The Minnesota Wild’s Best Value Picks On Draft Day
With the 2015 NHL Entry Draft about a month away, it’s time to take a gander at the five best value picks by the Minnesota Wild. It wasn’t until recent years that the Wild started having more success at the draft table. Teams can turn their franchises into dynasties with late-round steals as the Detroit Red Wings did with picks such as Henrik Zetterberg (seventh round, 210th overall, 1999), Pavel Datsyuk (sixth round, 171st overall, 1998), and Tomas Holmstrom (10th round, 257th overall, 1994). The trio played a large part in Detroit winning the Stanley Cup with a combined seven championships between them.
Now I’ve probably talked a little too much about the Red Wings to make any of these Wild draft selections seem momentous. Minnesota hasn’t been around for very long – none of Zetterberg, Datsyuk, and Holmstrom were drafted during Minnesota’s existence – and some of their recent picks have yet to show their colors. And again, in the days of GM Doug Risebrough, the cupboards weren’t exactly left stocked with prospects. For the purposes of this list, only guys with NHL experience will be used.
Mar 27, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Erik Haula (56) skates with the puck in the third period against the Calgary Flames at Xcel Energy Center. The Minnesota Wild beat the Calgary Flames 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Drafted in the seventh round, at 182 overall in 2009, Erik Haula, known in the State of Hockey as the “Finnesotan,” came from Finland to play hockey in the US at Shattuck St. Mary’s prep school – also producer of greats Sidney Crosby, Zach Parise, and Jonathan Toews – at the age of 17. After a one-year stint with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League, Haula was back in Minnesota playing with the Golden Gophers, where he compiled 124 points in 114 career games.
At the NHL level, he had a rough go in 2014-15, as documented by the Star Tribune’s Mike Russo, spending considerable time in the press box. But he’s fast, smart, and skilled, and has proven the ability to come through in the clutch – with five goals and eight points over 15 NHL playoff games.
Jan 6, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper (35) makes a save during the third period against the San Jose Sharks at Xcel Energy Center. The Sharks defeated 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Darcy Kuemper was a sixth-round selection, at 161, in 2009 – a pretty good draft year for Minnesota. Like Haula, Kuemper didn’t exactly shine this season, as he fell to 14-12-2 with a .905 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average following a hot start where he posted shutouts in three of his first four games.
There wasn’t too much talk of Kuemper coming out of major junior. But it wasn’t quite a surprise the sixth-rounder has been successful in the NHL (12-8-4, .915 SP, and 2.43 GAA during 2013-14), since he won MVP in the Western Hockey League in 2010-11 where he posted a 45-12-5 record, .933 SP, 1.86 GAA, and 13 shutouts for the Red Deer Rebels. That same season he was named the top goalie in the entire Canadian Hockey League.
Mar 21, 2015; Newark, NJ, USA; New York Islanders right wing Cal Clutterbuck (15) and New Jersey Devils center Adam Henrique (14) battle for the puck during the second period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Cal Clutterbuck doesn’t light the world on fire with his scoring, and the Wild knew that would be the case despite the back-to-back 35-goal seasons he posted in 2005-06 and 2006-07 playing alongside John Tavares on the Oshawa Generals. But they knew he’d be an effective player, nonetheless, and drafted him in the third round at 72 overall in 2006.
Perennially near the top of the NHL hits leaderboard, Clutterbuck has made a career of keeping his opponents off-balance. He can also chip in offensively, with 84 goals in 507 career NHL games. Now with the Islanders, he’s back in the same lineup as Tavares, although he isn’t flanking him on the wing, and certainly not putting up 35-goal campaigns. Even though he’s out of Minnesota, he proved valuable as the main piece (along with a second-round pick) that brought in the talented Swiss winger, Nino Niederreiter.
Feb 27, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goalie Anton Khudobin (31) stops the shot by the Washington Capitals forward Jason Chimera (25) during the 1st period at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Washington Capitals 3-0. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Anton Khudobin, a seventh-round selection (206th overall) in 2004, hasn’t seen a bulk of playing time in the NHL, but has generally been a reliable goalie when given the chance. This past season he had a paltry .900 SP on a weak Carolina Hurricanes team, but he’s got a .919 career SP to his name.
The native of Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan is entering the last year of his contract on Carolina, along with Cam Ward, and at 29, a starting job for Khudobin could be a part (trade deadline) or full season (free agency, 2016) away.
Dec 29, 2014; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets forward Adam Lowry (17) faces off against Minnesota Wild forward Tyler Graovac (53) during the third period at MTS Centre. The Wild won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports
With only three games at the NHL level on his resume, Tyler Graovac could prove to be highway robbery at 191st overall (seventh round) in 2011. A lanky kid at the time, Graovac has really developed on the ice and filled in his six-foot-five frame.
Graovac didn’t pile up many points until his last year in junior, thanks in part to injuries, and didn’t even know whether he’d be drafted. So he elected to attend his high school prom on draft day, where, lo and behold, the Wild took the Ottawa 67’s center. The Brampton native was a top player for the AHL’s Iowa Wild this season, and might have made the Minnesota lineup in a diminished role, but spent the season in Iowa to play bigger minutes – he logged first-line minutes and led the team with 21 goals and 46 points.