The Minnesota Wild have drafted a center in the first round three times since 2015. Will Wild general lmanager Bill Guerin, right, continue that trend this year. The Wild have two picks in the first round. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Wild have picked a center in the first round of the NHL Draft three times since 2015, including Marco Rossi last year.
With two selections this year — at No. 21 and No. 25 — it’s more than possible that the trend continues as it is a franchise need. Adding depth to the position could be the move to make even if the Wild take steps to address the issue via free agency or a trade over the coming weeks or months.
The Wild have five selections through the first three rounds of the Draft to stockpile additional centers as well.
As for the opening round, it’s nice to picture Matthew Beniers in a Wild sweater. The truth is the Michigan standout’s name will be called long before Minnesota gets a chance when the Draft begins on July 23, likely within the first few picks..
Mason McTavish, Chaz Lucius, Cole Sillinger, Fedor Svechkov and Kent Johnson also prospects who could all be snapped as lottery picks or within the first half of the draft board.
That doesn’t mean that the pool of center candidates will be dried up for the Wild.
The question is which is the best fit?
Here is a look at some centers who might be available for the Wild in the first round, or at least some of the most intriguing of the options. That group begins with one individual who was considered a No. 1 pick candidate not that long ago before he slid down the draft boards.
Aatu Raty, the 18-year-old native of Oulunsalo, Finland was initially considered he would be selected near the top of the draft boards this year. But he had a slow start in the Finnish Liiga against tougher competition and that caused him to slide a bit.
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic chronicled those issues in a story earlier this summer in which he spoke with Raty’s agent, Mika Backman.
Wheeler wrote:
In time, as the 2019-20 season neared its unanticipated shutdown due to the pandemic, Räty had begun to feel like he was losing himself. “Last spring, it wasn’t easy for him,” Backman said. “He was the youngest player in the whole world juniors and then after the tournament Kärpät put him to play with the juniors and he tried to work harder and harder, and I think he even practiced too hard. I think he pushed too hard. The joy, he lost it.”
Raty had three goals and six points in 35 games this year, but is ranked third among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting and is a top 20 candidate among several other draft and scout expert sites.
EliteProspects wrote its analysis of Raty in its draft preview:
He generates so much power on every release by sacrificing a quick drawback, instead taking his sweet time loading downforce into his lever-action wrister. It’s a hard, accurate shot when he has the time and space to send it on net. He’ll drive the centre lane with the puck on nearly every entry, and he isn’t shy about setting up shop at the net-front even if it means paying a physical toll on every shift. –
Zachary Bolduc skates prior to the start of QMJHL hockey game at the Videotron Center in October.(Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images) /
Bolduc’s season was hampered by both a positive COVID-19 diagnosis and also an injury later in the year. It resulted in him being limited to just 27 games in the QMJHL and finished with 29 points.
It comes a year after the 18-year-old produced 30 goals and 52 points in 55 games with Rimouski.
He is ranked 17th overall among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
EliteProspects wrote of him:
Bolduc’s tools give him the upper hand in downhill battles. When defenders stand flatfooted or rush him, he dangles through them with rapid stickhandling motions. And when given an open shooting lane, he can take a couple of steps, kick a leg back, and sling pucks past the goalie.
Wyatt Johnston #55 of the Windsor Spitfires celebrates his goal against the Kingston Frontenacs at the WFCU Centre in a March 2020 game (Photo by Dennis Pajot/Getty Images) /
The 18-year-old doesn’t have much of a highlight reel from this past season. He is a member of the Windsor Spitfires, part of the Ontario Hockey League that did not have a season this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Johnston did have two goals and five points in five games for Team Canada in the Under-18 World Champioship tournament.
He had 12 goals and 30 points in his rookie season with the Spitfires in 2019-20 and NHL Central Scouting has him ranked No. 16 among North American skaters.
EliteProspects wrote of Johnston:
Johnston runs the right routes in the offensive zone, supporting teammates by occupying pockets of space and by arriving in scoring spots and the net at the right time to bang in rebounds. He slides passes through defensive layers, holds onto the puck to wait for lanes to open, or creatively aim shots on the goalie’s pads to have them pinball into the open slot for trailing attackers.
The Wild also might have the opportunity grab Colton Dach of Saskatoon in the first round, or Samu Salminen or Xavier Bourgault and Francesco Pinelli, could be options in play as well when Minnesota makes its selection.
