The Minnesota Wild have been one of the most successful teams in recent NHL Drafts, stockpiling high draft picks while finding steals in the later rounds. As a result, they have compiled quite an impressive prospect pool.
Honorable mentions: Ryan Healey, Hunter Haight, Graeme Clarke, Aaron Pionk, Rasmus Kumpulainen, Charlie Stramel
10. Vladislav Firstov, 23 Years Old (LW)
Vladislav Firstov is a 23-year-old winger who was selected by the Wild in the 2019 Draft. The Russian is signed with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) through the 2024-25 season so he will not be joining the NHL club soon, but his upside is arguably top-five in the Wild’s pool. He is speedy and has a strong shot, evident in his production throughout his career. If he comes to North America next season, he would have a strong case to join the Wild’s middle six and develop into a 20+ goal, 50+ point producer.
9. Carson Lambos, 21 Years Old (LD)
Carson Lambos is a defenseman who was selected at the end of the first round in the 2021 Draft by the Wild. He completed his first professional season with the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL) last season, scoring just four goals and 10 assists in 69 games. However, his strong defense is what earned him this praise, as he was one of the team’s better defensive defensemen. He is a few seasons from reaching the NHL, but he has the potential to become a strong, bottom-four defenseman and penalty killer.
8. Marat Khusnutdinov, 21 Years Old (C/LW)
Marat Khusnutdinov is a Russian center who came over to North America at the end of the 2023-24 season. He had six goals and 20 points in 49 KHL games with HK Sochi before scoring a goal and three assists in 16 NHL games for Minnesota. He is quite small, just 5-foot-9, but plays a well-rounded game. He will need to elevate his offensive game, but at just 21 years old, he possesses the upside to become a great third-liner in the future.
7. Ryder Ritchie, 17 Years Old (RW)
Heading into the 2024 Draft, Ryder Ritchie had a first-round grade by many scouts. However, he dropped to 45th overall and the Wild wasted no time selecting the speedy winger. He has an expansive offensive toolset, ranging from an underrated shot to impressive playmaking abilities and an elite hockey IQ.
Ritchie had 19 goals and 44 points in 47 games for the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League (WHL) last season. While those numbers do not stand out on the scoresheet, he was just over a month away from being too young for the 2024 Draft, so his production is quite impressive. He is a few seasons away from reaching the NHL, but he has middle-six potential if his development continues.
6. Aron Kiviharju, 18 Years Old (LD)
Two years ago, Aron Kiviharju was ranked as the top prospect in the 2024 Draft. Following a decrease in production and a serious injury, he fell to a projected late-first-round pick by most scouts. NHL teams were not so kind, causing him to fall to the Wild at 122nd overall. Despite this, he is still a great prospect.
Standing at just 5-foot-10, Kiviharju is quite short for a defenseman. However, he is highly skilled and has the potential to develop into a top-four defenseman. To hone his abilities, he needs to stay on the ice consistently, which means he is likely three to four seasons away from reaching the NHL. Despite his current high ranking, it should be taken with a grain of salt, as this coming season will be crucial in determining whether he can develop into the player many believe he can become. If he reaches his potential, he could eventually score over 40 points in a season.
5. Liam Ohgren, 20 Years Old (LW)
Liam Ohgren was a 2022 first-round pick by the Wild and has a very high ceiling and floor. He is a two-way center, providing elite defense while obtaining impressive offensive numbers. While he played just 26 games in the Swedish Hockey League last season, he scored 12 goals and 19 points. On a per-game rate, he outpaced the likes of Jonathan Lekkermaki in goals, assists, and points per game. Ohgren will be spending this season in Iowa, but he could quickly earn a call-up to Minnesota if he proves he can translate his game to North America. His upside is becoming one of the NHL’s best two-way forwards while scoring north of 15 goals and 55 points per season.
4. Riley Heidt, 19 Years Old (C/LW)
Riley Heidt remarkably fell to the Wild at 64th overall in the 2023 Draft and immediately proved the doubters wrong, scoring 37 goals and 117 points in 66 games as alternate captain of the Prince George Cougars of the WHL. He finished second in the league in assists and third in points. His high-capacity offensive game is already NHL-caliber, but he needs to round out his two-way game. After another season in the WHL and a year in the AHL, Heidt could join the Wild’s top six and powerplay, eventually developing into a 60-70 point forward, likely on the left wing.
3. Danila Yurov, 20 Years Old (RW)
It is pretty remarkable to say Danila Yurov is the team’s third-best prospect, but here we are. The left-handed forward had 21 goals and 49 points in 62 games for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL last season. He is a great skater with elusiveness in side-to-side movement and has elite hockey IQ and vision. His hands are very impressive as he utilizes them to finesse passes between defenders.
Yurov’s upside is higher than anyone on this list, owning the potential of 30+ goals and 90+ points in the NHL. Last season was his first with such high point totals, so it will be interesting to see if he can continue this production. If he can, he will likely join the Wild in the 2025-26 season and be an immediate candidate for the first line.
2. Zeev Buium, 18 Years Old (LD)
The Wild selected their future top-pairing defenseman Zeev Buium with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 Draft. He plays a complete game, having the ability to drive offense through his elite playmaking ability or pinpoint accurate wrist shot. Defensively he is well above average as a strong skater who uses the body well. He is never out of position and he uses his body to win puck battles. While physicality has been a struggle at times due to his smaller frame, he is likely to add weight throughout his development before reaching the NHL.
Buium will either sign an entry-level contract with the Wild following the 2024-25 or 2025-26 season and immediately join the NHL team. He will immediately contribute offensively at both even strength and on the powerplay, progressing his way up the depth chart. Seeing him on the top pair alongside Brock Faber in just a few seasons is not out of the question. Buium’s offensive upside could be as high as 65+ points per season in the right situation.
1. Jesper Wallstedt, 21 Years Old (G)
Every Wild fan knows just how dominant Jesper Wallstedt is, and all he needs is a chance in the NHL. He dominated the AHL last season, going 22-19-4 with a 2.70 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. He also suited up in three NHL games. Following a disastrous NHL debut that saw him give up seven goals on 34 shots against the Dallas Stars, he bounced back, giving up just two goals on 53 shots over his next two games, winning both.
Unfortunately for Wallstedt, the Wild have Marc Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson under contract for this season, paving a difficult path to joining the NHL tandem. Assuming no trades are made, Wallstedt will begin the season in Iowa but is surely to make it hard for Wild management not to call him up. In his prime, Wallstedt will be a Vezina-Trophy candidate as he leads the Wild to the playoffs. He is arguably the best goaltending prospect in the NHL, in contention with Yaroslav Askarov (Nashville Predators) and Dustin Wolf (Calgary Flames).
The Wild have a stacked prospect pool filled with top-end talent and a lot of depth. Once the team has more money to spend following the height of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s contract buyouts, they will be able to bring in top free agents to play alongside their top prospects, forming a lethal roster capable of winning multiple Stanley Cups.
