The Minnesota Wild development camp wrapped up a few days ago, showcasing some of the top young talent in the organization.
The 6-day camp featured the Minnesota Wild 2018 draft picks, previous years’ draft picks, as well as other promising invitees. While there is probably no Sidney Crosby hiding in the depths of the organization, there is plenty of hope for our young studs.
Forward Spotlight:
Let’s start off with my personal favorite from the camp, Dmitry Sokolov. Sokolov possesses the skill set that the Wild desperately need. He is a pure scorer. The 20-year-old Russian sniper scored 50 goals and added 46 assists in just 64 games last season in the OHL (per Eliteprospects.com).
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Sokolov should look to carry over that scoring into the AHL and then to the NHL. Rather than getting lost in the 4th line, like it seems so many prospects do for the Minnesota Wild, Sokolov has the potential to make an immediate impact as a legitimate scoring threat. Time to break out his inner Ovechkin!
Defense Spotlight:
It’s hard to talk about this development camp without mentioning the Wild’s 2018 1st round pick, Filip Johansson. He is a Swedish defenseman hoping to live up to his 1st round status. Thus far, it has been Fenton’s most criticized move. Johansson’s perceived value was certainly not as high as where the Wild drafted him.
Johansson’s intelligence has said to have been far higher than the rest of the prospects, leading to the high pick. Although the last time a Minnesota team drafted a “high IQ” guy, it was the Vikings selecting Christian Ponder. Us Minnesotans know how that went… But let’s maintain high hopes for this kid. He is a bright, 18-year-old with a willingness to put in the work.
Goalie Spotlight:
We’ve talked of a forward and a defenseman, so let’s take a look at a goalie looking to get some NHL time this upcoming season. Kaapo Kahkonen is a 21-year-old goaltender out of Finland. Kahkonen will likely spend most of his time in the AHL competing with either Alex Stalock, or Andrew Hammond depending on who secures the back up spot to Devan Dubnyk. Last season, Kahkonen posted a 2.20 GAA with a 9.22 Save Percentage in the top Finnish league (per Eliteprospects.com).
Kahkonen could come as a savior to the Minnesota Wild, given the lack of depth at the position. I’m not sure what possess someone to be a goalie, but we can, and should, hope that more pucks hit him than not.
Other Notables:
Minnesota represents! 9 Players who participated in this camp came from State of Hockey. Included in this group is Gopher Captain, Tyler Sheehy. Sheehy will look to make a splash for his senior season at the U. Another interesting invitee was Carter Randklev. He will play of UND this year after finishing with 41 points in 25 games for his high school Moorehead Spuds last season (per Eliteprospects.com).
Missing participants. Luke Kunin, recovering from an ACL tear, and Jordan Greenway did not participate. Both saw time with the Wild last season and it should be of no surprise that they weren’t out on the ice. Both found time on the ice last season for the Wild and look to grow their roles with the team.
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There was plenty of talent on display at this camp and too many names to mention all in one sitting! The Wild draftees should be especially hungry as there will be openings on the Wild roster in the coming years.