The Minnesota Wild will be in a battle this season to get back into the playoffs in the tough Western Conference. They added Tomas Vanek this offseason, but will it be enough?
Use the below Tabs to view Wild info for this upcoming season, as well as some numbers from last year.
2013-14 Record: 43-27-12, 98 points
Where they finished: 4th in the Central; 7th in the Western Conference; 11th in the NHL
Player Salaries: $67,283,000
Cap Payroll: $59,413,006
Bonuses: $3,137,500
Cap Space: $9,586,994
Forwards: $37.4 million (13)
Defensemen: $15.92 million (8)
Goalies: $5.32 million (2)
Source: CapGeek.com
In: Brett Sutter C/LW, Guillaume Gelinas D, Joel Rechlicz RW, Jordan Schroeder C/RW, Justin Falk D, Michael Keranen C/RW, Stu Bickel D, Thomas Vanek LW/RW
Out: Clayton Stoner D, Cody McCormick W/C, Dany Heatley LW/RW, Jon Landry D, Kris Foucault LW, Matt Moulson LW, Nate Prosser D, Steven Kampfer D
2014-15 Team Outlook:
It’s taken some time, but the Minnesota Wild are heading in the right direction towards contender status.
After a pretty good regular season while playing in the far superior Western Conference, the Wild managed to take out the 2nd seeded Colorado Avalanche in seven games.
The Wild had no problems keeping pucks out last season regardless of who was in net – Darcy Kuemper, Ilya Bryzgalov, Niklas Backstrom or Josh Harding – but they struggled to fill the net with consistency.
Wild GM Chuck Flutcher looks to have addressed that this off-season when he signed one of the league’s best goal scorers in Thomas Vanek to a three-year deal.
The team lost some depth and scoring punch in Matt Moulson and Dany Heatley, but both struggled in Minnesota, so Vanek’s production should be able to outweigh what they lost.
With Zach Parise and Vanek they have some star power up front, and they have a nice collection of forwards to surround them.
Jason Pominville is quite capable of putting up big numbers, Mikko Koivu is a very good centerman and Mikael Granlund looks to be on the path to stardom.
When you add Jason Zucker, Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter to the mix, the Wild have a nice collection of young forwards; many of which are still getting better.
Their defense core isn’t overly sexy, but Ryan Suter, Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella and Jared Spurgeon make up for a solid top-4.
Regardless of who is in the crease for Minnesota next season, they should win their fair share of games and at least contend for a playoff spot.
Written by Todd Cordell, who can be found on twitter @ToddCordell.
The depth chart listed below was taken from NHL.com’s 30-in-30.
FORWARDS
Zach Parise – Mikko Koivu – Charlie Coyle
