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MNWild No Surprise Loaded Wild Blue Line is Shining in Traverse City

September 14, 2014, 5:35 PM ET [12 Comments]
Tony Dean
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WildHBcommunity: MNWild No Surprise Loaded Wild Blue Line is Shining in Traverse City






Minnesota Wild's Front Office and Scouting Staff Ahead of the Curve NOW

Upon arrival to the State of Hockey Chuck Fletcher was faced with a huge challenge to turn around a nearly bankrupt talent wise NHL roster with little to no help from the prospect ranks. The transformation of this organization did not occur overnight but there now exist a night and day difference throughout the entire organization with regards to depth of talent. Many successful and intelligent people believe for any NHL franchise to enjoy sustain success, they must create internal competition at every level of an organization. I argue that is the reality now for the Wild.

This is literally the strongest prospect group of young defenders ever in franchise history for the Wild. After stockpiling and focusing directly on adding offense and speed to the organization via the draft and trades,(Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle, Nino Niederreiter, Johan Larsson, Brett Bulmer, Jason Zucker, Zack Phillips, etc)the past three seasons have shown adding defenders as a focal point for the Wild and they are no beginning to reap the rewards.

While I think we all have different evaluations and projections for each of the kids causing the swell of young talent and potential on the back end for the Wild, in general I believe the list compiled by Hockey's Future below illustrates how many different kids in the pipeline have a shot at contributing in the years to come. Obviously there has been some moving and shuffling with Kyle Medvec no longer a part of the organization. Also Daniel Gunnarsson chose to sign a new three year pact with Färjestad to stay in Sweden for the next 3 years rather than coming to North America but this is a deep and diverse group.

The most impressive part of this group to me is that Fletcher and his right hand man Assistant General Manager Brent Flahr were able to identify how valuable NHL capable/ready defensive prospects have become in today's NHL and this group will be such a strength for the organization going forward. Undoubtedly only a few of these guys will ever throw on a Wild sweater and contribute consistently but from this group I have little doubt at minimum a return via trade or significant contributions at the AHL level will result in the next 3-5 years from most of these young defenders.

Defensive Prospect Rankings From Hockey's Future

DEFENSEMEN
LEAGUE PROSP. TALENT PROB. OF SUCCESS
1. Matt Dumba Pro 8.0 C
2. Gustav Olofsson Pro 7.5 C
3. John Draeger NCAA 6.5 C
4. Dylan Labbe CHL 6.5 C
5. Christian Folin Pro 6.5 C
6. Louis Belpedio NCAA 6.5 C
7. Tanner Faith CHL 6.5 D
8. Guillaume Gelinas Pro 6.5 D
9. Nick Seeler NCAA 6.0 C
10. Kyle Medvec Pro 6.0 C
11. Carson Soucy NCAA 6.0 C
12. Pontus Sjalin Europe 6.0 C
13. Bjorn Krupp Europe 6.0 D
14. Colton Jobke Pro 6.0 D
15. Nolan De Jong NCAA 6.0 D

Courtesy ofHF's Minnesota Wild Page







Mathew Dumba is the type of prospect that creates great divides in opinions and projections in the hockey world. From the moment this kid was selected 7th overall in 2012 I have been enamored with his aggressive nature and skill set. I have tempered my expectations because he has shown that his dynamic abilities require a better working knowledge of his responsibilities defensively. Often defensive prospects require more time to develop than forwards but when a player flashes end to end ability like Dumba it can cause personnel men and coaches to get itchy on the trigger.

Dumba stumbled last season looking in over his head and hesitant during his 13 games in the NHL with Wild. Instead of panicking though, Fletcher & Flahr were able to provide Dumba every opportunity to compete against the best young players in the world(Not in the NHL currently) by getting him placed on Team Canada for the WJHC and traded to the Portland Winter Hawks for a run at the Memorial Cup. Dumba responded to the challenge and maybe more importantly conducted himself with maturity and humility. Dumba made no doubt about his disappointment at being shipped out of Minnesota for another year of seasoning but he rose to the occasion and made the most of his ice time.



I see Dumba's season beginning in Des Moines as a critical part of the "Baby Wild" mostly just because it is another opportunity for him to play heavy minutes in every situation the games have to offer. With the current makeup of the blue line in Saint Paul this year, Dumba would be fighting for a spot in the third pairing rotation. The tough decision for the Head Coach Mike Yeo and his staff will be if Dumba is not better served by playing top pairing minutes in a leadership role for the "Baby Wild" until top 4 minutes open up in Saint Paul.

A couple of the things Dumba must work on and improve before he is ready for NHL minutes in my mind are positioning and assignments/responsibilities defensively. Whenever you have a defender with the dynamic ability to activate offensively and drive the play like Dumba the polishing of their decision making process becomes the critical element between asset or liability. Dumba nearly completely avoided taking risks last season when in the Wild's lineup which surely played a large part in his no sticking with the NHL club. The times I saw Dumba this summer he was confident and stable in his decision making which is a clear sign of growth.





The Wild defensive prospect with the highest ceiling as a two-way defender in my opinion is Gustav Olofsson. Taken with the 46th overall pick in the second round of the 2013 NHL Draft, Olofsson was an under the radar type kid because he came to North America to play in the USHL as a teenager causing him to not be included in junior national competition with his home country of Sweden. Olofsson is just 19 years old and still growing but his frame projects to be in the 6'4" 210-215LBs range which is truly impressive given how agile and skilled a skater this kid is.

