Prospect Info: Wild Prospect Thread 2024-25

[BagHead]

I have to click on anything with a big red banner on it, so i did, and my opinion is now contaminated because of it. It's your fault, too.

 

[Wasted Talent]

Yurov might also be more of a mystery box than most prospects after their D+2 season, since he didn't get a chance to show what he can do in U20s or WHCs.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Dare I say this, I think at times Yurov is a bit overrated on this board.

Boooooo. Vote this guy out of office.

 

[thestonedkoala]

It hurts that Minnesota missed on a bunch of 2nd round picks and 1st round picks:
Lambos, Stramel weren't ranked. O'Rourke, Firstov (Jones was an OA). Even Khusnutdinov looks shaky as a top 6 guy and then you hope Lorenz, Haight, Ryder and Kumps all develop into players.

There were 3 teams with 6 names, 6 teams with 5 names and then Minnesota's group. So, in terms of top 100, Minnesota at best is 10th? They have dropped a bit.

 

[AKL]

Boooooo. Vote this guy out of office.

I still have him as my #1 prospect and I really do believe in his upside, I just get why others would have him lower.

 

[57special]

It hurts that Minnesota missed on a bunch of 2nd round picks and 1st round picks:
Lambos, Stramel weren't ranked. O'Rourke, Firstov (Jones was an OA). Even Khusnutdinov looks shaky as a top 6 guy and then you hope Lorenz, Haight, Ryder and Kumps all develop into players.

There were 3 teams with 6 names, 6 teams with 5 names and then Minnesota's group. So, in terms of top 100, Minnesota at best is 10th? They have dropped a bit.

Patience, Eucalyptus dweller.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Patience, Eucalyptus dweller.

I'm just saying; they have swung and missed on a couple of guys so far that could have made an impact. I'm not seeing much from Lambos or Stramel. And O'Rourke didn't take that huge step forward that we had guessed. More so, Jones was a waste of a pick and so was Firstov.

 

[TaLoN]

I'm just saying; they have swung and missed on a couple of guys so far that could have made an impact. I'm not seeing much from Lambos or Stramel. And O'Rourke didn't take that huge step forward that we had guessed. More so, Jones was a waste of a pick and so was Firstov.

Most goaltender picks are wasted picks. That's why they should be avoided in the 1st round for the most part. I personally never want a 1st round goaltender. Leave that risk for the 2nd and later.

NHL Draft Pick Probabilities By Position

After the first article about NHL Draft Pick Probabilities (link) was released, there were some asking for something similar but with different player positions being separated to see if there are any differences there. That raised my interest, so I decided to use the same data

dobberprospects.com

Goalie success falls fastest and hardest in the 1st round, bounce back up in the 2nd and 3rd because guys fall from teams generally not wanting that risk. Those low odds from those few selections taken just never inspire confidence of success.

 

[Waiver Draft]

https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhl-prospect-pool-overview-2024-25-the-minnesota-wild-have-nhl-ready-talent

2024-25 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Minnesota Wild’s Top 10

With depth at every position, the Wild have one of the deepest pipelines in the NHL.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

OHL In The System: Minnesota Wild - Ontario Hockey League

The latest instalment of OHL In The System takes a closer look at the Minnesota Wild.

chl.ca

 

[Wabit]

Most goaltender picks are wasted picks. That's why they should be avoided in the 1st round for the most part. I personally never want a 1st round goaltender. Leave that risk for the 2nd and later.

NHL Draft Pick Probabilities By Position

After the first article about NHL Draft Pick Probabilities (link) was released, there were some asking for something similar but with different player positions being separated to see if there are any differences there. That raised my interest, so I decided to use the same data

dobberprospects.com

Goalie success falls fastest and hardest in the 1st round, bounce back up in the 2nd and 3rd because guys fall from teams generally not wanting that risk. Those low odds from those few selections taken just never inspire confidence of success.

I wonder how much the 99 game cutoff skews things for goalie? Skaters get that done pretty easily in the 2 seasons. For a backup goalie that could be almost 4 full seasons worth of games.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

World Junior Summer Showcase starts today with both US teams in action against Finland and Sweden. Buium, Kumpulainen, Kiviharju listed on the rosters with Heidt for Canada later on.

Edit: actually Kiviharju is not participating in this showcase. Soini is playing however to add to the list.

 

[BagHead]

I wonder how much the 99 game cutoff skews things for goalie? Skaters get that done pretty easily in the 2 seasons. For a backup goalie that could be almost 4 full seasons worth of games.

This is a very good point, and I can't believe I didn't think of it, it's so important.

Another thing working against them here is the scarcity of jobs available. There are only 32 starting goalie jobs available at any given point in the NHL, with incumbents usually retaining their spots for a handful of years at a time, if not longer, and the average number of goalies drafted each year is 20 (source: Corey Pronman). Combining the incumbent issue with how long goalie develop times typically last, even if a goalie is good enough to make it, there's a big-enough-to-mention chance he won't meet the 99 game criteria until he's in his mid to late 20's.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

Heidt (1C) vs Kumpulainen (1LW) and Soini (2RD) right now in the Summer Showcase. Kumpulainen just got a second assist on the PP after winning the draw.

