Stream of conciousness thoughts

1. These random thoughts will be repeated, elaborated upon, etc, as the year(s) progress... Over the summer, I liked it when I heard in an interview that Torchetti, the Iowa Wild coach, explained to Tyler Graovac -and I suppose some others- that they probably aren't going to be going to Minnesota soon to be top six forwards. They have to be very good 3rd/4th liners. Strong defensively, perhaps good on PK and able to contribute some offensively. He noted they had to go all out for 30-45 seconds because they weren't going to be playing 20 minutes a game. 
2.  As I look at the pool of prospects for MN both in Iowa and those that are unsigned but will likely play in Iowa in a few years, it seems there are two areas where they simply don't have many prospects: Left wing and, more obviously, right defense. Gustav Bouramman, though a 7th round pick (strangely when you look at stats), has a terrific opportunity to be the best RD prospect. I expect him to be signed sometime during the year and, if he has a really good year, play in Iowa as a 19 year old Euro. Euro players can play in AHL, US and Canadian players can't until they are 20. Minnesota does have Jordan Greenway in the pool as a LW, but I think he isn't that great. He kind of reminds me of Colton Gilles but at least Greenway was a 2nd and not a 1st round pick! Mario Lucia might be good, but I seriously have no idea if he is NHL material. I REALLY hope he is our Anders Lee!
3.  I really hope that Brett Bulmer is re-signed and that he brings a positive attitude to camp this fall. He's played some NHL games already and if he stays healthy I feel he will be one of a few players that will rotate into the RW 4th line slot this next season in Minnesota. I get the feeling that he had a bad attitude and, perhaps, for that reason they haven't signed him. They may be trying to move him like they moved Zack Phillips -though that is an insult to Bulmer. 
4. This is a big season for Marc Hagel. He's already 26 and though he seems to continue to improve, he has to accelerate that improvement to be on an NHL roster or be a call-up this year or next.  I think he might be a good example of "too little, too late" to be the next Fontaine.
5. Speaking of Fontaine, if Minnesota has a good replacement in the system from Iowa, I'd expect Fontaine to be traded by the deadline.  He certainly won't be brought back for the 16-17 season.
6. I do think that Reid Duke is signed before the end of the season and probably sooner rather than later. He will be eligible to go to Iowa in 16-17. This season will determine if he goes there or back to the WHL for an "overage" season. Someone about whom I am wonder Minnesota will sign is Chase Lang. He just seems unremarkable. I don't seen an "edge" to his game. He is, however, amongst the youngest in his draft class, so that has to be taken into consideration. He has put up some points on his team, though.  
7. I expect MN to either draft another Russian in the lower rounds next summer or sign one. This will be done so that Kaprizov isn't the only Russian in the system. It would be done SOLELY to make him more comfortable to sign with Minnesota. 
8.  I don't see how/why Minnesota would sign Pontus Sjalin and Tanner Faith (must be signed by June 1st, 2016) or Nolan De Jong and John Draeger -both of whom have done nothing since they've been drafted. The same is likely true for Nick Seeler. I wonder if Adam Gilmour will even want to sign with Minnesota -just a feeling, not based on logic. Finally, despite no logical performance reason to do so, Minnesota will likely sign Nanne when he leaves school just to placate Lou Nanne, his grandfather who has strong ties to MN hockey and also to the Wild. I do think, however, that Louie Nanne, the draft pick, might be proud and insightful enough to know that he doesn't merit an NHL entry level contract.

Follow the progress of Kirill Kaprizov, the Minnesota Wild's first Russian selection since 2003!!  He's in the top Russian league, the KHL.  Here is a link to follow his stats from the league in English. He is listed as being on the Metallurg Novokuznetzk, but when you go to the team roster (dated July 26th of this year), he isn't present nor listed as injured.

Curious.  Maybe coming to North America?????  Probably not, as he's shown on another page as being under contract until April 2017.  Maybe the contract isn't effective until the season starts??

Anyway, he's exactly the kind of pick the Minnesota Wild has needed a few more of:  high risk, high reward.  We have too many "character" guys that have low ceilings.  Hunter Warner?  12 points in 42 games in the USHL.  While it was a free agent signing (nobody drafted him), did he really have to be signed before he played a single game outside the USHL??  Pontus Sjalin?? a guy the NHL had no file on when the MN Wild drafted him -he was the only player in the entire draft who didn't have a link to their stats.  Alexandre Belanger -a guy who has always had a bad GAA and Save %.  However, in the 2015 draft they pass -even into the 7th round- on a guy who scores 43 goals in 61 games, Pius Suter.  Sure, others passed on him, but why not "waste" a seventh round pick on a guy like that?

Kirill Kaprizov

MN Wild prospects twitter accounts...

These are the known twitter handles of Minnesota Wild prospects.  Many are rarely used.  I suspect, as is the case for me given I am a teacher, they have other, more active twitter handles that they share with genuine friends and colleagues.  Players who have been traded or that Minnesota has elected to not sign to an entry level contract have their names crossed out.  The list is arranged by draft year, though other free agents who are prospects are included in the year in which they were first signed.  Those players who made it to the NHL roster will still be listed here according to their draft or free agent signing year.

