Wild Sign Hunter Warner and Alex Gudbranson

The Minnesota Wild announced today that they have signed defenseman Hunter Warner and Alex Gudbranson to three-year entry-level contracts.

Both defensemen received an invite to the Wild’s development camp in July and were invited back to the 2014-15 training camp, which is still taking place.

Gudbranson is a 20-year-old native of Orleans, Ontario who has spent the last two seasons playing for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (where he played under 28-year-old analytics wünderkind turned Maple Leafs assistant GM Kyle Dubas) of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The 6-foot-3 223 pound defenseman put up seven goals and eight assists for the Greyhounds last season and was the team’s alternate captain. (Gudbranson’s weight and height are up one inch and eight pounds in the Wild’s press release from his latest figures at Elite Prospects.)

Gudbranson told the Sault Star, when talking about his opportunities this offseason:

"“I want to show them that I’m a puck-moving defenceman who’s mean and tough,” said Gudbranson, whose aggressive, blue-collar style has made him a Greyhounds fan favourite. “I’m going to be very physical there. I want to open some eyes.” [sic]"

Being physical and puck-moving aren’t always mentioned in the same breath for defenseman who often choose to either be “offensive-minded” in camp or pick fights the way Stu Bickel has in Wild camp so far, in order to make their presence known. I would hope the now Wild prospect would lean toward puck-moving, but the next part of that article by the Sault Star’s Peter Ruicci gives momentary pause, “In the past, the words ‘puck-moving defenceman’ didn’t exactly belong in any description of Gudbranson.”

Ruicci goes on to say that Gudbranson was able to adjust his game to the expectations of the team and find ways to get himself moving the puck and getting more involved offensively. One (ahem, “I”) hopes that Gudbranson continues down the pass of possession and is signed more for showing signs of being a big player in the potential of a Christian Folin rather than the somewhat known quantity of Bickel.

Gudbranson is the brother of the Florida Panthers’ Erik Gudbranson.

Warner is a 19-year-old prospect from Eden Prairie, MN. Following his senior year at Eden Prairie Warner got in six games with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL before playing his first full USHL season last year, split between Waterloo and the Fargo Force. In total last year he played 50 games in the USHL, tallying two goals, ten assists, and 125 penalty minutes. His penalty minutes ranked 11th among all USHL skaters last season.

This year Warner planned on moving from the USHL to the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Warner is 6-foot-3, 205 pounds. He finished last season ranked #206 on NHL Central Scouting’s 2014 draft rankings, though he went undrafted. According to Hockey’s Future, Warner had committed himself to playing at Minnesota State University-Mankato, though that doesn’t appear to be happening any longer after he signed his entry-level contract today.

Warner is eligible to play for the Iowa Wild this season, though it’s not clear if that will happen.

Also turns out that Alex Gudbranson fought fellow Wild prospect Kurtis Gabriel last season in the OHL. Really the best part of this video is the announcer. He gets an A+.

And, for the sake of fairness, here’s an interview with Warner from the Fargo Force YouTube Channel.