KarB6snw

1Minnesota Wild fans didn’t have much to cheer for this past season. Key injuries dragged down the on-ice product, players once considered core to the team were traded, and punchless performances in St. Paul left the team with the fewest home wins in the league. It all added up to the Wild sitting at home for the playoffs for the first time in seven years.
2
3But next week, the State of Hockey will see a small reward for the lost year — the 12th pick in the NHL Draft. Back in April, we took a look at what level of player Minnesota could expect from the pick. Today, we’re going to look at 12 players that could be available for the Wild to choose and how they would fit into the Wild’s prospect pool.
4
5For more on the draft, please check out The Athletic’s draft rankings from both Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler, both of which were invaluable for this article. I’ll include their rankings here, as well each player’s slot in Pronman’s latest mock draft.
6
7Let’s begin.
8
9Cole Caufield, RW, USDP
10Height: 5-7
11Weight: 163 lbs
122018-19 stats: 64 GP, 72G-28A-100P
13Pronman’s rank: 5
14Wheeler’s rank: 10
15Pronman mock: No. 10 to Vancouver
16
17Why the Wild might draft him: A problem with Minnesota dating back to 2001 has been an allergy to tanking. Something would always stop Minnesota from hitting rock bottom, even when they were bad. In the early years, it was Jacques Lemaire’s well-implemented trap. After Marian Gaborik’s departure left Minnesota with almost nothing, Mikko Koivu and Nicklas Backstrom did enough goal prevention to keep the Wild from 30th in the standings.
18
19That’s good, in theory, to never hit dead last. But it leaves Minnesota outside the range of the draft where they can easily find the kinds of snipers needed to elevate the franchise.
20
21Caufield is that sniper. His video-game-stat production speaks for itself, but in case you needed confirmation from scouts and coaches — yeah, Caufield’s (right-handed) shot is legit. He’s also pretty fast and isn’t afraid to get to the net.
22
23His size could scare the Wild off, but it shouldn’t. As Minnesota knows, elite snipers are pretty tough to find — you could argue they haven’t had one since Gaborik. At No. 12, Minnesota should do backflips to land a shot as good as Caufield’s.
24
25Why the Wild might not draft him: The NHL is getting faster, more skilled, and yes, smaller. And as such, players are showing that you don’t have to crack 6-foot to succeed in today’s game.
26
27The question, though: Is 5-7 too small for scouts to take a risk on with a top-10 pick? In previous years, that would have absolutely been the case. But every year we get more evidence that not taking skilled players because they’re small is just as big of a risk.
28
29Look at 5-7 Alex DeBrincat. Like Caufield, DeBrincat had absurd production at a young age, putting together three consecutive 50-goal seasons in the OHL before entering the draft. Scouts shied away, and he slipped to Chicago in the second round. He scored 41 goals in his sophomore season. If scouts are kicking themselves over DeBrincat, the Wild may not get a shot at Caufield, who both Pronman and Wheeler rank among the top 10 prospects.
30
31Read Pronman’s complete breakdown of Caufield’s game.
32
33
34Bobby Brink, RW, Sioux Falls, USHL
35Height: 5-8
36Weight: 165
372018-19 stats: 43 GP, 35G-33A-68P
38Pronman’s rank: 23
39Wheeler’s rank: 14
40Pronman mock: No. 23 to the New York Islanders
41
42Why the Wild might draft him: If the Wild aren’t able to snap up Caufield but still want a dynamic right-shot forward in their organization, then good news — they can probably still grab Minnesota native Bobby Brink.
43
44Caufield and Brink are both skilled, undersized right wings, but they are different players. Caufield’s got his shot as a calling card, whereas Brink dazzles you with his playmaking. That’s not to say Brink didn’t find the net a fair amount himself, though. With 35 goals in 43 USHL games, he scored at a higher rate in his draft year than Burnsville native Brock Boeser. And we all know what happened when the Wild passed on Boeser.
45
46Why the Wild might not draft him: Some have questions on Brink’s skating, particularly for such a small player. If Minnesota’s scouts don’t feel like he’ll be able to find the space in the NHL to maximize his offensive gifts, they could look elsewhere. There’s also the matter of his position. If the Wild organization has prospect/young NHL depth anywhere, it’s at wing. Unless they feel Brink is head-and-shoulders above the rest of their options, they could aim for a player at a position of need.
47
48Read Wheeler’s recent feature on Brink.
