player whose game is best described as being raw. He skates well. He has size. He shows flashes of being able to dominate in transition. But at this point, he is not good enough away from the puck, strong enough on the puck, or confident enough to be a consistent contributor. There are also some question marks about how well he sees the ice. That said, with patience he could develop into an impact two-way forward because of his size and skating ability. - BO

16 Brennen Menell, D (Undrafted free agent, signed Sep. 26, 2017. Last Year: Not ranked) Undrafted out of the WHL, Menell signed with Minnesota in the fall of 2017, and his 2018-19 season is a sign that the Wild scored big on the free agent defenseman. An inventive blueliner with the WHL club in Vancouver, and later Lethbridge, the 22-year-old showed out his junior form with Iowa last season, after earning an increase in ice time and more of a two-way role with the farm club. Last season, only one AHL defenseman had more assists than Menell (70-2-42-44), whose skating speed and creativity as a passer made him one of the most dangerous distributors in the league. His defensive game is fairly stout as well, as his technique on odd-man rushes and his physicality against zone entries stands out above the rest. Aside from his weak and often hesitant shot, Menell does not have any real big holes in his game. He could be a second-pair NHL contributor in time. - TD

17 Nick Swaney, C (209^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 15) A classic late-bloomer, Swaney did not fall victim to the dreaded sophomore slump in his second year at Minnesota-Duluth, increasing his goal scoring by 250% while once again playing a key two-way role for a national champion. He is undersized and lacks any one standout skill, but Swaney’s whole is often greater than the sum of his parts. He has a hard shot which was put to use with greater frequency this year and is trustworthy in late and tight situations as well as the penalty kill. He reads the game at close to an NHL level and if we were more confident that he could win more foot races at the highest level, he would project as a solid future third line center as well as show up far higher on this list. As is, he could find himself on the fourth line, but the upside is still NHL worthy. - RW

18 Filip Lindberg, G (197^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Lindberg is only 6-0”, 187, but he is physically strong and that helps him play the position. He had a sensational year at UMass, finishing with a 1.60 goals against average and a .934 save percentage in just 17 games. He didn’t play a ton but had a fair number of shutouts and had taken over the starting job by the NCAA Tournament, backstopping the Minutemen to the Frozen Four Final where they lost 3-0. He blocks pucks and doesn’t glove them all cleanly. His fast reflexes give up a lot of directed rebounds. He covers up in the crease well. He was a no-risk seventh round pick with some possible future upside. He should be the top goalie at UMass this year, but the job won’t be handed to him. He could be a future backup goalie in the NHL someday. - RC

19 Adam Beckman, C (75^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Beckman had a nice season for Spokane, putting up 32 goals and 62 points in 68 games, followed by 12 points in 15 games in the playoffs. Selected in the 3rd round, the speedy winger possesses good offensive instincts and likes to get involved in front of the net. He has a good shot and quick release, and always finds ways to contribute. Beckman just went through a growth spurt and has been adjusting to his new physical traits, but will still need to add weight and strength to be able to deal with the physical part of the game as he moves on. He projects to be a middle six forward, and should be back in Spokane this season to hone his skills and further his development. - KO

20 Mason Shaw, C (97^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 10) After ripping the WHL to shreds as a 17-year-old with Medicine Hat, the shifty, creative center tore the ACL in his right knee before the start of the 2017-18 season and spent the entire campaign -- aside from a nondescript one-game trial with Iowa at season’s end -- on the shelf. In 2018-19, he shook off the rust with a 76-8-25-33 campaign that was solid, but shy of world-shattering, before he suffered an ACL injury on his left knee in the postseason. In short, Shaw’s development will be a test of patience for the player and the Wild organization. When healthy, he is a pretty solid technical skater with decent top speed, and his main draw -- his quick, soft hands -- can make magic happen on every shift. He has a middle-six NHL ceiling, but his undersized frame and lack of luck with health have made it difficult to imagine him in a Minnesota Wild jersey for a while. - TD

Frozen Four Recap – Minnesota Duluth Were Destined to Win Back-to-Back Championships

Russ Cohen — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 13:10:25 +0000

BUFFALO, NY - APRIL 13: Massachusetts Minutemen Defenseman Cale Makar (16) takes a shot on goal with Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs Defenseman Nick Wolff (5) defending and Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs Goaltender Hunter Shepard (32) defending during the first period of the NCAA Hockey Frozen Four championship game between the Massachusetts Minutemen and the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on April 13, 2019, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)

Game 1 – Providence vs. Minnesota Duluth

Minnesota Duluth was the better all-around team going up against the very defensive Providence College Friars. The first period was a real feeling out situation. The period ended scoreless, with Providence taking nine shots to UMD’s eight. UMD was 0-1 on the power play. Arizona Coyotes defensive prospect Michael Callahan led his team with two shots and blueliner Mikey Anderson, (Los Angeles) was tied for the lead for Duluth with two, along with undrafted senior defender Billy Exell.

In the second period, each team traded goals. Justin Richards got UMD on the board first with a goal at 6:39. Captain Parker Mackay and Matt Anderson got the helpers. Richards, an undrafted sophomore center, was smart and shot the goal between the wickets of Friars senior goalie and Edmonton Oilers prospect Hayden Hawkey.

At the 11:17 mark of the middle frame, the Friars tied it up. Josh Wilkins got the power play goal with Jacob Bryson and Brandon Duhaime getting the helpers. Wilkins, an undrafted junior center, who has since signed an NHL deal with Nashville, scored the goal from the right side and it was a beauty. Duhaime, was also certainly going to be signed at some point decided to go pro and the Minnesota Wild sent the fourth-rounder to Iowa in the AHL shortly after the conclusion of the Frozen Four.

The game was tied until 10:07 of the third frame. That’s when Exell scored to regain the lead for UMD. Kobe Roth and Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg), got the helpers. Samberg had a great game, with his usual solid defense. He covers what he is supposed to and contributes his share of offense as well. He will be a terrific NHL player someday, perhaps sooner than later. The next goal of the night, an empty netter, was his. Richards added his second of the game, an empty netter as well, before the final horn sounded. The final score was 4-1. UMD was back in the finals and there were not many people who didn’t think that this was going to happen.