Thomas Vanek – Mikael Granlund – Jason Pominville
Matt Cooke – Erik Haula – Nino Niederreiter
Jason Zucker – Kyle Brodziak – Justin Fontaine
Cody Almond – Stephane Veilleux
DEFENSEMEN
Ryan Suter – Jonas Brodin
Marco Scandella – Jared Spurgeon
Keith Ballard – Christian Folin
Justin Falk
GOALTENDERS
Darcy Kuemper
Niklas Backstrom
| Forwards | POS | HT | WT | DOB | BIRTH PLACE |
| Cody Almond | C | 6′ 2″ | 199 | 24-Jul-89 | CALGARY, AB, CAN |
| Kyle Brodziak | C | 6′ 2″ | 208 | 25-May-84 | ST. PAUL, AB, CAN |
| Matt Cooke | L | 5′ 11″ | 208 | 7-Sep-78 | BELLEVILLE, ON, CAN |
| Charlie Coyle | C | 6′ 3″ | 221 | 2-Mar-92 | E. WEYMOUTH, MA, USA |
| Justin Fontaine | R | 5′ 10″ | 177 | 6-Nov-87 | BONNYVILLE, AB, CAN |
| Mikael Granlund | C | 5′ 10″ | 186 | 26-Feb-92 | OULU, FIN |
| Erik Haula | C | 5′ 11″ | 192 | 23-Mar-91 | PORI, FIN |
| Michael Keranen | L | 6′ 1″ | 191 | 4-Jan-90 | TUKHOLMA, SWE |
| Mikko Koivu | C | 6′ 3″ | 222 | 12-Mar-83 | TURKU, FIN |
| Nino Niederreiter | R | 6′ 2″ | 209 | 8-Sep-92 | CHUR, CHE |
| Zach Parise | L | 5′ 11″ | 197 | 28-Jul-84 | MINNEAPOLIS, MN, USA |
| Jason Pominville | R | 6′ 0″ | 185 | 30-Nov-82 | REPENTIGNY, QC, CAN |
| Joel Rechlicz | R | 6′ 4″ | 220 | 14-Jun-87 | BROOKFIELD, WI, USA |
| Jordan Schroeder | C | 5′ 8″ | 175 | 29-Sep-90 | LAKEVILLE, MN, USA |
| Brett Sutter | L | 6′ 0″ | 200 | 2-Jun-87 | VIKING, AB, CAN |
| Thomas Vanek | L | 6′ 0″ | 217 | 19-Jan-84 | VIENNA, AUT |
| Stephane Veilleux | L | 6′ 1″ | 200 | 16-Nov-81 | BEAUCEVILLE, QC, CAN |
| Jason Zucker | L | 5′ 11″ | 188 | 16-Jan-92 | NEWPORT BEACH, CA, USA |
| Defensemen | HT | WT | AGE | DOB | BIRTH PLACE |
| Keith Ballard | 5′ 11″ | 199 | 31 | 26-Nov-82 | BAUDETTE, MN, USA |
| Stu Bickel | 6′ 4″ | 210 | 27 | 2-Oct-86 | CHANHASSEN, MN, USA |
| Jonathon Blum | 6′ 1″ | 188 | 25 | 30-Jan-89 | LONG BEACH, CA, USA |
| Jonas Brodin | 6′ 1″ | 194 | 21 | 12-Jul-93 | KARLSTAD, SWE |
| Justin Falk | 6′ 5″ | 215 | 25 | 11-Oct-88 | SNOWFLAKE, MB, CAN |
| Christian Folin | 6′ 3″ | 215 | 23 | 9-Feb-91 | GOTHENBURG, SWE |
| Marco Scandella | 6′ 3″ | 207 | 24 | 23-Feb-90 | MONTREAL, QC, CAN |
| Jared Spurgeon | 5′ 9″ | 168 | 24 | 29-Nov-89 | EDMONTON, AB, CAN |
| Ryan Suter | 6′ 1″ | 200 | 29 | 21-Jan-85 | MADISON, WI, USA |
| Goalies | HT | WT | AGE | DOB | BIRTH PLACE |
| Niklas Backstrom | 6′ 2″ | 197 | 36 | 13-Feb-78 | HELSINKI, FIN |
| Josh Harding | 6′ 2″ | 194 | 30 | 18-Jun-84 | REGINA, SK, CAN |
| Darcy Kuemper | 6′ 5″ | 205 | 24 | 5-May-90 | SASKATOON, SK, CAN |
A look at the Minnesota Wild top prospects heading into this season. Each source may use different classifications as to if a player is deemed a prospect or has graduated on from a prospect.
