Because of several recent trades, the Minnesota Wild don't have a first or second-round pick in the upcoming NHL draft. I don't think Wild fans are complaining about the lack of draft capital, but reloading a depleted prospect pool without top picks is challenging. This will also be the Wild's first draft without Judd Brackett, who was the leader of amateur scouting for the Wild for the past five seasons.
In their recent history, the Wild have found several NHL-caliber players in the third round of the draft. Let's look back on five third-round selections that became solid contributors for the Minnesota Wild.
Stéphane Veilleux (F) 2001 NHL Draft, 93rd overall:
Stéphane Veilleux was drafted late in the third round in the Minnesota Wild’s second NHL entry draft in team history. Veilleux played over 500 games in the NHL, split between the Minnesota Wild, Tampa Bay Lightning, and New Jersey Devils. Veilleux put up strong offensive numbers in junior; he scored 48 goals and 115 points in his final year in the QMJHL, but offense was never his calling card in the NHL. Veilleux was mainly deployed as a bottom-six forward throughout both of his stints with the Wild. His best offensive season was 2008-2009, when he scored 13 goals and 23 points in 81 games. Unfortunately for the Wild, the Philadelphia Flyers selected Patrick Sharp two picks later in the 2001 draft.
Clayton Stoner (D) 2004 NHL Draft, 79th overall:
Looking back on the 2004 draft isn't a lot of fun for Wild fans. The Wild selected defenseman A.J. Thelen at 12th overall, but he never played a single NHL game. Third-round pick, defenseman Clayton Stoner, not only had a better career than Thelen, but Stoner played the most NHL games of anyone in the Wild’s draft class in 2004. Stoner didn’t make his NHL debut until the 2009-2010 season. Once he got to the NHL, Stoner was a serviceable bottom-pairing defenseman for parts of five seasons for the Minnesota Wild. Stoner finished his NHL career with 360 games played.
Cal Clutterbuck (F) 2006 NHL Draft, 72nd overall:
The 2006 draft was another stinker for the Wild, made slightly better by the selection of Cal Clutterbuck in the third round. Clutterbuck played five full seasons with the Wild, and his playing style made him a fan favorite almost instantly. Clutterbuck led the NHL in hits in three of his five Wild seasons. He also had a couple of good offensive seasons with the Wild, tallying 19 goals and 34 points in 76 games in 2010-2011. The Wild also got great value when they moved on from Clutterbuck in 2013, sending him and a third-round pick to the New York Islanders in exchange for Nino Niederreiter.
Connor Dewar (F) 2018 NHL Draft, 92nd overall:
The 2018 draft might give the 2006 draft a run for its money in terms of worst drafts in Minnesota Wild franchise history. The only two NHLers from that draft class were the third-round picks: Jack McBain, who the Wild traded to Arizona for a second-round pick before he played a game in the NHL, and Connor Dewar. Dewar has carved out a solid NHL career for himself. Despite his lack of size for a center, he was an effective bottom-six player for the Wild across three seasons. After a couple of seasons in Toronto, Dewar set career highs in goals (14), assists (16), and points (30) in 78 games last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Daemon Hunt (D) 2020 NHL Draft, 65th Overall:
Daemon Hunt has had quite the path from draft night to NHL defenseman for the Minnesota Wild. After junior hockey, Hunt spent parts of three seasons bouncing between the AHL and NHL before being traded to Columbus as part of the David Jiříček deal. Hunt would later return to Minnesota after Columbus placed him on waivers in October of last year. Hunt played 32 games for the Wild this past season, and he averaged 12:26 minutes a night in those games. According to PuckPedia, he had a 42.9 goals-for percentage. Hunt is still just 24, and he could be a cheap third-pairing option for the Wild in the upcoming season.
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