Game 2 - UMass vs. Denver

UMass came into this game as the favorite, considering Cale Makar was the best player on the ice and possibly in all of college hockey. In fact, he was named as the most outstanding hockey player in the NCAA earlier in the week, when he was awarded with the Hobey Baker Award. Denver had a history of winning, so anything was possible. This was expected to be a closer game than the earlier match.

This game featured multiple headshots and ejections and UMass lost junior right winger Niko Hildenbrand first which could have proved costly.

Denver opened up the scoring at 8:59 of the first period when free agent left winger Colin Staub put the Pioneers up 1-0 with a power-play goal with assists from Kohen Olischefski and Cole Guttman, the latter a Tampa Bay prospect. Guttman assumes the top-line center role with the Pioneers and is always first to loose pucks.

UMass tied it up at 11:41 of the period, when free agent right winger Bobby Trivigno scored with the man advantage. Free agent left winger Jacob Pritchard (who has since signed a rookie contract with Carolina) assisted on the play along with Anthony Del Gaizo, a left winger who was having himself a solid tournament as a freshman.

Denver’s Ryan Barrow was the second player ejected from the match due to a headshot. UMass scored on the extended power play off a goal by sophomore right winger Mitchell Chaffee to make it a 2-1 game. The aforementioned Makar and Pritchard both assisted on the goal. John Leonard, a San Jose Sharks pick, added an additional power play goal to make it a 3-1 game, scoring with a wrist shot right up the gut. Mario Ferraro and Jake Gaudet got the helpers.

The second period started with UMass leading 3-1 and it also ended that way. The Minutemen lost Chaffee to a head shot but they managed to kill off the extended power play.

After missing on two power plays in the third period the lights were starting to dim on the Denver season until Cole Gutman scored on a high wrist shot to make it a 3-2 game.

At 16:14, Guttman would strike again with a clutch goal, this time from the lip of the crease. The game was tied at 3-3 in front of a raucous crowd and after the two teams traded chances, the game was headed to overtime.

The building was tense as the teams gave it their all in the overtime period. Eventually, at the 15:18 mark of that first overtime, Makar whipped a pass back to his d-partner, Marc del Gaizo, and he flexed his stick and hit the one-timer into the back of the net allowing UMass to advance with a 4-3 win. It was 12:03 am and the latest an NCAA game finished in the history of the tournament.

The Final: UMD vs. UMass

With two days off between the semifinals and the grand finale, this game started out with a lot of energy. That said, UMass was playing shorthanded as Bobby Trivigno had been suspended due to an unpenalized headshot in the Denver game. While perhaps not pivotal, this was a big loss of a second-line player for the Minutemen.

At 3:51 of the first period Parker Mackay deposited a goal in the corner of the net off a nice feed from Mikey Anderson. Anderson is a very accurate passer and he makes that pass from the point regularly, although this one counted more than most. Former Dallas first rounder Riley Tufte picked up the other assist. UMD had a 1-0 lead. When UMass got on the power play, UMD was able to kill things off with good play and better coaching.

UMD was 22-2-0 this season when they scored the first goal in the game, a fact which surely gave the Bulldogs additional energy.

Midway through the second stanza the score had held up. Makar had some nice plays and scoring chances in this game but couldn’t put any past UMD goalie Hunter Sheppard, who was a Mike Richter Award Finalist, for the best goaltender in NCAA hockey. Before the second period was over, Anderson broke free from the pack and scored on a nice wrist shot from the middle of the ice that UMass goalie Filip Lindberg never had a chance on, giving his team the commanding 2-0 lead in the second period. Mackay set up the goal, making a nice curl in the corner and keeping the puck on his stick before hitting the open Anderson in motion with only 23.5 minutes left in the game. Things looked bleak for UMass.

Late in the second Makar committed a penalty off a big shoulder hit knocking the other player over. He was called on an interference infraction and by that point, it was apparent that UMass was not going to win on this day.

The third period was more muted, and when freshman Jackson Cates shot a puck on the short-side at that made it a 3-0 game at the 17:18 mark, it was over. There wasn’t going to be a miracle comeback. Cates, 21, is the older brother of freshman Noah Cates, a Philadelphia Flyers draft pick who had a terrific regular and postseason playing mostly a top line grinding role with occasional flashes of his offensive potential.

The UMD penalty kill was the star of the game, killing all four of UMass’ power plays.

When the final whistle blew, the crowd in Buffalo stood and saluted the Bulldogs who beat UMass to cap off a great season, finishing as NCAA champions for the second season in a row and the third time this decade. UMass had never made it to the big game before. Shortly after the end of the game, star blueliner Cale Makar signed with the Colorado Avalanche.

On a side note:

Cale Makar made his NHL debut in the playoffs against the Calgary Flames. The fast-skating, smart defenseman has elite talent. When you are used to being the best player on the ice, as he was with UMass, and you have to generate a lot of the offense by the way you bring the puck up the ice and the passes you make to your teammates, joining an already rolling NHL team was the perfect scenario for him. He got his first goal in his debut by having his stick down and receiving a perfectly timed pass from Nathan MacKinnon before he ripped it home.

Nobody should be surprised that he had an immediate impact. Some players are that close and the better players around them get them up to speed quicker. Back in 2011-12, Chris Kreider left Boston College and joined the New York Rangers. He played in 18 games and scored five goals along with two helpers. The upper echelon college players, with international experience, can do that from time to time. With Colorado upsetting the top seed in the West in the first round, Makar will now have an extended opportunity to make a prolonged first impression in the NHL.

Dropping the puck on the 2018-19 NCAA season – Part 2 – Hockey East, NCHC, Big 10

Ryan Wagman — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 17:54:50 +0000

In yesterday’s look at the NCAA season that is slowly cracking open. We touched upon the Atlantic 10, WCHA, and ECAC conferences. While national champions have come from the latter two conferences in recent years, there is no doubting that the strength of the collegiate game lies in the three conferences discussed here.

