Minnesota Wild: Top 10 prospects entering the 2019 season
The Minnesota Wild don’t have much depth in their prospect pipeline, but they could have a few impact players. Let’s take a look at their top 10 prospects as the 2019-20 season draws near.
The Minnesota Wild are in an interesting situation. They’re a team who’s looking to win now, as they have Mats Zuccarello, Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, and Ryan Suter. But at the same time, the Wild are retooling, hoping to remain competitive while building up their pipeline.
Former general managers Chuck Fletcher and Paul Fenton have left Minnesota’s prospect cupboard mighty barren. It will be the job of the next general manager, whoever it may be, to build up their pipeline despite having a team that isn’t exactly built to be terrible enough to have a good chance of getting high draft picks.
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Before I begin, I’d like to clarify my definition of who a “prospect is”. For me, a prospect is any player who meets the following criteria. First of all, they must be under 25 years old as of the start of the 2019-20 season. Secondly, they must have played in no more than 30 NHL games in any season, or no more than 40 in any two consecutive seasons.
Also, my evaluation depends on several things. First of all, how high is a player’s ceiling? In other words, how great can they be? Secondly, what’s their floor? Thirdly, what’s their likelihood of success? I like to start off with goaltenders because I feel they deserve to be their own separate category from skaters. So let’s get started.
Goaltenders
1. Kaapo Kähkönen
Acquired: 2014 NHL Draft (fourth-round pick)
Age: 23
Stats: 39 games, 2.78 GAA, .908% save percentage (Iowa Wild, AHL)
I like goaltenders with results, and none of the other Wild goaltending prospects have put up results in professional leagues. Kaapo Kähkönen was very solid in the AHL last season and has an impressive resume in Liiga as well.
He had a great first half, but didn’t do well down the stretch. Still, I think he projects to be an NHL goaltender. Most likely a backup, but I could see him being a respectable starting goaltender. Kähkönen should at worst be a good place holder for one of their other two prospects.
2. Mats Robson
Acquired: Undrafted
Age: 23
Stats: 31 games, 2.78 GAA, .921% save percentage (University of Minnesota, NCAA)
Mats Robson could definitely be a guy for the Minnesota Wild. He’ll be playing in the AHL this season. I imagine Kähkönen and Robson will be splitting the starts down there. Robson is very good at taking away angles, which helps make up for his less than stellar quickness.
I think he’s got what it takes to be a backup goalie in the NHL someday. However, I don’t see enough quickness or enough athleticism to confidently say he’ll be a starter.
3. Hunter Jones
Acquired: 2019 NHL Draft (second-round pick)
Age: 18 (turns 19 in September)
Stats: 57 games, 3.31 GAA, .902% save percentage, 5 postseason games, 4.66 GAA, .862% save percentage (Peterborough Petes, OHL)
The Wild drafted Hunter Jones in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft. I think that was a bit high for him, but there’s quite a bit to like about him. Jones has size (6’4″) and he likes to play deep in the crease. He’s poised in net as well. However, Jones has yet to impress me that much.