Minnesota Wild: Top 10 Prospects Entering the 2018 Season
The Minnesota Wild are a team in desperate need of new energy and a younger generation. Here are the prospects who hope to change the direction of the team.
The Minnesota Wild‘s core is aging. Ryan Suter and Zach Parise are approaching their mid-30s and Parise has struggled with injuries in recent years. The Wild still have a number of crucial young players, including Matt Dumba, Nino Niederreiter, and Jason Zucker, but they’re aging quickly as well. They will need a new generation to step up and take the team to new heights. That’s where these 10 prospects come in.
These prospects are ranked based on several factors. They include ceiling, being chief amongst these factors, as well as NHL readiness and the likelihood they play consistently with the Minnesota Wild in the near future. To qualify, a player must not have surpassed Calder qualification, meaning they have not played 25 NHL games. That means players like Joel Eriksson Ek and Gustav Olofsson no longer qualify.
Let’s start with the goaltender.
1. Kaapo Kahkonen [22] (4-109, 2014)
Stats (Lukko, Ligga): 56 gp, 2.20 GAA, .922 SV%, 6 SO (2 pgp, 2.38 GAA, .921 SV%).
Kaapo Kahkonen is the best goaltender in the Minnesota Wild’s pipeline, and at 22, could become a prominent part of their organization soon. He played incredibly well in the Finnish Liiga this past season, posting a .922 save percentage and six shutouts. He was first in shutouts in Finland and was tied for fifth in save percentage. Excellent numbers, especially from such a young goaltender as Kahkonen is. Kahkonen played the most games out of anybody in the top-five (or in this case six) in save percentage and was second youngest as well.
What happens with Kahkonen in the next few years could point the Minnesota Wild in a few directions.
The problem is that Kahkonen has never played in North America and his ability to transition to the more competitive game has yet to be seen. If he doesn’t transition well, then all the numbers in the world in Finland will just stay in Finland. But if he can transition well, then he becomes a potential game changer down the line for the Wild. That kind of boom or bust prospect is all too common, but when it’s the only great goaltending prospect for a team in need of one, well, that’s a bit troubling.
What happens with Kahkonen in the next few years could point the Minnesota Wild in a few directions. With no truly outstanding goaltender in the AHL and Andrew Hammond potentially playing a veteran role, Kahkonen could step into an ideal situation. He might not face as much pressure in Iowa, playing as the backup until he proves he’s the starter, and he’ll have a veteran mentor who’s been to the NHL a number of times. This could be a very important year for the Finnish netminder.