MY top 25-under 25, part 1

Hockey Wilderness has made a top 25 list of prospects who are under 25 years old.  A great idea.  So, in one night and, thus, without as much elaboration as they likely will have, I decided to go through the exercise myself.

My criteria seeks to balance the likelihood of a prospect being on a NHL roster for more than a few games at some point in their career with to what degree they will be a real contributor on the the team.  A sure-thing 3rd/4th liner makes it, yet there are those more skilled players who likely won't be able to make the transition to the grinder role of a 4th liner for some variety of reasons.  Some players may have a significant role on some other NHL team besides the Wild because of contracts tying up roster spots.  Additionally, the most recent draft class gets the benefit of the doubt.  There weren't any "what??" choices this year unlike the last two years.

Finally, let me preface my amateur analysis with stating that I lack tons of information and context (don't virtually all bloggers??), and that I hope those that I say aren't very good prospects any more prove me wrong.  I think -truly and honestly- it would be super cool if someone like Pontus Sjalin or Louis Nanne actually had some time in the NHL.

1. Hoffman G
2. Michalek G
3. Gelinas D
   
4. Gudbranson D  He has size and blood (brother in the NHL), but little else.  His stats were unimpressive in the OHL and he did even less in Iowa.  I expect him to see a lot of games in the ECHL.
   
5. Labbe D
6. Olofsson D
7. Palmquist D  Might be good and if was 18 or 19 I'd give him the benefit of the doubt, but a solid though not stellar four year career in college doesn't scream NHL.
   
8. Warner D  Okay, I don't know shit compared to scouts, but I don't get this signing.  They sign him at 18 years old the summer after he wasn't drafted.  He's got size and racks up penalty minutes, but doesn't put up any points.  The large majority of  "physical" NHL players put up reasonable points in earlier leagues in which they played.  To put this in perspective, they wait after two camps before deciding to negotiate a deal to sign Tyler Johnson, but sign this guy right way.  Makes No Sense.
   
9. Bertschy F
10. Brassart-  I feel like Brassart is one of a few on my list of first "cuts" who, with a good year, can become a good prospect.  The reason he's on the "cut" list is because his first year in Iowa, while not bad, was quite unimpressive
11. Bulmer LW/RW
12. Bussieres  Looks like a 2nd round bust.  In just 9 fAHL games, Ralphy scored 0 points.  In the ECHL he got 16 points in 19 games.  The best ECHL players get about a point a game or more and they often have a tough time in the AHL, so he has to do much better.  Bussieres has to decide to become a Clutterbuck player.  I don't know if he has the speed, but he just has to realize he's not going to be a top 6 player and has to hit people.  Often.  And then again.  Actually that is true of a lot all of these first round of "cuts".
    
13. Downing  
14. Gabriel RW
15. Graovac C
16. BelPedio RD
17. Knight This fella who was acquired in the Phillips trade last year had clearly been spinning his wheels in the Boston organization.  He had a couple of good years in the OHL, but I don't see the development occurring in Iowa enough to make a difference at 23 years old.
    
18. Mitchell 
19. Eriksson-Ek C
20. Greenway LW
21. Stezka G
22. Kaprizov LW
23. Boka D
24. Bouramman D
25. Sadek D
26. Tuch RW
27. Kahkonen G  Sure, it's pretty cool that he scored two goals this year as a goalie, but his international play stats are unimpressive and he hasn't had any time called up to the top Finnish professional league.  Beyond his performance, the performance of both Michalek and Hoffman will have a big impactc on whether they offer him a contract by the June 1, 2016 deadline. 
28. Sjalin D  Seriously, what on Earth was MN thinking???  You can't tell me that he was on anyone's radar.  The thing is, they have to sign this guy by next June 1st or "lose his rights".   I can't see why they would or the mystery will only have deepened!  I think this pick is more strategic, as in doing a favor for someone in the Swedish Elite League.  His dad is an assistant  coach on Ostersunds IK, a development league in Sweden.  I think that is in some way the reason for this pick.
29. Faith D  Another head scratcher.  Hurt in his draft year, but prior to that completely unimpressive stats.  Then, of course, he gets a season ending injury the following year.  In the absence of a great year in Canada and despite his size, he won't be signed.
    
