Minnesota Wild: Russian prospects hope to spark offensive revolution

Everyone’s talking about Kirill Kaprizov

Kirill Kaprizov is the Russian drafted longest ago by the Minnesota Wild. Picked up in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft at 135th overall; Wild fans have been waiting quite some time now to see him in their team’s colours.

It isn’t set to happen for at least a season or two more though, with his contract with CSKA Moscow in the KHL still ongoing for the next eighteen months and seemingly not having an ‘out’ clause.

The excitement around the player is quite reasonable as since the 2016-17 season, he’s been able to put up consistent years of around 40 points in a league that compares quite well to the NHL.

This year for CSKA Moscow, he sits at 10 goals and 7 assists, totalling his 17 points in 24 games and has just been named to the KHL All-Star Team.

Kaprizov is the atypical Russian forward; amazing hands and great vision for the game, that and a penchant for slick goals.

Whilst this season’s numbers seem a little slow by comparison to his previous years, it’s clear that the scoring touch is still there for Kaprizov and what’s more, the Minnesota Wild are very much determined to bring him over from Russia.

The delay in him moving over to play for the Minnesota Wild could be seen, maybe, as a good thing. Look at how it panned out with Artemi Panarin, different scenario of course, but he too spent a large chunk of his early professional career playing in the KHL and did just fine upon making it to the NHL eventually.

Patience will be key here, that and ongoing communication. Which it seems that General Manager, Paul Fenton fully understands and is willing to put into practice, in return for eventually getting a Russian ace on his Minnesota Wild roster.