Olofsson this summer was so impressive with his angles and use of his body to close out opponents in the defense end on the rush. Olofsson flashed so Brodin-esq patience with the puck and opponents bearing down on him as well. If Olofsson can continue to develop his offensive awareness he will become the type of size/skill combo defender that NHL teams place such a huge importance on.



Olofsson has the least overall experience playing against top competition of the trifecta of Wild prospects(Dumba, Olofsson, and Christian Folin) competing to either make the NHL roster or play top pairing minutes in Des Moines this season. In truth Olofsson burst onto the prospect map when the Wild selected him 46th overall because of Fletcher & Flahr's reputation and recent track record of drafting defenders. Olofsson attended Colorado College which is currently in down period after many years at or near the top of the WCHA. Olofsson was included in the WJHC on Team Sweden where he flashed his Two-Way talent despite playing limited minutes.

Olofsson is a near lock to begin this season with the "Baby Wild" as the partner of Dumba on the top pairing there playing in all situations. This is a kid that the Wild can afford to slow develop because of how many 20-something defenders they already have on the NHL roster. I think Iowa Wild fans will fall in love with this kid immediately for how consistent he is in the defensive zone and how capable of calm he is able to be with the puck on his stick.





My contention has been dating back to even last season is that Christian Folin is capable and ready to contribute steady minutes to the Wild in the NHL because he is farther along physically in his development and strength than other young defenders in this organization. Folin is a late-bloomer type as 23 year old NCAA free agent but every time I saw this kid play he was strong positionally and aggressive in removing opponents from the puck. Folin is strong carrying the puck as well so maybe you have less potential for offensive output with him over other young defenders but his ability to carry to his own blue line and make a strong first pass is a difference maker considering how many slight of stature defenders are in the Wild's NHL lineup.

Folin projects as a more of a stay at home defender with limited offensive upside but his shot is heavy. Folin in my mind compliments the Wild's speed offensive generators on the blue line like Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, and Dumba. Often times defenders are individually talented but struggle to compliment each other as has been the case often here in Minnesota. I think Folin arguably could be paired with any of the Wild's current defenders and allow them to activate more without worrying about exposed in the defensive end.



When Clayton Stoner signed his mega-contract with Anaheim this summer fans were scrambling to come up with ideas for players Fletcher could sign to replace his tough guy play in the lineup. I have always believed that Folin is that guy for the Wild though. Folin is a more skilled in my opinion that Stoner and willing to bang bodies whether sticking up for his teammates or in general. I believe because of Folin's size/skill combo he will make the NHL roster and be apart of the third pair rotation with Keith Ballard and Jon Blum.





The dark horse defensive prospect of the current group likely headed for Des Moines is Guillaume Gelinas a 5' 9" 180lb firecracker who the Wild signed as an overage free agent from Val-d'Or Foreurs of the QMJHL. Gelinas put up 92 points (23 goals 69 assists) in the teams deep run at the Memorial Cup. Gelinas was the winner of the QMJHL Defensemen of the Year "Emile Bouchard" Trophy in addition to leading all defenders in the QMJHL in goals, assists, and points.

Gelinas was fun to watch this summer as he confidently carried the puck and put it on the goaltender early and often in both prospect scrimmages. Gelinas also look to punish opponents with physical play despite being noticeably undersized especially now that the Wild has added so many players with NHL size to their prospect stable. Gelinas was more than capable of competing and willing to mix it up with the likes of Alex Tuch and Kurtis Gabriel two of the bigger prospects out there.



Gelinas is going have the "Baby Wild" fall in love with his exciting and brash brand of hockey this season in Des Moines. Some have mentioned Spurgeon as a comparable but honestly I think Gelinas has a nasty disposition on the ice that will serve him very well especially considering his lack of size in the defense end. Gelinas was never out of control with his play but rather just was confident in his ability to force the play and keep possessions alive. This kid can skate, shoot, and hit all the things that fans and coaches love to see out of a player that lacks ideal size.

What About the Rest?


The other kids in the pipeline are also worth mentioning as each has flashed at different time impressive play and possible NHL potential down the road. Louie Belpedio is a polished kid who played major minutes for US national development program team with Tuch selected in the 3rd round of the 2014 NHL Draft by the Wild. Belpedio is a bit undersized but he is smart and capable in both ends. Belpedio will play for Miami-Ohio this season and it will not be long before he is in their top pairing.

Dylan Labbe played some near the end of the season with the "Baby Wild" on a PTO after his Shawinigan of the QMJHL season ended. Labbe is a lanky kid at 6'1" 180lbs who is capable of carrying the puck end to end while also banging some bodies in the defensive zone. Labbe should be playing top pairing minutes this year in juniors so we will get a better idea of his development and future trajectory.

John Draeger, Nolan De Jong, and Nick Seeler will all be playing Big10 hockey in the coming years so Minnesota fans will be able to keep track of them. Draeger is a stay at home defender for Michigan State who played a bunch of minutes as a freshmen two years ago before only playing 24 games last year due to injuries. De Jong will be a sophomore at the University of Michigan this year after playing in just 29 games as a freshmen. De Jong is another lanky kid at 6'2" 188lbs who should play a larger role and more minutes this year for the Wolverines. Seeler left the University of Nebraska-Omaha for personal reasons which caused some concern for Wild fans. Seeler has now popped up as a transfer to the Minnesota Golden Gophers which means he will have to sit out the 2014-15 season.


That's all for now thanks for reading!


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Just My Take,
Tony Dean
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