30. Lang C
31. Duke C
32. Jenys C/LW
33. Olofsson D
34. Labbe D
35. Soucy D  I like his size but despite reports coming from the Wild organization that they are pleased with his development (mentioned now two prospect camps in a row) his Duluth statistics and his performance in games I've watched leave me absolutely unimpressed.  He must "become" a shut down and -even better- mean, nasty player to make himself a more valuable asset.
    
36. Peterson C
37. Draeger D  Hasn't done much in 3 years at Michigan State.  You can't sign every prospect and he seems like one to let go.  I'm completely confident that nobody in MN Wild management will say, "I wish we had signed him."
    
38. DeJong D  He's scored 0 goals in two years at the University of Michigan.  What's he going to do when he goes pro?
    
39. Gilmour C 
40. Nanne  Anyone have any guesses why this player was drafted?  Anyone?  Obviously because of Grandpa Nanne, and perhaps that is wise.  He was poor on a team and in a league where only a very few of the absolute best players see the NHL.  I am very anxious to see if he is even offered a contract.  Given he decided against going to the University of Minnesota because of pride, I suspect he will realize that if/when a contract is offered.
    
41. Seeler D  Unimpressive stats in Omaha -even under a great coach- plus a year off means his chances are remote at best of hitting the NHL.
    
42. Lucia LW
43. Gustafsson  So good in Sweden, so bad in North America.  Despite MN holding his rights, he won't be back.
    

Most of the names above that were eliminated were easy, which now leaves...

1. Hoffman G
2. Michalek G
3. Gilmour C
4. Bertschy F
5. Bulmer LW/RW
6. Downing F
7. Gabriel RW
8. Graovac C
9. Mitchell W
10. Eriksson-Ek C
11. Greenway LW
12. Stezka G
13. Kaprizov LW
14. Boka D
15. BelPedio RD
16. Bouramman D
17. Sadek D
18. Tuch RW
19. Lang C
20. Duke C
21. Jenys C/LW
22. Olofsson D
23. Labbe D
24. Peterson C
25. Lucia LW

Kirill Kaprizov preseason game in its entirety

on youtube.  https://youtu.be/FaG-HnofCqQ  In this game, he is #7 in the red.  Minnesotans Ryan Stoa (#94) and Cade Fairchild are also playing.

Kiiril Kaprizov signed...for another year in KHL

His original contract was through 16-17.  The press release didn't say it was an extention, just a new three year contract.  It specified it lasted through 17-18 season.  http://metallurg-nk.ru/club/news/911/.  I am looking forward to see if there is an "out clause" to go to North America and if Minnesota will still hold his rights.  For European players, with the lone exception about which I am sure -the Swiss league, NHL teams have to sign them within two years of drafting them or they lose their rights.

Iowa Wild/MN Wild Prospect Wins Gold for Canada in World In line Hockey Championship

Bulmer helps Team Canada to world inline hockey title

Haula re-signed

2 year contract with ~$1 million average annual salary.  Avoids arbitration decision.

My twitter feed

Here is my twitter feed.  It will be mostly reposts of hockey stuff I find particularly interesting.  It certainly will include all meaningful and interesting posts from the prospects themselves, as well as from hockey media sources.

Folin to Iowa this fall?

So, I FINALLY got a question answered on Michael Russo's podcast (episode 8).  I asked "why is it abhorrent to pay Folin NHL salary for a few months in Iowa to create a roster spot?"  I asked because Russo always implies that a one-way contract (meaning NHL salary, regardless whether on the team or in the minors) means they will be on the team, not the minors because owners don't want to pay NHL salaries to players who aren't on the team.  YET, he continually suggests that the team is willing to pay out millions and millions of dollars in a buyout or two.  His response -after a little stuttering and stammering) was that it wasn't abhorrent and that they may actually have to do that.  I do think he was struck by the logic of the question.  He did add something that I hadn't thought about, however.  He said the team needs to make sure they don't end up with a situation similar to what they had (have) with Haula and Kuemper:  a player who they can't send to the minors because they will have so many NHL games they will have to pass through waivers and will certainly not make it through.  For those people who don't understand, all other NHL teams can take the player with no compensation of any sort to the MN Wild.

