RD Bode Wilde (2018, 41st, NYI)

[FrankGallagher]

What irks me even more is that you just mentionned yourself that he was creative. (And that, he is.)... isnt that IQ related?

Yes thats why I said I consider his IQ poor solely because his decision making is that bad. I do think he does possess some solid creativity but I don't think it balances it out enough for me to consider his IQ average

 

[AmericanDream]

both teams really all over the place defensively today, but Wilde had a very impressive physical game. you can see what many love about his game, and when he is "on" he is dominating...hopefully he has less off nights in the future as he has the potential to be special.

 

[schnapshot]

both teams really all over the place defensively today, but Wilde had a very impressive physical game. you can see what many love about his game, and when he is "on" he is dominating...hopefully he has less off nights in the future as he has the potential to be special.

I can see why people like him as he is very noticeable on the ice. However, I feel like he tries to do too much sometimes and it ends up looking like a boneheaded play.

 

[le_sean]

I can see why people like him as he is very noticeable on the ice. However, I feel like he tries to do too much sometimes and it ends up looking like a boneheaded play.

It’s very obvious he has fantastic tools but he just makes too many mistakes, even on simple plays. He can’t process the game at the speed that he can play it.

 

[Lays]

I can see why people like him as he is very noticeable on the ice. However, I feel like he tries to do too much sometimes and it ends up looking like a boneheaded play.

Yup. Like earlier when he was skating circles around everyone in the O zone for a good amount of time and then just turns it over. If his IQ was magically fixed he’d be a beast

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I thought he was terrible today, and I say that as someone who had him 5th OA in my last rankings. Definitely a project, but he's a 1D if the hockey sense comes around.

 

[Dodospice]

I thought he was terrible today, and I say that as someone who had him 5th OA in my last rankings. Definitely a project, but he's a 1D if the hockey sense comes around.

Is hockey sense really something that comes around... I find that to some degree it can be taught or progressed but if it’s not there, I don’t find it really ever comes.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Is hockey sense really something that comes around... I find that to some degree it can be taught or progressed but if it’s not there, I don’t find it really ever comes.

It needs to progress, he doesn't need to become Lidstrom in that area of the game.

He reminds me of PK Subban who I don't think has great hockey sense. Subban is very talented, but I've seen a lot of really dumb plays from him since he entered the league. If your hockey sense is average, and your tools are elite, you'll be a 1D. He has elite tools, but low-end hockey sense right now.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

I can't get over how bad he has looked in the 2 USA games I saw in this tournament. Today was really bad especially. I don't see how he goes top 15 playing like this.

At least 6 or 7 egregious giveaways in these 2 games. His hockey sense/decision making appears to be very limited.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I can't get over how bad he has looked in the 2 USA games I saw in this tournament. Today was really bad especially. I don't see how he goes top 15 playing like this.

At least 6 or 7 egregious giveaways in these 2 games. His hockey sense/decision making appears to be very limited.

Because teams don't draft on whose the best player now.

 

[le_sean]

Because teams don't draft on whose the best player now.

Lacks hockey sense for 18 years yet suddenly attains it after being drafted? Come on.

 

[Whalers Fan]

Lacks hockey sense for 18 years yet suddenly attains it after being drafted? Come on.

The one hope for Wilde is that he'll improve in this area with better coaching. He -- and the entire U18 team -- were really done a disservice by first year head coach Seth Appert, who is one of the worst defensive coaches I've seen at the major junior level. Wilde did struggle some defensively in his U17 season, but not to this extent, under previous head coach Danton Cole, who is now the head coach at Michigan State.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Lacks hockey sense for 18 years yet suddenly attains it after being drafted? Come on.

Not what I said. I don't think it would become good, but if it can become average, he can become a very good hockey game. Thats a possible improvement. I don't see why not.

 

[Frk It]

Not what I said. I don't think it would become good, but if it can become average, he can become a very good hockey game. Thats a possible improvement. I don't see why not.

Improving hockey sense seems like a risky gamble. Maybe sometimes you just need more time for things to click, but you could probably argue it's something you just have or don't.

I'm a little concerned he is one of those tools but no toolbox guys. Like our mutual friends Ryan Sproul and Brendan Smith

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Improving hockey sense seems like a risky gamble. Maybe sometimes you just need more time for things to click, but you could probably argue it's something you just have or don't.

I'm a little concerned he is one of those tools but no toolbox guys. Like our mutual friends Ryan Sproul and Brendan Smith

Sproul can't skate either. That holds him back big time. Smith, don't remind me.

I think we are seeing the extremes of Wilde's bad play recently. He wasn't this bad all season. Bad time to play your worst hockey of the season, in your biggest tournament of the season where the most people watch. But there should be perspective on that. And I think the people who are paid to watch him and other prospects, will have watched him play other games this season, and realized that this is not his normal play. Fans who only watch the big tournaments will overreact, thats what they do, its why they aren't experts. I also think Appert's bad coaching plays a big role. Wilde is someone who needs to be coached up, he needs a good coach who can develop his game. He's by no means good defensively or has good hockey sense, but Appert's coaching makes it look worse.

