NHL players have been locked out by the owners because the union and owners haven't agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The main issue involves the dividing of what is called "Hockey Related Revenue" (HRR). The owners want it to be split 50/50 starting this year and the players don't want it reduced to 50/50 from the current 57/43. This morning they are having another meeting, yet few are optimistic as any hopes that have arisen have soon been dashed.
So, how are the MN Wild prospects doing? A couple of the most highly touted prospects, Mikail Granlund (C) and Jonas Brodin (D), started out terrifically but were injured a couple of weeks ago. Granlund has an injured ankle and is expected to return in a couple of weeks. He had 12 points in 8 games before he got injured. Brodin had 2 goals and 2 assists in 8 games before breaking his collarbone in a big check from Taylor Hall from Oklahoma City.
Both players have drawn raves from the coaches and the media who have covered the team.
Other players who have performed very well? Jason Zucker (12 GP, 7 G, 6 A) and Justin Fontaine (15 GP, 5 G, 8 A) are tied for the team lead in scoring, but, you may have noticed, Zucker has played 3 fewer games. Additionally, Zucker is only 20 years old while Fontaine is 24. It's been reported that the Houston coach, John Torchetti, is convinced that Fontaine will be an NHLer, so that bodes well. Don't get too excited, however, about seeing ALL of these prospects play for MN (if the NHL ever plays again...ugh), as there isn't enough room on the roster for all of these players to play on the roster. I'd expect some players who or promising prospects will be traded. Will one of those players be Fontaine or Zucker? Who knows, but they or some other prospects will have to be moved to maximize their value for the Wild.
Charlie Coyle (16 GP, 7 G, 4 A), a big power forward acquired in the trade involving Brent Burns, has been terrific from the perspective of those who have seen him. He does everything right -including his defensive play. Michael Russo, NHL writer of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, says, in his view, it's a sure thing that Coyle will be on the opening day roster when the NHL resumes play. I think that may require a roster move to make space for him.
Zach Philips (14 GP, 1 G, 4 A) has been...bad. He hasn't contributed offensively and, of the games I've watched, has been slow and an almost complete non-factor. I inquired with a media person who covers the Aeros and she agrees he hasn't done much and says that she feels that Philips is going to have to "redefine" his role as a professional. I interpreted that to mean that he is going to have to contribute defensively. To do that at the NHL level, he's going to have to become much faster and embrace some physical play.
The goalies for Houston, Matthew Hackett (12 GP, 3.14 GAA, .893 sv%) and Darcy Kuemper (5 GP, 2.56, .898 sv%)have been disappointing thus far. Both are the subject of high expectation. I've not read the explanation of the staff or media for their subpar performance thus far.
This site discusses everything MN Wild and follows the development of their prospects. The real value of the site aren't my blog entries as much as the embedded statistics on MN Wild prospects that can be reached via the links on the right of the page. The site uses statistics from eliteprospects.com. Prospects are listed in order of their draft class. Click on the right of this page to view current and past statistics for each draft class. Visit often!
