Minnesota Wild: Wild Prospects Dominate World Junior Championship

The Minnesota Wild had an unprecedented four great prospects turn in excellent performances at the recently concluded World Junior Championship. With such great results the State of Hockey should be thinking very enthusiastically about the future of the team.

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When watching the World Junior Championship, you often see the next batch of NHL talent blossom right before your eyes. The young players of the world come from many different developmental leagues and you can see who’s truly going to be the NHL’s next superstar.

In most cases a NHL team will have one to two players that standout in the tournament and signal a bright future for their franchise. In the case of the Minnesota Wild in this last year’s tournament that concluded Thursday night, they had four different prospects that were certainly among the best players in the tournament.

The Wild’s last two 1st round draft picks Luke Kunin and Joel Eriksson-Ek, along with Krill Kaprizov and Jordan Greenway formed a Wild prospect group that was head-and-shoulders above any other NHL team’s prospect group in the tourney. So much so that of that group Greenway, Kaprizov, and Eriksson-Ek all were in the top 10 in the final tournament scoring.

Kaprizov’s performance was dominate as he finished in the top spot overall in points and goals for the tournament. The Russians had a great tournament garnering the Bronze Medal, and their Captain Kaprizov was their most dynamic player.

Although he has yet to play a minute in North America, he’s starting to show plenty of people that his great hockey sense and scoring touch will overcome his perceived height problem. It looks like the 19-year-old will spend two more seasons in the KHL, but has stated that he’s looking to explore his NHL options when his contract is up. Look for him to possibly be what Artemi Panarin was a few seasons ago a seasoned scorer who’s KHL experience make him an instant contributor.

Oct 2, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek (54) looks on during the third period of a preseason hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Hurricanes 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /

Joel Eriksson-Ek also had a great tourney as well as the Captain of the Swedish squad. He finished 7th in tournament scoring and 3rd in tournament goals, which is what you’d expect from a player who could easily still be playing regular NHL minutes right now. But Wild fans should be happy not only for the production of Eriksson-Ek, but for the continued maturation as he trends up and looks to be even more ready for NHL action heading into next season. His top line with Sabres prospect Alexander Nylander was statistically and practically the best line in the entire tournament.

Team USA’s top line featured the other two great Wild prospects Jordan Greenway and Luke Kunin. Kunin was the Captain of the American squad and notched four points, but more importantly offered outstanding leadership that contributed to Team USA’s Gold Medal performance.