Hockey East

While some of the more well-known traditional powerhouses are based in the northeast, the vaunted Hockey east conference had a down year last season and seem to be in line for a repeat (in relative terms) this year. There are teams that were also-rans last year and who will likely continue to be league doormats this year. Chief among those is Vermont. Outside of leading scorer, who left school early to sign an ELC with Tampa, the majority of last year’s roster has returned, but the roster was not a strong one. There are three players who have been drafted by NHL clubs on the roster, but none has yet made a strong case that they are worthy of high-level professional careers after leaving the Catamounts. If there is a player to watch, it is junior captain Matt Alvaro, the leading returning scorer. Despite their conference schedule opener, in which they shut out Boston University by a 4-0 total, Merrimack will be in tough to be a factor as the year draws out. Defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic, a Winnipeg draft pick, plays a strong two-way game, but each of the top four point getters from last year have moved on and the team will need younger players to step up and contribute in ways they never have. The early season results are promising, but it is far too early to assume the growth is real. That said, netminder Craig Pantano was strong in partial duty last year and may be the type of unsung hero the Warriors need to stay competitive. New Hampshire used to be a staple at the NCAA conference, but they have been on the outside looking in for each of the last five years. Unlike the other bottom feeding systems, the Wildcats have a few impressive players available to them. Sharks’ pick Mike Robinson barely played last year as a freshman, but he seems to have a grip on the job early on and has performed well so far. Athletic Panthers’ prospect Max Gildon leads the blueline, and senior captain Marcus Vela (San Jose) is the center-piece of the offensive attack. Joining the attack will be veterans Ara Nazarian, Liam Blackburn, and Charlie Kelleher.

In the next rung of teams in Hockey East, we can look at UConn. Still a relative neophyte to the upper rungs, the Huskies are only in their fifth season in the conference, after migrating from the Atlantic. They are an interesting team in that the majority of their players of note are European-raised players, including their top two netminders, Adam Huska (NYR) and Tomas Vomacka (Nsh), blueliner Philip Nyberg (Buf), and forwards Ruslan Iskhakov (NYI) and Jachym Kondelik (Nsh). A few scoring forwards of note who have not been drafted include a pair of juniors in big Benjamin Freeman and Alexandre Payusov. A seeming concussion sustained by Iskhakov in the season’s second game could be a big setback to the team if he is unable to recover in a speedy fashion. The Maine Black Bears were seemingly ready to get back on the upswing, if not quite reach the heights that the program has in the past thirty years, which has seen them crowned NCAA champs twice, and reach seven other Frozen Fours. Unfortunately, days before the opening game, defender Patrick Holway, a Detroit pick, left the team due to unstated personal issues. In his absence, the team will lean more heavily on senior Rob Michel, the team captain, and sophomore Brady Keeper, both of whom have two-way bonafides. Up front, the team will rely on Detroit pick Chase Pearson to generate offense, and he will be joined by freshman Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup, one of the top scorers in the USHL last year. More than anything, though, Maine’s hopes will rest on the crease work on Boston pick Jeremy Swayman, who was stellar as a freshman, earning Hockey East All-Rookie team honors and playing for Team USA in the WJC. He needs to be at least as good again for the school to have designs on a Tournament berth.

Next up are a couple of Massachusetts schools in UMass and UMass-Lowell. The UMass-Lowell River Hawks have been a solid contender ever since Norm Bazin took over the head coaching duties of a floundering program in 2011-12. They rarely get the press they deserve as they tend to lack in high profile, drafted players. With only four drafted players at present – only one of whom was taken before the sixth round, expect the team to be a sleeper again. Most of their top scorers return, led by Kenneth Hausinger, Ryan Dmowski, and Ryan Lohin (TB). The team has seen more turnover at the blueline, but Croix Evingson (Wpg) is slated to take a step forward, while Detroit pick Seth Barton has gotten his collegiate career off to a good start. Swedish puck mover Mattias Goransson could also garner NHL looks. Also, while Christoffer Hernberg had the lion’s share of the goaltending workload last year, Rangers pick Tyler Wall seems to have the coaches’ trust this time around. UMass Amherst does not have the recent success of Lowell to look back to, but they do have one of the top prospects in the collegiate game on the roster in Cale Makar (Col). The talented blueliner was strong last year, both as a freshman for the Minutemen as well as for Team Canada in the WJC, and should be even better this year, in what is likely his final season on campus. He is joined on the blueline by Mario Ferraro (SJ) and Marc Del Gaizo, both skilled puck movers. The forwards are less imposing as a group, but most of the big producers return from last year, led by Mitchell Chaffee, John Leonard (SJ), and Oliver Chau, who has missed the start of the season due to illness. A couple of exciting freshmen in Bobby Trivigno and Anthony Del Gaizo (Marc’s older brother), coming off strong USHL campaigns, make the team more of a scoring threat. Incumbent starting netminder Matt Murray returns, and he will be challenged by Finnish freshman Filip Lindberg.

Staying in the state of Massachusetts, powerhouses BC and BU have both gotten off to lousy starts to their respective seasons, but both have far too much talent up and down the roster not to expect brighter days ahead. Boston College may have the most deserved pessimism among the two, having scored only five goals in their first three games. Toronto pick Joseph Woll has as much talent as any collegiate netminder and he should keep the Eagles in most games, but he will need help. The most likely offensive presence is in the form of freshman Oliver Wahlstrom, a top draft pick of the Islanders and a pure sniper if such a beast exists. Another freshman with the burden of great expectations is Minnesota pick Jack McBain. Among returning forwards, Logan Hutsko (Fla), David Cotton (Car) and Graham McPhee (Edm) are the most consistent offensive threats. The talented and undersized Jacob Tortora could also take a step forward. The blueline lacks a true dynamic two-way threat, but Michael Karow (Ari) and Casey Fitzgerald (Buf) can both hold their own and Michael Kim is a good college player. Boston University also has a star between the pipes in Jake Oettinger, a former Dallas first rounder, who has been inconsistent, but with high end flashes in his collegiate career. The Terriers are deepest along the blueline, with five drafted players, all of whom deserve their high press. They are led by co-captain Dante Fabbro (Nsh), and supplemented by skill in David Farrance (Nsh) and Chad Krys (Chi), and more defensively centered defensemen, such as Cam Crotty (Ari) and Kasper Kotkansalo (Det). Up front, there are former first rounders including Shane Bowers (Col) and Joel Farabee (Phi) and later picks who are almost as talented in Patrick Harper (Nsh) and Jake Wise (Chi). Co-Captain Bobo Carpenter, a senior, has long been rumored to be a free agent contract beneficiary after graduation. While they have not done so yet, this team is chock full of players who can beat you on any given night.