2015
Joel Eriksson Ek
Jordan Greenway
Ales Stezka
Kirill Kaprizov Unknown (even searched with the Russian spelling!- Кирилл Капризов)
Nicholas Boka
Gustav Bouramman
Jack Sadek

2014
Alex Tuch
Louis Belpedio
Kaapo Kahkonen
Tanner Faith
Pontus Sjalin
Chase Lang
Reid Duke
Pavel Jenys

2013
Gustav Olofsson
Kurtis Gabriel
Dylan Labbe
Carson Soucy
Avery Peterson
Nolan De Jong
Alexandre Belanger

2012
Matt Dumba
Raphael Bussieres
John Draeger
Adam Gilmour
Daniel Gunnarsson
Christoph Bertschy
Louie Nanne (I know he has one -I use to follow it- but I can't find it right now.)

2011
Jonas Brodin
Zack Phillips  (Traded)
Mario Lucia
Nick Seeler
Steve Michalek  (there is one, though it is protected)
Tyler Graovac

2010
Mikael Granlund
Brett Bulmer
Johan Larsson
Jason Zucker
Johan Gustafsson
Dylen McKinlay

Alex Tuch shootout goal and celly

The last event at the 2015 prospects camp.  He's returning to Boston College next year, but I expect him to leave after that and start playing professionally in the fall of 2016.  When he was described as having great hands, I thought it was unlikely to be that true, but that was some great control!

Joel Eriksson-Ek

signed today to a standard 3 year, entry-level contract.  He's expected to play in Sweden next season.  At this time, I haven't seen whether or not it is possible he comes to North America for the 2016-17 season.  It would seem wise to do so, as the North American style of play is different, as are the dimensions of the ice rinks.

I wouldn't expect any other 2015 draft picks to be signed this summer, as some of them are headed to college and others still need to demonstrate the merit of signing them.

Here is the Minnesota Wild draft history from 2009 to the present

I will try to update this as players are signed or not signed by the deadline.  Generally speaking, teams have the rights to college players as long as they remain in college.  Players who are in Canadian juniors must be signed withing two years or the team loses their rights.  The same is generally true with the exception of Switzerland (for sure) and Russia (possibly).

Year	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011	2010	2009
	1 Erickson-Ek (C)*	1 Tuch (LW) c	2 Olofsson (D)*	1 Dumba (D)*	1 Brodin (D) *	1 Granlund (C)*	1 Leddy (D)T
	2 Greenway (LW)	3 Belpedio (D) c	3 Gabriel (RW)*	2 Bussieres (LW)*	1 Phillps (C) *T	2 BULMER (RW)*	3 HACKETT (G)*T
	4 Stezka (G)	4 Kahkonen (G)	4 Labbe (D)*	3 Draeger (D) c	2 Lucia (LW) c	2 LARSSON (LW)*T	4 Foucault (LW)*
	5 Kaprizov (LW)	5 Faith (D)	5 Soucy (D) c	4 Gilmour (C) c	5 Seeler (D) c	2 ZUCKER (RW)*	4 Fallstrom (RW)T
	6 Boka (D)	6 Sjalin (D)	6 Peterson (C) c	5 Gunnarsson (D)	6 Michalek (G)*	6 Gustafsson (G)*	6 KUEMPER (G)*
	7 Bouramman (D)	6 Lang (C)	7 DeJong (D) c	6 Bertschy (C/W)*	7 GRAOVAC (C)*	7 McKinlay (RW)	6 Sallinen (LW)
	7 Sadak (D)	6 Duke (C)	7 Belanger (G)	7 Nanne (LW) c			7 HAULA (C)*
		7 Jenys (C/LW)*					7 Hamburg (RW)
* = Signed
------------- = Not signed
c =in college
T = Traded
CAPS = NHL games

Link to my projectd 2015-16 Iowa Wild line-up

The line-up is just based upon where I feel they are on the Minnesota Wild depth chart, the role Minnesota is likely grooming them for (scoring, powerplay, etc.), and whether they are left or right shot or have played center. I hope to check out a few Iowa games on my computer to see how they do over the season -particularly since the Minnesota roster won't likely be too different this year.

I believe Reilly will be sent to Iowa to begin to become accustomed to the physical aspects of professional hockey and to give him significant minutes, including on the powerplay.  I think Folin will be sent, as well, for the minutes reason and also, because he doesn't have to go through waivers to be sent, whereas some "bubble" forwards like Keranen and Schroeder would.

I used the tools on the website NHLGuru.net.

Feel free to leave any feedback!

Cap numbers are meaningless for this purpose (AHL) and are automatically included from website.

FORWARDS

R. Fedotenko ($ 600,000) --- T. Graovac ($ 747,500) --- M. Hagel ($ 700,000)

G. Downing ($ 692,500) --- B. Sutter ($ 600,000) --- Z. Mitchell ($ 615,000)

C. Bertschy ($ 925,000) --- Z. Dalpe ($ 700,000) --- J. Knight ($ 761,000)

B. Brassart ($ 836,667) --- P. Jenys ($ 683,333) --- K. Gabriel ($ 666,667)

DEFENCE

M. Reilly ($ 925,000) --- C. Folin ($ 725,000)

G. Olofsson ($ 795,000) --- T. Strachan ($ 650,000)

D. Labbe ($ 692,500) --- Z. Palmquist ($ 692,500)

GOAL

B. Hoffman ($ 925,000)

S. Michalek

Extras

R. Bussieres ($ 759,167) --- B. Bulmer ($ 780,000) --- G. Gelinas ($ 596,667) --- ($ )

a new website

to create your own team.  I've done two things with it.  First, I've made my projected NHL roster and then, second, I've deleted all of the NHL roster players and made a roster of what the AHL team (the Iowa Wild) would look like.  Here's the link.