| RK | NHL.com | ESPN Corey Pronman |
Dobber Prospects | Hockeys Future | The Hockey News |
| 1 | Mathew Dumba | Mathew Dumba | Darcy Kuemper | Mathew Dumba | Mathew Dumba |
| 2 | Christian Folin | Jason Zucker | Jason Zucker | Alex Tuch | Alex Tuch |
| 3 | Gustav Olofsson | Alex Tuch | Mathew Dumba | Gustav Olofsson | Gustav Olofsson |
| 4 | Brett Bulmer | Gustav Olofsson | Erik Haula | Erik Haula | Darcy Kuemper |
| 5 | Tyler Graovac | Louis Belpedio | Christian Folin | Jordan Schroeder | Brett Bulmer |
| 6 | Alex Tuch | Christian Folin | Zack Phillips | Jason Zucker | Mario Lucia |
| 7 | Johan Gustafsson | Tyler Graovac | Michael Keranen | Michael Keranen | Tyler Graovac |
| 8 | Mario Lucia | Zack Phillips | Alex Tuch | Darcy Kuemper | Kaapo Kahkonen |
| 9 | Zack Mitchell | Johan Gustafsson | Mario Lucia | Mario Lucia | Zack Phillips |
| 10 | Kurtis Gabriel | Brett Bulmer | Johan Gustafsson | Kaapo Kahkonen | Kurtis Gabriel |
* Dobber Prospects – Prospects based on relevance in a fantasy-hockey keeper league, not actual talent on the ice.
Minnesota Wild Draft History from the past five years
| 2014 Draft | ||||||
| Rd. | Draft # | Player | Pos. | Team | Ht. | Wt. |
| 1 | 18 | Alex Tuch | RW | USA (NTDP-18) | 6′ 3″ | 213 |
| 3 | 80 | Louis Belpedio | D | Usa U-18 | 5′ 10″ | 193 |
| 4 | 109 | Kaapo Kahkonen | G | Blues Jr. (FIN) | 6′ 1″ | 209 |
| 5 | 139 | Tanner Faith | D | Kootenay (WHL) | 6′ 3″ | 211 |
| 6 | 160 | Pontus Sjalin | D | Ostersunds IK (SWE) | 6′ 0″ | 168 |
| 6 | 167 | Chase Lang | C | Calgary (WHL) | 6′ 1″ | 176 |
| 6 | 169 | Reid Duke | C | Lethbridge (WHL) | 5′ 11″ | 189 |
| 7 | 199 | Pavel Jenys | C | Brno (CZE) | 6′ 2″ | 192 |
| 2013 Draft | ||||||
| 2 | 46 | Gustav Olofsson | D | Green Bay (USHL) | 6′ 3″ | 185 |
| 3 | 81 | Kurtis Gabriel | RW | Owen Sound (OHL) | 6′ 3″ | 205 |
| 4 | 107 | Dylan Labbe | D | Shawinigan (QMJHL ) | 6′ 1″ | 180 |
| 5 | 137 | Carson Soucy | D | Spruce Grove (AJHL ) | 6′ 4″ | 191 |
| 6 | 167 | Avery Peterson | C | Grand Rapids HS (MN) | 6′ 2″ | 195 |
| 7 | 197 | Nolan DeJong | D | Victoria (BCHL) | 6′ 1″ | 165 |
| 7 | 200 | Alexandre Belanger | G | Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL ) | 6′ 0.5″ | 170 |
| 2012 Draft | ||||||
| 1 | 7 | Mathew Dumba | D | Red Deer (WHL) | 6′ 0″ | 175 |
| 2 | 46 | Raphael Bussieres | LW | Baie-Comeau (QMJHL) | 6′ 1″ | 195 |
| 3 | 68 | John Draeger | D | Shattuck St. Mary’s (HS) | 6′ 1″ | 186 |
| 4 | 98 | Adam Gilmour | C | Nobles HS (MA) | 6′ 2″ | 193 |
| 5 | 128 | Daniel Gunnarsson | D | Lulea (Swe) | 6′ 4″ | 191 |
| 6 | 158 | Christoph Bertschy | C | Saskatoon (WHL) | 5’10” | 170 |
| 7 | 188 | Louis Nanne | LW | Edina HS (MIN) | 5’10” | 162 |
| 2011 Draft | ||||||
| 1 | 10 | Jonas Brodin | D | Färjestad (SWE) | 6′ 1″ | 170 |
| 1 | 28 | Zack Phillips | C | Saint John (QMJHL) | 6′ 0″ | 180 |
| 2 | 60 | Mario Lucia | LW | Wayzata ( HIGH-MN ) | 6′ 2″ | 185 |
| 5 | 131 | Nick Seeler | D | Eden Prairie HS (Min) | 6′ 0″ | 170 |
| 6 | 161 | Stephen Michalek | G | Lommis-Chaffee HS (CT) | 6′ 2″ | 183 |
| 7 | 191 | Tyler Graovac | C | Ottawa (OHL) | 6′ 3″ | 180 |
| 2010 Draft | ||||||
| 1 | 9 | Mikael Granlund | LW | HIFK (Fin) | 5’10” | 180 |
| 2 | 39 | Brett Bulmer | RW | Kelowna | ||
| 2 | 56 | Johan Larsson | RW | Brynas Jr. | 5’10” | 200 |
| 2 | 59 | Jason Zucker | F | USA U-18 | 5’11” | 174 |
| 6 | 159 | Johan Gustafsson | G | Farjestad jr. | 6′ 2″ | 202 |
| 7 | 189 | Dylen Mckinlay | RW | Chilliwack | 5’11” | 162 |
| Player | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | SH | GW | S | S% |
| Jason Pominville | 82 | 30 | 30 | 60 | 3 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 226 | 13.3 |
| Zach Parise | 67 | 29 | 27 | 56 | 10 | 30 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 245 | 11.8 |