Although Northeastern will no longer be able to rely on NCAA superstars Dylan Sikura or Adam Gaudette, they are still loaded with talent up and down the lineup and feature a stud netminder in Cayden Primeau (Mtl). An offensively inclined team, the attack includes assistance from the blueline in the form of Jeremy Davies (NJ), Ryan Shea (Chi), Eric Williams, and freshman Jordan Harris (Mtl). Even absent Gaudette and Sikura, the Huskies feature freshman Tyler Madden (Vancouver) and Matt Filipe (Car) up front, in addition to proven producers including Zach Solow, Brandon Hawkins, Grant Jozefek, and many more. In a conference full of outstanding goaltenders, it should be no surprise that our top ranked team, Providence, has one of their own in Hayden Hawkey (Edm), who is more than just a fantastic hockey name. Like with Northeastern, the Friars get a lot of offense from the blueline, led in their case by Jacob Bryson (Buf), Ben Mirageas (NYI) and Spenser Young. The Friars can also roll three solid scoring lines if everyone performs up to expectations. Philadelphia first rounder Jay O’Brien has been slow to start, but he should acclimate from the prep ranks to Hockey East in short order to take a place of prominence alongside player including Kasper Bjorkqvist (Pit), Brandon Duhaime (Min), Jack Dugan (Veg), Josh Wilkins, and Scott Conway. Any of the last four teams mentioned could feasibly end the year as Hockey East champions and pose legitimate title hopes. But if the last two seasons are any indication, they will have to prove they can hang with the titans from the Midwest.

National Collegiate Hockey Conference

For each of the past three seasons, when it came time to crown a national champion, the last team standing was a member of the NCHC conference. To give an idea at the depth of strength in this conference, the threepeat of sorts was accomplished by three different schools. One of those schools was not Miami University, although RedHawks were a finalist in 2009, their best ever finish. After three losing seasons, for them to threaten the powerhouses atop the conference once league play begins would be a shocker. Florida prospect Karch Bachman, one of the speedier players in the college ranks, may finally be ready to be a legitimate offensive contributor if his first few games are an indication. The team has some talent from the blueline as well, namely Grant Hutton, who is expected to have a few NHL options to choose from at the end of his senior season, and freshman Derek Daschke. The top new recruit though, and Miami’s big hope for the future, is Johnny Gruden, a top line player with the USNTDP last year and a fourth round pick by Ottawa. The team has a number of other solid players dotting the roster, but lacks much in the way of dynamic skill. A team with more higher end talent on the roster but a less cohesive team game is Nebraska-Omaha. Up front, there are offensively inclined forwards sch as Frederik Olofsson (Chicago), Steven Spinner (Washington) and Zach Jordan (watch out for this guy). Colorado pick Tyler Weiss should also be fun to watch, as he was often pigeon-holed into a bottom six role last year in the USNTDP, but his inherent skills suggest a higher ceiling. Pittsburgh draft pick Ryan Jones and Arizona pick Dean Stewart lead the blueline. Incumbent netminder Evan Weninger returns, but his position is not entrenched and Philadelphia prospect Matej Tomek will challenge after leaving North Dakota, where he never got a chance to play.

At this point, Western Michigan is probably also an underdog. Flyers’ prospect Wade Allison has dynamic scoring potential, and is one of, if not my absolute favorite player to watch in the college game, but he has not played since last January due to a lower body injury, and there are only rumors about the imminence of his eventual return. In his absence, St. Louis pick Hugh McGing will play a prominent role in the attack along with free agent Dawson DiPietro and Vegas pick Paul Cotter. Senior Colt Conrad is also auditioning for an NHL contract, after scoring at a point per game pace last year. From the blueline, the player to watch is Mattias Samuelsson, recently a second round pick of Buffalo’s. As he is more of a defensive defenseman, watch for smaller Cam Lee to add to the offense from behind. The squad will need more steadiness in net than they have received of late to launch a strong challenge for postseason play. Colorado College is a team on the rise, but it may be a year too soon to put them near the top. After four seasons with no more than eight victories, they took off with 15 wins last year, and should breach a .500 record this year with continued development from some of their key contributors. Netminder Alex Leclerc is too small to garner NHL interest, but is a very good collegiate goalie. Up front, Florida pick Chris Wilkie is ready to contribute after sitting out last season as a transfer. He joins a quarter of talented upperclassmen in Nicholas Halloran, Mason Bergh, Trey Bradley, and Westin Michaud. I also have my eyes on freshmen Benjamin Copeland and Erik Middendorf, both of whom were overlooked at the draft last year after strong seasons in the USHL. Although the forwards drive the Tigers’ attack, the defensive corps is not without talent, particularly in the forms of Kristian Blumenschein, and Benjamin Israel.

Three years removed from a championship, the North Dakota team that takes the ice today bears little resemblance to the title team. The only players of note with ties to the title are Dallas pick Rhett Gardner, a beefy two-way forward, and Hayden Shaw, a smaller, reliable and non-flashy defender. Hope and indeed expectations for continued contention is drawn from the Fighting Hawks’ recent recruiting classes. The blueline is receiving a talent injection from freshmen Jacob Bernard-Docker and Jonny Tychonick, who were ironically both drafted early by Ottawa last June. They join Colton Poolman, whose game is very reminiscent of brother Tucker’s. Versatile forward Grant Mismash, a Nashville pick, is expected to take his game up a notch up front. The team also needs to figure out which of Adam Scheel or Peter Thome (Clb) will take over as the starter from the departed Cam Johnson. Denver has more connections to their recent title, but now that Dylan Gambrell and Henrik Borgstrom have both turned pro, the core has changed. The team still has the makings of a contender though, with dynamic defender Ian Mitchell (Chi) set to be the main attraction. He is joined by a couple of freshmen blueliners of whom greatness is expected in Slava Demin (Veg) and Sean Comrie. Up front, the team will have to take a committee approach to scoring, as there is skill, but little of it is truly high end. There is a trio of drafted freshmen who could be better than anticipated in Cole Guttman (TB), Mathias Emilio Pettersen (Cgy), and Brett Stapley (Mtl). They join big game hero Jarid Lukosevicius. As with North Dakota, the Pioneers have to answers questions in net, as heralded recruit Filip Larsson is out indefinitely and Devin Cooley, who has taken the reins to start the season, is largely unproven.

