The Minnesota Wild’s top 15 prospects, according to Scott Wheeler:
- Zeev Buium, LHD, 19 (University of Denver)
From Wheeler: “Buium put together one of the best seasons by a teenage defenseman in modern college hockey history last year, has been a big part of two gold medal-winning World Junior teams and is having another excellent sophomore season that has continued to solidify his status as one of the top D prospects in the NHL.”
- Danila Yurov, C/LW/RW, 21 (Metallurg Magnitogorsk)
From Wheeler: “I’ve been a big fan of Yurov’s game and was really high on him in his draft year (when the Wild took him No. 24, he was No. 12 on my list). I had concerns for a while there about how Magnitogorsk had handled his development and the limited minutes they gave him at the KHL level even when it looked like he was ready for more, but he forced their hand with an excellent camp and start to the season last year and put together one of the best age-adjusted seasons in KHL history by year’s end.”
- David Jiricek, RHD, 21 (Iowa Wild/Minnesota Wild)
From Wheeler: “Jiricek has some extremely desirable attributes, marked by a booming point shot (it’s explosive, and he does a really good job keeping it on target and a couple of feet off the ice); a strong 6-foot-4 frame that continues to fill out (he’s over 200 pounds); and a commanding on-ice presence that can look to take control with the puck inside the offensive zone.”
- Jesper Wallstedt, G, 22 (Iowa Wild/Minnesota Wild)
From Wheeler: “This has been the first challenging year of Wallstedt’s young career. Iowa has really struggled to keep the puck out of its net and defend in front of him, but it was also a porous defensive team a year ago and he just played better than he has this year. The reality is that Wallstedt, who I talked about for years as a goalie robot, has looked human this year. His body of work and game still combine to make him a top goalie prospect but there are some areas that need work.”
- Liam Ohgren, LW, 21 (Minnesota Wilds/Iowa Wild)
From Wheeler: “There has always been a lot to like about Ohgren as a player. He’s strong on pucks, holding them with ease against his peers and comfort against pros, which has helped him become a natural at drawing penalties and has helped him hold his own in a depth role to start in the NHL. He’s also a combination shot-and-pass, power-and-finesse player who can show a variety of tools over the course of a game.”
- Riley Heidt, C, 19 (Prince George Cougars)
From Wheeler: “No. 23 on my board when the Wild took him No. 64, Heidt looked more like a late first than a late second last season in the WHL. After registering 97 points in a full 68-game season on a middle-of-the-pack Cougars team in his draft year, Heidt finished third in the WHL in points (117) and second in assists (80) last year. His production hasn’t been quite as prolific this year but he’s still on pace for another 100-point season.”
- Marat Khusnutdinov, C, 22 (Minnesota Wild)
From Wheeler: “Though Khusnutdinov has played exclusively in the NHL since coming over last spring, his role has been limited enough (often eight-to-10 minutes) that I think there’s at least a chance he plays AHL games at some point and I decided to include him here one last time as a result.”
- Charlie Stramel, C, 20 (Michigan State University)
From Wheeler: “His transfer to MSU to play under Adam Nightingale, who was his coach at the program, has done wonders, though. He’s second on the Spartans in scoring and has gotten back to what makes him effective and even impactful as a junior.”
- Ryder Ritchie, RW, 18 (Medicine Hat Tigers)
From Wheeler: “Ritchie’s combination of skill and skating has always been appealing. Ritchie’s a shifty playmaking winger who can make highlight-reel skill plays with the puck. He can play at multiple paces and adjust his tempo between them.”
- Aron Kiviharju, LHD, 19 (HIFK)
From Wheeler: “Context is particularly important when trying to slot and understand Kiviharju, because he’s been around a long time and has been a top 2006 internationally but is also a 5-foot-10 fourth-round pick. This year, he finally played at the World Juniors and captained Finland to a surprise silver medal. More importantly, he has also stayed healthy and has played to decent results as a teenage D in Liiga, playing just under 17 minutes per game.”
- David Spacek, RHD, 21 (Iowa Wild)
From Wheeler: “He played well for Czechia at last year’s men’s world championships. And now in his second pro season, he’s playing 20 minutes per game and is Iowa’s most productive defenseman and power-play quarterback. Though he has been productive across levels and can move pucks, he’s also an all-around D and you count on him. He’s physical and stout.”
- Mikey Milne, LW, 22 (Iowa Wild)
From Wheeler: “Now he’s in his third year in Iowa and has become an important part of the team, playing 17 minutes per game and contributing on both the penalty kill and the power play. In the fall, he also made his NHL debut. He’s a competitive, versatile forward who plays hard for a 5-foot-10/11 winger.”
- Carson Lambos, LHD, 22 (Iowa Wild)
From Wheeler: “Last year, he played 16 minutes per game as a rookie defenseman in the AHL and looked fine in my viewings on a team whose young defense struggled. This season, though those minutes are up to nearly 19 per game and his on-ice results are improved.”
- Hunter Haight, C, 20 (Iowa Wild)
From Wheeler: “…last season, he won the Memorial Cup and he was a big part of a top team. This year, after another promising camp (he has played well in rookie tournaments/main camps, to his credit, and the Wild like him), he has had a respectable rookie season on a low-scoring team in Iowa, playing to half a point per game and 17 minutes per game and a contributor on both the power play and penalty kill.”
- Aaron Pionk, LHD, 22 (University of Minnesota-Duluth)
From Wheeler: “Last year, as a freshman in college, he won Minnesota-Duluth’s rookie of the year award and played 19 minutes per game for them. Now he’s a sophomore and has been a prominent producer for a low-scoring Bulldogs team the last two seasons, running their power play and emerging as one of their leading scorers this season.”
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
