Minnesota Wild: Top Five Prospects in the Organization

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The Minnesota Wild are well into the NHL preseason after three games, accumulating a 2-1 record so far. In anticipating the 2015-16 regular season, Gone Puck Wild is giving our run down on the top five prospects in the organization. The Wild have built a respectable farm which will be the future of the franchise in a few short years.

Next: #5

5. Gustav Olofsson

Drafted: 2013; 46th overall

Burdened by a shoulder injury last season causing him to miss almost the entire season, Gustav Olofsson comes in at number five on our list. Olofsson was expected to spend last season in Iowa in hopes of a possible jump to some NHL action. The shoulder injury prevented that, and will put him a year behind in retrospect.

Olofsson is a two way defensemen, who is best described as solid. He makes smart safe plays while also adding a scoring threat on offense. His 6’4, 191 pound frame, is respectable and is a reason to believe he will translate well into the NHL game. This will be a huge year for his potential moving forward.

Next: #4

4. Tyler Graovac

Drafted: 2011; 191th overall

The leading scorer for the Iowa Wild last season, Tyler Graovac, is our number four prospect coming into the 2015-16 season. Although Graovac is already 22 years old, his leadership and potential have given Wild fans a sign of promise. Graovac scored 21 goals with 25 assists last year in Iowa, while making three appearances in Minnesota. His 6’5 200 pound frame will translate very nicely into the NHL game, but scouts have proclaimed he needs to gain muscle in order to make that transition.

Next: #3

3. Joel Eriksson Ek

Drafted: 2015; 20th overall

The first round pick in this years draft, comes in at number three on our list given that there are many question marks surrounding him much like most 2015 draft picks. When a player is a later first round draft pick, he obviously has the potential to be a top forward or defensemen to solidify his franchise’s future.

Eriksson Ek has a great shot and work ethic, but his defensive game has gotten a mixed bag of reviews. I understand his defensive game was something that head coach Mike Yeo and the organization liked, but I think he has a long way to go to transfer that aspect of his game into the NHL. The potential and work ethic are there though, and it seems as if Minnesota got the pick right from what I’ve studied so far.

Next: #2

2. Alex Tuch

Drafted: 2014; 18th overall

I loved this pick and felt the Wild got an absolute steal just one year ago. Tuch played a major role on the US National team before heading to Boston College last season. He scored 14 goals and 14 assists while playing in 37 games for the Eagles as their leading scorer. He is 6’4 and 213 pounds with an ability to find open ice to score goals and make plays.

He could be the face of the franchise in a few short years.

Next: #1

1. Mike Reilly

Free Agent; 2015

Okay so maybe Mike Reilly is not technically a prospect, but being that he has not suited up for the Wild yet, I wanted to shed some light on him. I love defensemen who bring an offensive aspect to their game, and Mike Reilly certainty is capable of doing that. Reilly has a tremendous shot from the point, and basically was the quarterback of the offense for the University of Minnesota last year. Reilly has the potential to be the corner stone of the franchise in a couple years, while playing for his home town team.

“Growing up, going to games, kind of the back of your mind, you sit there and kind of dream about a little bit of potentially playing here,” Reilly said. “But I definitely did not predict it to actually happen.”

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