The best hope for a fourth different NCHC championship in four seasons is St. Cloud State, which was actually the top ranked team in the country heading into the playoffs last year. There are teams in this conference with more NHL-bound talent than at St. Cloud State, but the Huskies do not lack in that regards either, while they fill in at the edges with a high caliber of support player. Former Montreal first rounder Ryan Poehling is ready to take the next step offensively and breach one point per game. Helping him to fill the nets are Patrick Newell, Robby Jackson, Blake Lizotte, and Easton Brodzinski. The blueline is similarly deep and skilled, led by tiny Jack Ahcan, Nick Perbix (TB), Jon Lizotte (no relation to Blake) and Jimmy Schuldt, who surprised many by ignoring the lure of the NHL after his junior season. Finally, in net, the team is equally comfortable going with David Hrenak (LA) or Jeffrey Smith, both of whom have displayed the ability to stop pucks at an above average rate in the NCAA. Of course, the NCHC could easily claim another title from a repeat champion. Last year’s champions, Minnesota-Duluth, were not expected to make a strong push, as they had a very young roster and were widely thought to be a season or two way from their “window”. Amazingly, only three of their top ten scorers from last year are gone. The blueline returns three sophomores who both spent time on the American WJC squad in Scott Perunovich (StL), Mikey Anderson (LA), and Dylan Samberg (Wpg). Netminder Hunter Shepard is still anonymous, despite his workhorse status on last year’s title run. Up front, former Dallas first rounder Riley Tufte is overdue to breakthrough, as he has been slowly refining his game to the point where he is nearly unstoppable down low. Helping out with the attack will be Peter Krieger, Nick Swaney (Min), and freshman Noah Cates (Phi). This year’s Bulldogs may be even better than last year’s champs.

Big 10

While last season saw the NCHC claim the crown for the third year in a row, it should not be forgotten that each of the other three teams in the Frozen Four came out of the Big 10. Of course, Michigan State was not one of those teams. The Spartans are now 11 years removed from their most recent title. They should see their wins total grow for the third year running, but are still not quite a challenger. They return nine of their top ten scorers from last year and Taro Hirose, Mitch Lewandowski, and Patrick Khodorenko are expected to lead the team once again. As promising as that trio is, it is unclear where the secondary scoring will come from. Starting netminder John Lethemon is good enough to keep MSU in games, but should not be expected to steal too many. After the Spartans, any team could reasonably reach the NCAA tournament, but some are less likely than others. Next up would probably have to be Penn State. It is easy to forget that the Nittany Lions have only been back in the NCAA for six seasons. Most of their top scorers from last year are returning, but the talent level is still something short of dynamic. Chicago pick Evan Barratt could be ready for the next step and Colorado pick Denis Smirnov is probably the most talented of the bunch. Upperclassmen Chase Berger, Brandon Biro, and Nathan Sucese are auditioning for NHL scouts and are productive, if not necessarily exciting players. The blueline is a relative weakspot, led as it is by Cole Hults (LA) and Kris Myllari. In net, Peyton Jones has had a nice career thus far, but it is unclear that he can be anything more than adequate at this level.

Since a pair of Frozen Four appearances earlier in the decade, Minnesota has been a bit of a hit-or-miss team. Last year saw a bit of both, but without second leading scorer Casey Mittelstadt on the team, the Golden Gophers could struggle once again to get back to the top. As always, they are exceptional recruiters, with this year’s star freshmen including Blake McLaughlin (Ana), Sampo Ranta (Col), and the draft eligible blueliner Benjamin Brinkman. Some of the returning players who could be critical include forwards Rem Pitlick (Nsh), Scott Reedy (SJ), Thomas Novak (Nsh), Brent Gates (Ana), and Tyler Sheehy along with blueliners Clayton Phillips (Pit), Ryan Zuhlsdorf (TB), and Tyler Nanne (NYR). In the early going it seems that last year’s backup netminder, Mat Robson, has surpassed former starter Eric Schierhorn. If Robson can maintain his performance over the full season such as he has in a part time role, the Gophers could be better than expected. The talent is here, but it needs to come together. Put anther way, Minnesota’s talent with Penn State’s structure could be a front runner. Wisconsin won 20 games in 2016-17 after combining for 12 victories in the two seasons prior, eliciting visions of grandeur. Unfortunately, the team sunk back down to 14 wins last year, prompting a rethink of the team’s standing. The Badgers are a team whose strength is on the blueline with five drafted players – all underclassmen - taking charge. Returning from last year are the physical Tyler Inamoto (Fla), the quiet puck mover Josh Ess (Chi), and offensively inclined puck rusher Wyatt Kalynuk (Phi). Joining them this season are a pair of USNTDP grads in checker Ty Emberson (Ari) and the dynamic K’Andre Miller (NYR), who has superstar potential. Veteran Peter Tischke rounds out the blueline corps. Up front, Wisconsin is not as exciting, but Sean Dhooghe, among the smallest high level players I have ever watched is a joy. Linus Weissbach (Buf) and Max Zimmer (Car) look like they will contribute and I have reasonably optimistic expectations of Tarek Baker as well. Like much of the conference, the Badgers are unsettled in net.

