NHL Draft: Why the Minnesota Wild must pick Matthew Coronato

With the Minnesota Wild  holding two picks in the the first round of the NHL Draft this year, there will be  talent  options to select from . One player that may be available  could be Chicago Steel and recent Clark Cup champion, Matthew Coronato.

The Wild will pick 21st and 25th in the opening round, the latter of which was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Jason Zucker trade.

Coronato should be one of the selections

He plays in the USHL, which is the tier one junior league in the United States. It’s a tough league to play in and is full of raw talent, like  Coronato.

He  plays mostly on the wing, a position the Minnesota Wild should look to fulfil after the need at center. To put it best, Coronato’s ability to be a highly offensive player could be something that fits the Wild’s future plans and could join the ranks of Marco Rossi and Matt Boldy.

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I’ve had the pleasure to see Coronato play in person and from what I’ve seen, he’s a force to be reckoned with. Consistency in the USHL is key for Coronato as he’s punched in 125 points in a total of 96 USHL games over two seasons in the league and his consistency goes all the way back to when he was in AAA.

I think another attribute to his game is his abilities to go to the dirty areas on the ice and get the job done and he can play in most situations.

I feel he will continue to grow positively and if he’s available at  No. 21,  I would sure hope Judd Brackett and Bill Guerin consider him.

Some teams may pass on Coronato due to his size but there’s no need to fear. 14 teams passed on Cole Caufield in the 2019 draft until Montreal picked him up 15th overall and we all see how that’s worked out for Caufield and the Canadiens after two seasons in college.

Coronato is committed to Harvard University which is coached by former NHL player Ted Donato. After being drafted, I could see Coronato’s timeline to being a full-time NHL player being anywhere from two-to-three years depending on how he develops at Harvard.

I tried to be as unbiased as possible when thinking of an NHL comparison for Coronato but the only one I can draw to is Kevin Fiala.

Final thoughts

If Coronato is available at the 21st pick, it could be a slam dunk pick for the Wild  and watch him develop into more of a player than he already is, both skill and size-wise.

*Some info for this piece was found at eliteprospects.com