I don't think its that he has to go from a bad hockey sense player to Nick Lidstrom, its making improvements over 3-4 years to not have it as a weakness of his game. If it can become average, and then he has the size, skating, offense to go with it, I think something like a PK Subban game is possible from him. Subban doesn't have such great hockey sense, he makes dumb plays, but he's limited the bad plays to an amount that allows the rest of his game to overshadow the dumb plays. I also think Wilde has defensive potential. He can have some nice defensive shifts, he's big, he's physical, but he's incredibly inconsistent in that regard. The raw defensive tools are there, as is the skating and offensive tools.

 

[Frk It]

Sproul can't skate either. That holds him back big time. Smith, don't remind me.

I think we are seeing the extremes of Wilde's bad play recently. He wasn't this bad all season. Bad time to play your worst hockey of the season, in your biggest tournament of the season where the most people watch, but there should be perspective on that, and I think the people who are paid to watch him and other prospects, will have watched him play other games this season, and realized that this is not his normal play. Fans who only watch the big tournaments will overreact, thats what they do, and its why they aren't experts. And then I think Appert's bad coaching plays a big role. Wilde is someone who needs to be coached up, he needs a good coach who can develop his game.

I don't think its that he has to go from a bad hockey sense player to Nick Lidstrom, its making improvements over 3-4 years to not have it as a weakness of his game. If it can become average, and then he has the size, skating, offense to go with it, I think something like a PK Subban game is possible from him. Subban doesn't have such great hockey sense, he makes dumb plays, but he's limited the bad plays to an amount that allows the rest of his game to overshadow the dumb plays.

Yeah, I haven't completely soured on him. But I have changed my expectations a bit. I really haven't like any of the USA defenseman in this tournament, except for Cam York.

I previously had Wilde in the 10-20 range, but maybe I put him in the 20-40 range now. Still trying to figure out how much I like him for my final board, I was hoping for a better showing in this tournament.

Yeah I get what you're saying with Subban, he kind of reminds me of a RH Jake Gardiner a bit.

 

[Whalers Fan]

Yeah, I haven't completely soured on him. But I have changed my expectations a bit. I really haven't like any of the USA defenseman in this tournament, except for Cam York .

I previously had Wilde in the 10-20 range, but maybe I put him in the 20-40 range now. Still trying to figure out how much I like him for my final board, I was hoping for a better showing in this tournament.

Yeah I get what you're saying with Subban, he kind of reminds me of a RH Jake Gardiner a bit.

And York spent most of the season with the U17 team, away from Appert's "coaching".

I have been critical of Wilde's defensive shortcomings all season, and I think he's been downright bad all season. I don't know whether better coaching will fix his weaknesses, but it's the hope a team selecting him in the first round will have to hang their hat on.

 

[le_sean]

Jeff Petry is a great comparison. Talented but often dumb.

 

[ProspectsFanatic]

Wilde has been really disappointing in the tournament thus far, did nearly nothing noticeable other than a few turnovers, Miller and A.Samuelsson have been superior. I really liked his skillset but I am really starting to question his IQ.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

So those questioning his IQ, how does he compare to say Matthew Dumba at the same age who was also had the same critique on his game?

 

[Boonk]

So those questioning his IQ, how does he compare to say Matthew Dumba at the same age who was also had the same critique on his game?

Wilde is no where close to Dumba at the same age. While Dumba makes some pretty boneheaded plays, his skating and ability to rush the puck is what allows him to succeed at the NHL level and why he dominated at the junior level. He posted 12 points at the U17s and 5 goals and 12 points at the U18s, the 2nd best point total by a d-man in a single U18 tournament.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Wilde is no where close to Dumba at the same age. While Dumba makes some pretty boneheaded plays, his skating and ability to rush the puck is what allows him to succeed at the NHL level and why he dominated at the junior level. He posted 12 points at the U17s and 5 goals and 12 points at the U18s, the 2nd best point total by a d-man in a single U18 tournament.

What about full seasons?

 

[Castle8130]

Has never had good hockey sense, and probably never will. He is very fast and has all the right tools, but without any hockey sense, I don't see him being a quality nhler. People like Wilde and Merkley are more lost than you think. There isn't a hockey rehab for these kids to get set on the right path. If the mind is in the wrong place, it is very very rare for it to get to the right place. I do think that on hockey skills alone, he will be a bottom pairing nhler, or ahl stud.

 

[AmericanDream]

Wilde is no where close to Dumba at the same age. While Dumba makes some pretty boneheaded plays, his skating and ability to rush the puck is what allows him to succeed at the NHL level and why he dominated at the junior level. He posted 12 points at the U17s and 5 goals and 12 points at the U18s, the 2nd best point total by a d-man in a single U18 tournament.

you think Wilde isn't close to Dumba as a skater at the same age?

 

[57special]

Dumba also had a physical element to his game in Juniors, and even then had a screamer of a shot. Add me to the list of people who weren't impressed with Wilde, but I have not followed him. Kind of a bad time to have a mediocre showing, but maybe he's just tired after a long season, is sore, or just didn't jell withe the US team or it's coaches.

I like Miller, warts and all.