Notre Dame has been to the Frozen Four for both of the last two seasons, but the graduation of Jake Evans, the school’s number three scorer since the turn of the century, will have an impact. That said, the Fighting Irish are constantly restocking, so the team should be a strong competitor once more. Cale Morris was exception in net last year, winning the Mike Richter Award as the top goalie in the nation and will still be very good even if he takes a step back. Big Andrew Peeke (Clb) and mobile Matthew Hellickson (NJ) make a strong start to the blueline while veteran Bobby Nardella along with new recruit Spencer Stastney (Nsh) look like a good second pairing with two way capability. The top players up front include Callahan Burke, Cam Morrison (Col), and Dylan Malmquist. Even big Joe Wegwerth can overcome his stiff hands by being a tank in the opposing crease. Freshmen Jacob Pivonka (NYI), Graham Slaggert, and Alex Steeves could also go a long way to giving the Irish attack the needed depth to succeed. Ohio State does not have the flashy names that dot the rosters of most of the rest of the Big 10, but they have talent up and down the team and can win in many ways. They seem to be using a rotation in net, with both incumbent starter Sean Romeo and the younger Tommy Nappier in line to play a good amount. None of their key blueliners have been drafted, but any of Wyatt Ege, Grant Gabriele, Matt Miller, Gordi Myer, or Sasha Larocque can hurt you. There is a smattering of NHL interest up front, such as power forward Dakota Joshua (Tor), playmaker Carson Meyer (Clb) who transferred from Miami, smaller dynamo Mason Jobst and Hobey Baker candidate Tanner Taczynski (Phi). I could go on, but that might be enough to get back to the Frozen Four.

As good as Notre Dame and Ohio State are, not to mention Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Penn State, if the Michigan Wolverines get even halfway decent work in net, they could be the best team in the country. Quinn Hughes was a top ten pick last year by Vancouver and is as dynamic as blueliners get. This will be his last tune-up before moving to the NHL. First line center Josh Norris had a fine freshman season and then was one of the main pieces moving from San Jose to Ottawa in the Erik Karlsson trade. Will Lockwood (Van) is healthy again and provides an agitating, skilled presence. The Pastujov brothers, Nick (NYI) and Michael, provide strength and skill up front. Minnesota pick Nicholas Boka is a talented puck mover from the blueliner who can get the puck moving in the right direction when Hughes is catching his breath. Luke Martin (Car) and Joseph Cecconi (Dal) has shutdown qualities. Brendan Warren (Phi) can contribute offense while playing the tough minutes up front. Moving down the lineup there are other surprises in store as well. Ohio State may be a safer bet, but Michigan has the best chance among any team in the nation, to dominate any given night.

Minnesota Wild Prospect System Overview

Ryan Wagman — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 18:14:25 +0000

A debate in hockey analytics circles that has been circulating for some time is whether the sport is a weak-link game or a strong-link game. In other words, people question whether the best constructed rosters are those with the highest top end talent, or those with an edge on the bottom.

Another way of looking at the question is to ask whether the best team is the one that wins the battle when the third and fourth lines, or the third blueline pairing, is on the ice, or is the victor the team who can win the head-to-head matchups between strengths, when the first lines/pairings are skating?

Considering the recent Stanley Cups won by the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and other super stars, as well as the fact that those first lines, when they have the edge of play on the ice, still have to beat an NHL goalie to put their team in front, it seems the weight of the evidence is that hockey is a strong-link game.

Another point of evidence in favor of marking hockey as a strong link game is that if it were a weak-link game, the Minnesota Wild would have made it past the second round of the playoffs more than once in their existence.

New GM Paul Fenton inherits a franchise that is deep in decent players, both at the NHL level as well as up and down the system. Similarly, it is a franchise that is shallow in high-end players, in the NHL and on the farm. When former GM Chuck Fletcher went all in on free agency a few years ago, locking up the rest of the respective careers of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, the thinking was that those players could lead the Wild to prolonged glory.

Now, Ryan Suter and Zach Parise are both fine players. I would go so far as to say that Suter has consistently been in the second tier of defensemen in the league. But what those two have proven, both in Minnesota and for their previous teams, is that their success comes when they are surrounded with players of a similar talent level. When they are head and shoulders above the rest of their roster, they are simply not good enough to be the strong-link of a championship team.

As we look at Minnesota’s top 20 prospects, we see that past is in danger of becoming prologue. There are a few fine players, players who could have Zach Parise-type NHL impact, and then a whole bunch more who fit as supporting players at the highest rung. The system is deep, but almost entirely lacking in players who one could safely project to be the leading lights of a championship roster. Paul Fenton has only had a few months to begin to mold the organization to his vision, but his first draft class did little to move the needle. Barring the possibility of a healthy Alexander Khovanov elevating his game by a few tiers, nobody in their 2018 draft class seems likely to force opposing teams to plan around them.

1 Kirill Kaprizov, LW (135^th overall, 2015. Last Year: 3^rd) If this system has one potential difference maker, this is it. Only 21 years old, Kaprizov has already played for most of four seasons in the KHL – including KHL All Star Game appearances in each of the last three - and finished above 40 in both of the last two, seasons punctuated by star turns in the WJC (12 points in seven games) and the Olympics (nine points in six games) respectively. Kaprizov grades very highly as a skater, for his ability to shoot an handle the puck, and for his on ice vision, especially in the offensive zone. Kaprizov, despite being somewhat undersized and lacking any appreciable experience on smaller ice surfaces, could play in a top six role in the NHL this year, but his contract with CSKA Moscow still has two season left to run.

Luke Kunin

2 Luke Kunin, C (15^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 1^st) After captaining the Wisconsin Badgers as a sophomore, and also wearing the C for Team USA as they took home gold at the WJC, Kunin was ready to play in the NHL. He was shuttled back and forth between Minnesota and their AHL team in Iowa for most of the year, before tearing the ACL in his left knee in early March, ending his season. Despite going through other tribulations in his rookie pro season, Kunin consistently demonstrated traits to his game which will work out over the long haul, provided his skating – one of the clear strengths of his game is not impacted permanently by the knee injury. A high energy skill player for the middle six is still in Kunin’s immediate future.