Heidt looking good, had a nice one timer from range that the Finnish goalie just got over on, a couple of nice passes as well. Just had a sick assist on the PP as well, primary to Cristall.

Soini continues to impress me, he made a gamble play trying to carry out front of his own net that ended up in a chance against, but it was the attempt of a confident player and he otherwise looks very solid, twice now he has blocked a shot and gotten up into the ensuing rush.

Edit: Heidt finishes with 1G, 2 A, Kumpulainen with 2A, and Soini with 1G. Solid games for all 3, Soini was Finland's best defender today IMO (though the bar for that was uncharacteristically low today.)

 

[57special]

Heidt (1C) vs Kumpulainen (1LW) and Soini (2RD) right now in the Summer Showcase. Kumpulainen just got a second assist on the PP after winning the draw.

Heidt looking good, had a nice one timer from range that the Finnish goalie just got over on, a couple of nice passes as well. Just had a sick assist on the PP as well, primary to Cristall.

Soini continues to impress me, he made a gamble play trying to carry out front of his own net that ended up in a chance against, but it was the attempt of a confident player and he otherwise looks very solid, twice now he has blocked a shot and gotten up into the ensuing rush.

Edit: Heidt finishes with 1G, 2 A, Kumpulainen with 2A, and Soini with 1G. Solid games for all 3, Soini was Finland's best defender today IMO (though the bar for that was uncharacteristically low today.)

Good to hear. Like all three prospects. How big did Soini and Kumpu look, and were they physical?

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

Good to hear. Like all three prospects. How big did Soini and Kumpu look, and were they physical?

Kumpulainen looks big and plays physical, skating seems much improved and he is getting a lot of puck touches in these games. The offensive skills (passing especially) aren’t fantastic but he gets the job done. Really reminds me of early JEE with a worse shot, he was battling with Dickinson all game and knocked him over a few times which is pretty impressive.

Soini looks smaller, but very solidly built and has shown a good mix of taking the body or making a good poke choke instead, his timing has been immaculate except for one time when Hagens blew by him, but he still recovered enough to get a stick lift on him before he could make a play. Cerebral player and the announcers have been complimenting him profusely.

 

[Waiver Draft]

NHL Prospect Watch: Minnesota Wild - Western Hockey League

Former Kelowna Rocket Pavel Novak made his professional debut in 2023-24 after battling cancer.

chl.ca

 

[Waiver Draft]

First Light - An Exclusive Q&A with David Špaček | Minnesota Wild

The 2022 NHL Draft pick looks to continue his growth next season

www.nhl.com

 

[Digitalbooya]

I hope they give the guy a legit chance to make the team. Not sure that we can rely on Bogosian to play more than 60ish games.

 

[Waiver Draft]

Minnesota Wild Announces Roster for Fourth Annual Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase | Minnesota Wild

SAINT PAUL, Minn. \- Minnesota Wild General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin today announced 27 players will participate in the fourth annual Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase. Hosted this year by the St. Louis Blues at Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Mo., the...

www.nhl.com

 

[thestonedkoala]

Minnesota Wild Announces Roster for Fourth Annual Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase | Minnesota Wild

SAINT PAUL, Minn. \- Minnesota Wild General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin today announced 27 players will participate in the fourth annual Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase. Hosted this year by the St. Louis Blues at Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Mo., the...

www.nhl.com

There is a player named Hodass lol

 

[Wasted Talent]

There is a player named Hodass lol

It's even better with the first name included

Bogdans Hodass

 

[57special]

Haight is listed as 6'2"?

 

[Wasted Talent]

Haight is listed as 6'2"?

Seems like he was listed as 6'2'' in the development camp roster as well. Even if a late growth spurt is in theory possible, surely someone would have noticed watching his games.

Minnesota Wild to Hold Development Camp July 9-11 at TRIA Rink | Minnesota Wild

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club will hold a Development Camp for team prospects July 9-11 at TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center in downtown Saint Paul. Iowa Wild coaches and...

www.nhl.com

 

[BagHead]

Seems like he was listed as 6'2'' in the development camp roster as well. Even if a late growth spurt is in theory possible, surely someone would have noticed watching his games.

Minnesota Wild to Hold Development Camp July 9-11 at TRIA Rink | Minnesota Wild

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club will hold a Development Camp for team prospects July 9-11 at TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center in downtown Saint Paul. Iowa Wild coaches and...

www.nhl.com

Apparently someone did notice.

From that article:

Haight must spend more time in the AHL to develop into a top-five scorer. He hit a growth spurt, growing from 5-foot-10 to 6-foot-2, which allowed him to learn how to utilize his size better against men. He will take more time to add muscle and grow into his body. Haight is 182 lbs. right now. By the time he gets called up, he should be around 200 lbs.

I take Hockey Wilderness with a grain of salt, but that's definitely an interesting development if true.
Also, a little weird they said "top five" instead of "top six". Huh?

 

[57special]

I wonder if it's an imaginary 6'2", or a real 6'2", as I also have little to no respect for Hockey Wilderness and their ability to do anything but parrot what has been laid out for them.