The Minnesota Wild have had issues in drafting forwards in the last couple of years. With a few complete busts the Wild are banking that 2014 first round pick and recent signee Alex Tuch will reverse that trend.
The Minnesota Wild had a great draft in 2010. The list of forwards they brought in was impressive as it included Mikael Granlund, Jason Zucker, and Johan Larsson. However, the next year in 2011 was not kind to them as the Wild ended up wasting a first round pick on the underachieving Zack Phillips, and then in 2012 had the same issue again as their second round pick was wasted on Raphael Bussieres. It can be said that since the 2010 draft class the Wild have failed to produce a completely homegrown forward from draft to NHL.
Things might be looking up on that front finally. In 2014 the Wild took a big step forward to making that a reality as they drafted a young strong forward from New York named Alex Tuch. Tuch like many of the great American born players today is a product of the US National Development Team and continues to show the impact of developing talent early before they hit the NCAA or Junior ranks.
In his second year with the NTDP he would finish third in scoring with 32 points (13 goals and 19 assists) behind former number two overall pick Jack Eichel and former sixteenth overall pick Sonny Milano in route to a U18 World Championship.
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From the beginning it was obvious that Tuch was a power forward with a strong two-way game. It’s also been said that Tuch boasts great stickhandling and a “first rate” shot. Also he moves his 220 pound frame very well and uses his size to make plays happen. After his performance at that Worlds the Wild decided they would make Tuch their first round selection at 18th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft.
The expectations for Tuch were huge right away. The busts of Phillips and Bussieres were looming large and the Wild were looking to make sure that they didn’t make another huge mistake. So when Tuch started his freshman year at Boston College he had the eyes of the Wild faithful upon him in addition to the zealous BC fans, he rose to the occasion and led the Eagles in scoring with 28 points (14 goals and 14 assists) and leading them to a NCAA tourney appearance.
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The 2015-16 season at BC would see Tuch take a small step up with an output of 34 points (18 goals and 16 assists) and finished an impressive +23. The overall team result was much better as the Eagles made the tournament and advanced all the way to the Frozen Four. After that Tuch decided to forgo his last two seasons with BC and signed with the Wild to begin his professional journey.
The expectations for Tuch are that he’ll go to training camp and be competitive, but will most likely start the season in Iowa. The seasoning he’ll get in the AHL will be important. He’s got the potential to be a great physical two-way presence in the NHL, but as in the case of most college players he’ll need to find the professional pace of the game in the AHL for a bit. Still Tuch has the potential to be with Minnesota next season or even late this season depending on how things go.
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Tuch is the best hope for the Wild to have a homegrown forward crack the lineup in years, and it looks like he’ll deliver. He’s got the tools, the natural size, and the natural talent to make a difference and be a consistent point getter at the NHL level. He may not bring back those bust picks of the last couple of years, but he’ll do a lot to put them in the past