3 Jordan Greenway, LW (50^th overall, 2015. Last Year: 4^th) Another ready for primetime player, Greenway was one of three collegians chosen to represent Team USA at the Winter Olympics last year, and he scored once in PyeongChang. Over the last two seasons, Greenway’s game has begun to catch up to his outsized frame. At 6-6”, 227, he is certainly physically imposing, but he also moves very well for his size and has the offensive tools to suggest a player who could peak in the 50 point per season range. Greenway also plays a physical, heavy game befitting his stature, but his NHL success will come from his ability to play a skill game first and foremost. He can add a dimension to the Wild attack that was not there in recent years.

4 Filip Johansson, D (24^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) Although a surprise when he was called to the podium in the first round in June. Johansson was one of the highest IQ defenders available in the 20128 draft class. The Leksands blueliner, who split last season between the men’s team and their U20 squad, has great vision and plays a highly poised game. His reads are very mature and he moves the puck smoothly. He is strong for his size, and projects for more there as he fills out. On the other hand, Johansson will likely never be a big offensive contributor. He lacks the skating chops to lead a dangerous rush and his point shot is not the most threatening. He certainly fits the Wild prospect MO, in that he has a low ceiling, but a pretty high floor.

5 Louis Belpedio, D (80^th overall, 2014. Last Year: 8^th) Another defender whose key selling point as a prospect is his high IQ, Louie Belpedio played a full four seasons with Miami University, the last two wearing the C on his chest. As a senior, he contributed much more to the RedHawks’ attack then ever before, with a career high 30 points in 37 games. That said, his offensive tools suggest more of a two-way contributor as a pro. His point shot does not suggest much power play time in his future, but he moves the puck fairly well. Belpedio also plays a physical game for his size. The right shooting defender is likely in line to receive a NHL cameo this year, but would be best served by a full season on the farm.

Jack McBain

6 Jack McBain, C (63^rd overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) A big body with a full set of tools, McBain might have been drafted before the third round had he played in the OHL – or even in the USHL – instead of spending the last two years with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens of the OJHL. The leading U18 player in that circuit, McBain had the opportunity to play on the bigger stage both in the mid-year WJAC and to close out the season at the WU18 tournament. Headig to play for Boston College next year, McBain has the offensive skill set to do well, but may struggle at first to acclimate to the greater pace of play than what he had experienced so far in his career.

7 Kaapo Kahkonen, G (109^th overall, 2014. Last Year: 6^th) An athletic netminder, the Wild finally signed Kahkonen four years after drafting him with a fourth round pick. Playing at a remarkably steady high level for the past two seasons with Luuko in Liiga, Kahkonen’s game has only improved since backstopping Finland to a Gold Medal in the 2016 WJC. He will likely report to Iowa for his first season in North America, where he will be able to work on his play reading ability and rebound control away from the bright lights of the NHL, but the only thing between him and the backup job for the Wild is Alex Stalock. In other words, not all that much.

8 Ivan Lodnia, RW (85^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 9^th) After years with the likes of Connor McDavid, Alex DeBrincat, and Dylan Strome, the top NHL prospect on the Erie Otters last year – especially after Taylor Raddysh was traded to Sault Ste. Marie - was none other than Ivan Lodnia. A good skater with the ability to impress with the puck on his stick, he earns plaudits for his commitment to the play at both ends, with or without the puck. Expected to play a key role with a rebuilding Erie again this year, Lodnia will have the chance to answer the question of whether he can be a leading offensive creator without having superstars by his side.

9 Alexander Khovanov, C (86^th overall, 2018. Last Year; IE) There is a not unreasonable chance that in 12 months, Khovanov sits at the top of this list. I wouldn’t bet on it, but there is a chance. The second overall pick in the 2017 CHL Import Draft, he contracted Hepatitis A in an offseason trip to the Caribbean. When he was finally healthy enough to play, his fitness level was very low, but he still managed to show flashes of high end offensive skill. With a full offseason of good health and proper training, we may see an energized player who can turn those flashes into a consistent high level of play. There is also the risk that what we saw is what he is, but his illness is rare enough in hockey circles and his demonstrated skill set is high enough that he has earned the benefit of the doubt at least until the 2018-19 season begins.

10 Mason Shaw, C (97^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 10^th) After Khovanov, we have another one for whom we have to give the benefit of the doubt in Mason Shaw. After tearing up the WHL as an undersized draft eligible forward, Shaw tore the ACL in his right knee in the second game of the preseason prospects tournament in Traverse City and didn’t play again until a late season, one game cameo in the AHL for Iowa. A fine skater with sublime puck skills, he earned Minnesota’s respect with the way he rehabbed from his injury. Shaw is expected to return to Medicine Hat for one final year before fully embarking on his professional career.

11 Brandon Duhaime, RW (106^th overall, 2016. Last Year: unranked) Drafted in his second year of eligibility, after contributing to a Clark Cup Championship for the Tri-City Storm, Duhaime looked like a decent plugger, playing with aggression and energy, with a little bit of skill. After two seasons with Providence, some of the roughness around his game has been scraped off and a potential middle six winger is emerging. He has a big body and skated very well. He has also shown the hands of a decent playmaker. The Florida native may be more than an organizational depth piece although he needs to learn to walk the disciplinary line a bit better in his junior year with the Friars.

12 Connor Dewar, LW (92^nd overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) Ignored in his first year of eligibility, Connor Dewar turned heads in his second go-round, leading the generally defensive Everett Silvertips with 38 goals in the regular season, followed by 26 points in 22 games as his team went to the WHL finals. Further, he gets the puck on net a lot, such that there is minimal risk of his goals being due to luck on the percentages. Dewar is not a high end skater, and he is on the smaller side, but he thinks the game at a high level and both his shooting and puck handling skills rate as above average. He is a bit of a late bloomer, but another season like the last one could help to cement his projection as a bottom six winger at the highest level.

Dmitry Sokolov

13 Dmitry Sokolov, RW (196^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 12^th) When he was drafted, Sokolov was seen as a gamble on a player who had a very high ceiling as a scoring winger, but who was very likely to be undone by poor conditioning, subpar skating, and a complete lack of attention to the game away from the puck. He may never look like Duncan Keith, and his skating is still a likely problem, but Sokolov has started to show a recognition of the need to play across all 200 feet and earned himself a spot on Team Russia’s most recent WJC entry after being ignored by his homeland for the previous two seasons. He is also still in possession of a near-elite shot and tied for the OHL lead in goals scored with 50. He’s not there yet, but he took a step closer this year.

