Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been able to watch some Minnesota Wild prospects in action while we wait for the 2023-24 regular season to begin. Last week, the Wild released a lot of their young prospects back to their Canadian Hockey League (CHL) teams to allow them to continue their development, playing big minutes for their club. We have also had some interesting developments on the European front that could have major implications for the organization.
Wild News from the Great White North
Last week, the club reassigned Riley Heidt to the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League (WHL), Kalem Parker to the Victoria Royals of the WHL, Hunter Haight to the Saginaw Spirit, and Rasmus Kumpulainen to the Oshawa Generals both of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). They do not have any prospects in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
All four players were active in a pair of games over the weekend, but Heidt stood head and shoulders above everyone else. The 64th overall selection in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft already looks like an absolute steal. At the time of the draft, the 5-foot-11 center was widely viewed as a solid late first-round pick but somehow magically fell to the Wild late in the second. Heidt has already collected seven points in his first two games, including a five-point night in his first game back, and could be in the race for the CHL’s Top Scorer Award, which was won by the Wild’s own Marco Rossi in 2019-20.
Hunter Haight also had a solid weekend, collecting a goal and two assists as his team split their two contests, while Rasmus Kumpulainen, who was drafted before Heidt in the second round, was not quite as productive. The 6-foot-3, big-bodied two-way center looked good at training camp, but as this is his first season in North America after coming over from Finland, there will be a transition period as he adapts to the smaller ice surface. It will be hard to fault the young center until he has a chunk of games under his belt.
KHL News All Over the Board
One thing is certain. We can never know what to expect from the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). On the positive side, Danila Yurov seems to be playing as a center for Metallurg. He earned 16.30 of ice time and was on the ice for the game’s only goal, which got his team the win. The Wild reportedly consider Yurov as a winger who could make the switch to center when he turns pro, and I think fans would rejoice at the thought of a 6-foot-1, highly-skilled center, even if they already have a decent number of skilled center prospects.
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All is not well in the KHL, however, as Marat Khusnutdinov has been in and out of the lineup for SKA St. Petersburg. He was only active in their Sept. 27 contest, playing less than 10:00 of ice time with no points, no shots, and no proper development for a player as skilled as he is. On the other side is Vladislav Firstov, who has been getting consistent playing time with the Torpedo but had no points in addition to receiving 20-minute misconduct and a fine for pushing a referee. For a player who has already been pushing his luck with the Wild, he is going to have to use his head a little if he wants to have a career in the NHL.
Wild Injury Updates
First-round draft pick Liam Ohgren had some serious injury concerns that reached their peak when he was flown to Minnesota for a second opinion. Fortunately, the second opinion noted that he would be okay and should be able to start skating once he returned to Sweden. It will likely be a little while before we see him in game action, but avoiding a massive time-loss injury is great news for his development.
Daemon Hunt took a scary elbow to the head in the Wild’s Sept. 24 preseason game against the Colorado Avalanche and has been in concussion protocol since. While a timeline is always difficult and unpredictable for a head injury, he was seen skating with Mason Shaw, who is rehabbing a torn ACL, before the team’s practice on Sept. 30. Hunt is not expected to start the season with the Wild, but he is sure to be their first call up option in the event of an injury on the blue line, and it will be surprising if he doesn’t make his NHL debut this season.
Wild Prospects Week Ahead
In leagues everywhere, the regular season is well underway, meaning most of the Wild’s prospects will have games this week, while players who were cut from Minnesota’s NHL training camp will be starting training camp with the Iowa Wild, and the NCAA will start, meaning fans will finally get a look at first-round pick Charlie Stramel.
