Minnesota Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher bucked a couple trends in his drafting history with the team by trading up in the fifth round to select Russian Kirill Kaprizov. Fletcher and his staff had only made a couple trades to move up in the draft, but those involved acquiring a second round draft pick. They also had not selected a Russian and only one previous Eastern European native in the previous six drafts.
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Kirill Kaprizov was selected No. 1 overall by Metallurg Novokuznetsk in the Kontinental Hockey League draft. He was there for that moment in 2014. One year later, he was selected by the Minnesota Wild in the fifth round at No. 135 overall. He was not in Sunrise, Fla. to hear the Wild call his name. The Wild traded a 2016 fifth round draft pick to the Boston Bruins in order to move up to pick 135 to select the Novokuznetsk, native.
He is a relatively unknown player in North America, but did record 11 goals and 16 assists in 53 games for the KHL’s worst team in 2015-16 and is considered one of the better young players in Russia. He has been traded to a better team and is under contract through the 2017-18 season.
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The Wild will likely make every effort to get him signed during the spring of 2018. In an interview with
, he said he wants to eventually play in the NHL and is prepared to play in the AHL if that he has to do.
He still hasn’t performed for the Wild’s front office in person. Due to KHL training camp, he has not attended a Wild development camp. Getting him to the prospect camp is critical for the Wild to fairly decide his future with the organization.
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Dobber Prospects views him as a nice sleeper prospect once his game matures and he grows. Hockey’s Future believes he is a future second line playmaking left wing in the NHL. They describe him as a “smallish forward with soft hands and good wheels” and that he is a “long shot” despite “great skills and good hockey sense.”
I believe, if he leaves Russia, he has a scoring-line future in the NHL. He has the smarts, shot and ability to find open ice around the net. It is always a question mark whether Russian players leave home for the NHL. He is no exception.