14 Nick Seeler, D (131^st overall, 2011. Last Year: unranked) In a system full of players with low ceilings and high floors, Nick Seeler sticks out for having the highest floor and quite probably the lowest ceiling. A bruising, stay-at-home defender, he is a bit of an anachronism in the modern game, as his mobility is only around average and his puck skills are less than that. His combined 21 points over 128 professional games is not a fluke. Neither are his 204 penalty minutes in that span. He is a big hitter, can kill penalties and knows how to clear opponents from in front of his goalie’s crease. He is expected to man the third pairing for the Wild this year.

15 Nick Swaney, C (209^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 13^th) Drafted by the Wild in his third year of eligibility, Swaney played a key supporting role with NCAA champions Minnesota-Duluth as a freshman last year. He is undersized, but knows how to drive play in the right direction with his impressive speed, vision, and smart passing ability. He needs to add bulk – without losing speed – in order to not be a liability off the puck and be more able to withstand physical defending. Swaney has scored wherever he has played so it may just be a matter of time before he begins to score at a high rate in the NCAA, but between his draft pedigree and unassuming frame, he will need to continue proving himself.

16 Justin Kloos, C/RW (UDFA: Mar. 29, 2017. Last Year: 15^th) The Wild organization have long made a habit of scouting heavily in their own backyard, and Kloos has a chance to be a mild success story. The former Minnesota Mr. Hockey and four year regular with the University of Minnesota, he was never drafted, but worked tirelessly and had the brains to make it work wherever he played. He continued his success as a pro, tying for third in scoring as a rookie with Iowa and making his NHL debut to boot. Kloos will have every opportunity to win a third line/extra forward NHL job this year.

Kyle Rau

17 Kyle Rau, C (UFA: Jul. 1, 2017. Last Year: unranked) The winner of Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey award the year before the honor went to Kloos, the two were also teammates for two years with the Golden Gophers. With 50 points last year in Iowa, the flea sized Rau is coming off his best season as a pro, and signed a two year contract extension with the Wild in June, but is likely still below Kloos on the depth chart. Between the two, Rau is the better skater and more gifted with the puck on his stick, but is also much smaller and has had more opportunities already to prove that he may not be a regular NHLer. He will also age out of consideration for this list before the end of October.

18 Sam Anas, C (UDFA: Apr. 15, 2016. Last Year: 20^th) In case you thought we had already discussed enough undersized free agent signee forwards already, this is the last one. I promise. Dante Salituro was not really considered for a spot. Anas not only could borrow most of Rau’s hockey gear, they rate similarly when looking at their various hockey attributes. Both are gifted playmakers who are more likely to pass than shoot. Both are similarly effective in their physical gifts. Rau is a slightly better skater and gets his nose dirtier, and both will age off the list before its time for the next one. Anas should get a look-see when injuries create room on the NHL roster.

19 Eric Martinsson, D (UDFA: May 2, 2018. Last Year: IE) Another free agent signing, Martinsson is neither a forward nor particularly undersized. Coming off an SHL championship and an appearance in the finals of the Hockey Champions League with Vaxjo in the SHL, he is a quick thinker with nice playmaking chops. This will not be his first experience in North America, as he has a year in the USHL under his belt. A power play point man for Vaxjo, his shot lacks the heft to play that role much in North America, but he moves the puck well and is agile if not very fast. Already 25, his window to make it in the NHL is small.

20 Carson Soucy, D (137^th overall, 2013. Last Year: 11^th) Big and rangy, the Wild had high hopes for Soucy coming off four years with Minnesota-Duluth. His first year pro results, with 15 points in 67 games, are approximately what we can expect from him moving forward. He is competent enough that the Wild did not hesitate to play Soucy in the NHL postseason when Ryan Suter went down to injury. He has refined his hockey sense over the last few years and can play a physical game, but even though he can let one rip from the blueline, don’t expect much in the way of offensive contributions going forward.

NHL Draft Review and Grades: Minnesota Wild

Grant McCagg — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 15:06:47 +0000

June 24, 2016: Luke Kunin dons his Wild sweater after he was selected by Minnesota as the 15th pick in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft at First Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY (Photo by John Crouch/Icon Sportswire.)

The Wild didn’t go far to find their top pick…plucking Luke Kunin from the University of Wisconsin after his exemplary freshman season that saw him net 19 goals and all-rookie team honours. His sniper mentality and great one timer will fit in well with a Minnesota team that will be looking for goals after the departure of Vanek. Kunin’s compeititveness will also be welcome…and should be vying for a roster spot within a couple of years.

RND	PICK	RNK	PLAYER	POS	CTY	HT/WT	TEAM
1	15	16	Luke Kunin	LW	USA	6-0/195	Wisconsin (B1G)
4	106	148	Brandon Duhaime	RW	USA	6-0/200	Tri-City (USHL)
7	196	150	Dmitry Sokolov	RW	RUS	6-0/220	Sudbury (OHL)
7	204	NR	Braydyn Chizen	D	CAN	6-7/190	Kelowna (WHL)

Dmitry Sokolov at the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo, NY on Saturday June 25, 2016. Photo by Aaron Bell/CHL Images

Brandon Duhaime is another gritty, competitive winger who helped Tri-City in the USHL championship. He may have gone a little higher than we expected being a 1997 passed over last season, but after the top 100 or so the picks are all over the board….if you like a player you step up and take him at that point. Dmitri Sokolov was top ten on many draft lists last summer…then he showed up at Sudbury’s training camp about 40 pounds overweight, and things went downhill from there with the scouting world. The Wild will be hoping to get him into better shape…worth a gamble in the 7th round.

Grade – C-: Drafting one prospect ranked in McKeen’s top 120 hurts the Wild’s grade..the price you pay for having one pick in the top three rounds. Kunin keeps the grade from being lower…may be a top six forward.