49
50Philip Broberg, D, AIK, Allsvenskan
51Height: 6-3
52Weight: 201
532018-19 stats: 41 GP, 2G-7A-9P
54Pronman’s rank: 9
55Wheeler’s rank: 19
56Pronman mock: No. 8 to Edmonton
57
58Why the Wild might draft him: Minnesota could really use a succession plan for Jonas Brodin.
59
60Brodin, the smooth-skating Swede, has two years left on his deal. If Minnesota and/or Brodin decide to move on, the Wild could do a lot worse than grooming Broberg to replace him. Like Brodin, Broberg is also a fantastic skater. He not only excelled against his peers in tournaments this year, but he also held his own in Sweden’s second-highest league. Unlike Brodin, Broberg uses that speed as an offensive weapon, pushing the puck up the ice. His skating ability serves him well on the defensive end, as well. If Minnesota sees a faster-paced Brodin in Broberg, that’s a solid pick.
61
62Why the Wild might not draft him: Fans may not love the optics of Minnesota drafting another low-scoring Swedish defenseman with a first-round pick, but that shouldn’t factor into their decision making. Broberg appears to have a higher ceiling than 2018 first-rounder Filip Johansson. In fact, Broberg out-produced Johansson in Allsvenskan despite being a year younger. They play the same position in the same league, but are different players, and should be treated as such.
63
64The question with Broberg is what his upside is. If Broberg can be better than Brodin, then he’s more than worthy of being a high first-round pick. But what if the Wild see his future as being equal to Brodin? A solid top-4 defenseman isn’t a bad outcome with the 12th pick in the draft, but Minnesota might want to target more of a home run if they don’t believe Broberg can develop into a top-pair guy.
65
66Read Pronman’s complete breakdown of Broberg’s game.
67
68Matthew Boldy, LW, USDP
69Height: 6-2
70Weight: 190
712018-19 stats: 64 GP, 33G-48A-81P
72Pronman’s rank: 8
73Wheeler’s rank: 7
74Pronman mock: No. 11 to Philadelphia
75
76Why the Wild might draft him: Boldy certainly fits a type of player the Wild have targeted in recent years — Americans who love to get to the net. Boldy has a pretty complete game, able to shoot, pass, and maintain possession at a high level. He has the size scouts are looking for and the production to back up what the scouts see.
77
78Perhaps it’s colored by the fact that Boldy will also be attending Boston College, but Boldy feels a bit like a left-shot Alex Tuch. Big, strong, but with immense skill. You have to think that the Wild would do anything to bring that skill set into the organization and protect it at all costs if he falls to No. 12.
79
80Why the Wild might not draft him: Part of it might be a positional logjam. Minnesota just traded a Boldy-like player in Nino Niederreiter because they couldn’t find room for him, and seem likely to trade another left-wing in Jason Zucker. With Kevin Fiala, Ryan Donato, and Jordan Greenway competing for a top-6 wing slot behind Zach Parise, Boldy’s arrival might squeeze yet another talented winger out of Minnesota.
81
82But the more likely reason Minnesota won’t draft him is that he may not be available. Boldy is projected by many for the back end of the top-10, but it wouldn’t take that many teams picking premium positions like center or defense for Boldy to slip down to 12. He’s just one slot away in Pronman’s mock. Maybe keep an eye on that.
83
84Read Pronman’s complete breakdown of Boldy’s game.
85
86
87Arthur Kaliyev, LW, Hamilton, OHL
88Height: 6-2
89Weight: 194
902018-19 stats: 67 GP, 51G-51A-102P
91Pronman’s rank: 14
92Wheeler’s rank: 13
93Pronman’s mock: No. 12 to Minnesota
94
95Why the Wild might draft him: Kaliyev destroyed the OHL this season, finishing fourth in goals, tied for sixth in points and second in shots on goal. Kaliyev also didn’t benefit from having an elite teammate, as he led Hamilton in scoring by over 20 points. In Minnesota’s perpetual quest to land that fabled goal-scorer, Kaliyev stands out as a player who could give them that.
96
97The icing on the cake is that he’s considered to be a top-tier playmaker, as well, able to run a power play from the wing. Until this spring, this was a role that was reserved for Mikael Granlund. Since then, no one has stepped up to fill that void. Kaliyev has the potential to do that in a few years. It’s hard to find that kind of skill and production outside the top 10, and even harder to find it with a 6-2 frame to work with.
98
99Why the Wild might not draft him: There’s a lot to like with Kaliyev’s skill, but his skating and commitment to defense are criticisms that come up frequently. It’s not impossible for someone with Kaliyev’s flaws to succeed in the NHL, but it does mean that he either needs to get better at them or max out his offensive potential in order to be a net positive in the NHL.