| Mikko Koivu | 65 | 11 | 43 | 54 | 0 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 147 | 7.5 |
| Ryan Suter | 82 | 8 | 35 | 43 | 15 | 34 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 150 | 5.3 |
| Mikael Granlund | 63 | 8 | 33 | 41 | -3 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 104 | 7.7 |
| Nino Niederreiter | 81 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 12 | 44 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 143 | 9.8 |
| Charlie Coyle | 70 | 12 | 18 | 30 | -7 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 135 | 8.9 |
| Matt Cooke | 82 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 8 | 54 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 104 | 9.6 |
| Dany Heatley | 76 | 12 | 16 | 28 | -18 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 110 | 10.9 |
| Jared Spurgeon | 67 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 15 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 91 | 5.5 |
| Kyle Brodziak | 81 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 0 | 61 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 115 | 7 |
| Justin Fontaine | 66 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 6 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 79 | 16.5 |
| Jonas Brodin | 79 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 0 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 10.8 |
| Marco Scandella | 76 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 10 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 80 | 3.8 |
| Erik Haula | 46 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 56 | 10.7 |
| Matt Moulson | 20 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 43 | 14 |
| Keith Ballard | 45 | 2 | 7 | 9 | -7 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 6.9 |
| Torrey Mitchell | 58 | 1 | 8 | 9 | -3 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 2.1 |
| Nate Prosser | 53 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 30 | 6.7 |
| Clayton Stoner | 63 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -6 | 84 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 2.1 |
| Jason Zucker | 21 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 10 |
| Stephane Veilleux | 34 | 3 | 0 | 3 | -2 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 11.5 |
| Cody Mccormick | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 16.7 |
| Zenon Konopka | 36 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -5 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 6.7 |
| Matt Dumba | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 8.3 |
| Mike Rupp | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Jonathon Blum | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Christian Folin | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jake Dowell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Carson Mcmillan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brett Bulmer | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Goalie | GPI | GS | MIN | GAA | W | L | OT | SO | SA | GA | SV% |
| Josh Harding | 29 | 26 | 1668 | 1.65 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 690 | 46 | 0.933 |
| Darcy Kuemper | 26 | 25 | 1480 | 2.43 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 702 | 60 | 0.915 |
| Niklas Backstrom | 21 | 19 | 1094 | 3.02 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 546 | 55 | 0.899 |
| Ilya Bryzgalov | 12 | 11 | 679 | 2.12 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 269 | 24 | 0.911 |
| John Curry | 2 | 1 | 80 | 3.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 4 | 0.930 |
Performance and Usage Charts for the Minnesota Wild from last season, from Extra Skater.
Minnesota Wild Media guide was submitted by Tom Jaede who can be found on twitter @tEjaede
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Alex Tuch