I've asked some other questions to them via twitter, but I wonder they couldn't see them because of my privacy settings.

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.

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!

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

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.

The Top 10 Ranked Prospects According to International Scouting Services (ISS)

I chose to use the International Scouting Services list, as opposed to the NHL's Central Scouting because Central Scouting categorized players into North American and European plus by Skaters and Goalies.  Besides various news services (TSN.ca, for example) I believe these are the two primary professional scouting groups. 

Be aware, that beyond the number one pick, there isn't much consensus about the specific order of the prospects.  It all makes for a very interesting draft!

#1 FORWARD #2 FORWARD #3 DEFENSEMAN #4 FORWARD #5 DEFENSEMAN #6 DEFENSEMAN #7 DEFENSEMAN #8 FORWARD #9 DEFENSEMAN #10 DEFENSEMAN

The Wild Forwards' Evaluation for 2011-12

The Wild had two primary problems during the 2011-12 season.  They were decimated by injuries.  Only three players -Heatley, Brodziak and Powe- played all 82 games.  The lost Guillaume Latendress for all but 16 games, Pierre-Marc Bouchard for 45 games and Mikko Koivu for 27 games.  All three players are very important, top-six forwards for Minnesota.  The loss of these players played an important part in Minnesota's inability to score. A few of the positive and also a few of the disappointing players will be noted here.

Dany Heatley was acquired in a trade with San Jose, in which we gave them Martin Havlat.  The trade served two purposes for Minnesota.  First, apparently, Havlat didn't ever gel with his teammates either on or off of the ice.  Second, Minnesota needed to add a shooter and Heatley is nothing if not a shooter.  Heatley potted 24 goals and at times was the offensive player Minnesota had hoped for, but he didn't perform at that high level as often as liked.  That being said, he was one of only two forwards who played regular minutes that was plus.   Mikko Koivu again demonstrated how important he is for this roster.  He contributed in every facet of the game and led by example.  Koivu collected 44 points in 55 games and led the team with a plus-10.  Kyle Brodziak was rewarded with a three year contract extension because of his terrific year in which he lifted his offensive output to a career high of 44 points.  By necessity, he was used in an expanded offensive role.  This provided him with more opportunity, but it wouldn't have been his role had there not been so many injuries.  One forward, in my view, is under-appreciated.  Darroll Powe was acquired from Philidelphia for his forechecking, physical play and energy.  He did all of those things.  Additionally, when the team was beginning its downward spiral, Powe became more physical and dropped the gloves a few times when the team needed a lift.  At times, it seemed as if he was the only one who was angry about how poorly the team was performing.  Honestly, I don't understand how nobody in the public or media recognized the timing of those actions and his contributions.  Finally, Matt Kassian played in 24 games and posted no points except for when he scored two goals against Montreal in a lopsided loss.  I thought his work along the boards was good for an enforcer as was his sense to "go to the net" to create traffic and bang away at any loose pucks.  His willingness to engage in fisticuffs, of course, continues to not be an issue.

Putting aside the injuries, there weren't that many regulars in the line-up for which one would have reasonably high expectations.  The player that was the most disappointing was Devin Setoguchi.  He has speed and a willingness to shoot, but the team certainly hoped for more than 19 goals and 36 points.  There were stretches of games where he was a complete nonfactor.  Fortunately, he's young and will certainly have much better years in the future -hopefully in Minnesota.  Another player that was good for certain periods of times, yet entirely absent for other periods of time was Matt Cullen.  Once again, he started the year hot, but then, for the second year in a row, put up very limited production the second half of the year.  Finally, though he only played nine games, I was really unimpressed with Nick Palmieri.  Palmieri was acquired as a part of the trade of Zidlicky to New Jersey.  He is supposed to be a power forward with some offensive skill but I saw no power, no offensive skill, no speed, no fire, no...anything.  He contributed exactly zero goals and zero assists in nine games.  He'll be in Houston all of next year unless he's traded or shows he belongs on an NHL roster.  This is particularly true as Minnesota has two promising power forwards entering their system this summer.