100
101Read Pronman’s complete breakdown of Kaliyev’s game.
102
103Spencer Knight, G, USDP
104Height: 6-3
105Weight: 193
1062018-19 stats: 33 GP, .913 Sv%
107Pronman’s rank: 1 (among goalies)
108Wheeler’s rank: 45 (overall)
109Pronman’s mock: No. 16 to Colorado
110
111Why the Wild might draft him: The goalie pipeline in Minnesota has been in desperate need of solidifying for years. Devan Dubnyk will be in his age-33 season next year, trying to rebound from a down 2018-19. There’s not much in the way of a succession plan, either. Alex Stalock will be 32 next year. Minnesota signed both Kaapo Kähkönen and Mat Robson over the past year, but neither are considered sure-fire bets to be an NHL starter.
112
113Knight would be. By all accounts, he has the size, mobility, and mentality to be an NHL starter. The addition of Knight would arguably give Minnesota their first true Goalie of the Future since Josh Harding, and maybe their best goalie prospect ever.
114
115One could consider taking Knight with the 12th pick would be reaching for positional need, given that teams have often waited until the late-first or early-second round to start drafting goalies. But if the Wild are confident that Knight is a top-tier goalie in waiting, they may have to ignore that trend and get their player.
116
117Why the Wild might not draft him: Goaltending prospects can be volatile, which is why so few goalies are drafted in the first round nowadays. And never with the kind of draft position Minnesota has. Knight would be the highest goalie taken since Jack Campbell in 2010. Given that Campbell didn’t take a significant NHL role until last year, when he was 26, he stands as a pretty good example of why to not take a goalie that high.
118
119There’s also the development curve with goalies. A high-end forward or defense prospect could possibly play immediately, may play at age 19, and is probably breaking into the NHL by age 20 or 21. Goalies tend to take longer to earn significant minutes. It might be changing a bit in recent years, with players like John Gibson, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Matt Murray, and Carter Hart getting into the NHL in their very early 20s, but is that the exception or the rule? And does the Wild front office want to go three, four, or five years — if ever — without seeing a significant return on the 12th overall pick? It should make for an interesting decision from the scouting department.
120
121Read Pronman’s complete breakdown of Knight’s game.
122
123
124Alex Newhook, C, Victoria, BCHL
125Height: 5-10
126Weight: 192
1272018-19 stats: 53 GP, 38G-64A-102P
128Pronman’s rank: 11
129Wheeler’s rank: 11
130Pronman’s mock: No. 17 to Vegas
131
132Why the Wild might draft him: Even in the best of times, Minnesota has had precious few players who could break a game open with speed. If they want their organization to get faster, they could do a lot worse than take Newhook at 12.
133
134Newhook can be a one-man breakout machine, which would be a pretty unique trait among the Wild’s under-25 crop. Not only does he use his speed to get the puck up the ice, he has the skills to take advantage of that speed and generate quality scoring chances for himself and his teammates. If Minnesota is looking to add a high-end center at No. 12, there’s a good chance Newhook will be the best option.
135
136Why the Wild might not draft him: There are questions about Newhook’s size. Will he be able to stick to the center position? Minnesota recently drafted Luke Kunin with the intention of playing him down the middle, but since being drafted, he appears destined for the wing.
137
138It’s possible that Minnesota sees the same career path for Newhook. Like Kunin, Newhook could be worth a first-round pick as a wing prospect — his combination of speed and skill should wreak havoc on NHL defenses. But if Minnesota is putting a premium on centers, Newhook might not get the extra edge that lifts him above the field of options at No. 12.
139
140Read Pronman’s complete breakdown of Newhook’s game.
141
142Vasili Podkolzin, RW, SKA-Neva St. Petersburg, VHL
143Height: 6-1
144Weight: 196
1452018-19 stats: 14 GP, 2G-3A-5P
146Pronman’s rank: 12
147Wheeler’s rank: 17
148Pronman mock: No. 14 to Arizona
149
150Why the Wild might draft him: Podkolzin has all the makings of a power forward. He’s a freight train of a skater that will find, procure, and protect the puck. Far from merely a potential possession powerhouse, though, Podkolzin has a lot of skill at his disposal. His passing ability, vision, and shot all impress, and when every piece of his game comes together, he looks like the No. 3 overall pick in this draft.
151
152The issue is that his results haven’t quite matched his talent, and that might slide him down into the Wild’s range. The question there is whether the Wild see red flags or an opportunity. If they have a chance to land third-overall-caliber talent at No. 12, do they take that risk?
153
154Why the Wild might not draft him: Podkolzin’s lack of production for SKA might not scare Minnesota off, but could his contract situation do that? Podkolzin has two years remaining on his deal with SKA, which means his arrival to St. Paul won’t happen until the 2021-22 season at the earliest. Does Minnesota want to play the waiting game when they’re still waiting for Kirill Kaprizov (drafted in 2015) to show up?
155
156Podkolzin’s talent is undeniable, but owner Craig Leipold and general manager Paul Fenton want to accelerate their rebuild-on-the-fly and get the Wild back into the playoffs. If they have Podkolzin rated closely to another available player they think could play in a year, then waiting two years for Podkolzin might seem too long, even if he doesn’t re-sign in the KHL like Kaprizov.
157
158Read Pronman’s complete breakdown of Podkolzin’s game.
159
160
161Ryan Suzuki, C, Barrie, OHL
162Height: 6-0
163Weight: 180
1642018-19 stats: 65 GP, 25G-50A-75P
165Pronman’s rank: 15
166Wheeler’s rank: 16
167Pronman mock: No. 19 to Ottawa
168
169Why the Wild might draft him: Since Gaborik’s departure, the only player the Wild have had for a sustained period of time that fit the mold of a true playmaking forward is Mikael Granlund. So maybe they’ll want to find a center with exceptional passing chops to pair with the likes of Donato, Fiala, Greenway, and Kunin. If so, Suzuki might be just the right person to take at No. 12.
170
171Suzuki isn’t the biggest, strongest, or fastest, but he’s a brilliant passer and has the smarts that we know the Wild brass loves. He can find his way into the offensive zone, create space for his linemates, then hit them with a tape-to-tape pass. It’s a Granlund-type skill set, perfect for replacing the Granlund-shaped hole left in the organization this spring.
172
173Why the Wild might not draft him: Suzuki was just fourth on Barrie with 152 shots. The good news is that he scored 25 goals on those shots, but you would like to see him be more assertive and shoot more. Some players don’t ever develop that tendency to shoot, however. If the Wild aren’t convinced Suzuki can take that next step, they may decide to draft someone with a more well-rounded game.
174
175Read Arpon Basu’s recent Q&A with Suzuki.
176
177Cam York, D, USDP
178Height: 5-11
179Weight: 172
1802018-19 stats: 63 GP, 14G-51A-65P
181Pronman’s rank: 16
182Wheeler’s rank: 9
183Pronman mock: No. 15 to Montreal
184
185Why the Wild might draft him: With the Wild’s ceiling being limited by the lack of a dynamic, star offensive player, fans may wonder why the Wild would consider a defenseman at No. 12. It’s a fair question, but when you look at recent draft history, you’ll find that Minnesota has no prospect that’s projected to be a top-4 defenseman. The last one that came through Minnesota’s system was Matt Dumba. This has left the Wild in a spot where they have no backup plan once a top-4 defenseman gets hurt — it arguably cost them a playoff spot last year.
186
187So don’t be too surprised if the Wild call York’s name at the draft. And it would be a worthy pick, as York would be their best defense prospect drafted in seven years. He’s a disciple of Jared Spurgeon, whether the left-shot York knows it or not. York makes up for not being the biggest or fastest by being good on offense, defense, and in transition. He’s able to find lanes to skate the puck into the offensive zone, and has the passing ability and hockey IQ to set up chances once he gets there. And he rarely does the wrong thing on the ice. He’s a strong defender without being particularly physical, and he doesn’t get criticized for being careless with the puck. If Minnesota wants more Jared Spurgeons, York is a good bet to follow in those footsteps.
188
189Why the Wild might not draft him: There’s not too many knocks on York. Maybe his size could be an issue, but if any team should be free from the stereotype that smaller defensemen can’t succeed, it’s the Wild.
190
191Perhaps the one legitimate criticism with picking him at No. 12 is that he doesn’t have that game-breaking ceiling that others in this range might have. York seems to be a perfectly good and safe option, but if the scouting staff feels someone who can take over and dominate a game is on the board, they might have to pass on York.
192
193
194However the draft is going to shake out, Minnesota is going to have plenty of talented prospects from which to select. After years of picking in the later half of the first round, or trading their picks altogether, Minnesota is going to get a needed boost to their prospect pool.
195
196So be excited — your reward for a rough season is coming soon.