Wild draft-recap
After any efforts to move higher in the first round failed - the Wild had to wait until the 23rd pick of the draft to make their first selection.
When that pick was made it was Chris Kreider a centre from the U.S.
GM Farhall
"Chris is a wild card in this draft because he has been very impressive but has been playing against inferior competition compared to the rest of his draft class. But he has one of the primary attributes we look for in a player - the ability to make plays at top gear. Add to that great size and it's a player we like a lot and will be patient with".
With the final pick of the first round the Wild then selected RW Jordan Caron from the QMJHL.
"Jordan is a big power forward who is physical. He had a tremendous post-season which is where we noticed him. His skating needs some work but that's the case with most power forward - he's another guy that we are taking a long-term view on".
The Wild then made the first of five 2nd round selections at #36 - taking rearguard Nick Leddy who like Kreider is in the US highschool system.
"He's a pure skater - that's why we picked him...and not just his top speed. His overall mobility, backwards skating and footwork are tremendous. We see him an agile NHL defenseman that can QB a powerplay".
The Wild then looked across the pond for their next 3 picks.
At 46 it was Swedish LW Marcus Johansson.
"He's your typical Swede....plays both ends but is a tremendous playmaker. And he's a very smart player with excellent decision making. We think at worst he'll be a third liner but if he continues his development we see no reason why he can't play in our top 6 a few years from now".
With the next pick the Wild grabbed Slovakian centre Tomas Tatar.
"Well obviously we noticed him at the world juniors where he was outstanding. He's a finesse player but he's got a lot of fire in his belly - and a style that suits the north American game."
The euro-run continued when Minny looked to Finland to grab LW Toni Rajala at #49.
"He's got top end offensive abilities. The question mark with this kid is can he withstand the physical play of our game....he's a little soft right now. And he also needs to work on his defense. We picked him solely on the basis of his ceiling which we project to be very high. He's got a lot of work to do in other areas"
At #54 the Wild finally took their second Canadian - grabbing gritty blueliner Brayden McNabb
"He's a frickin' big boy at 6'4" and 200 pounds- and very mobile for that size - it's that combination we liked. He's a guy that could be a very good shutdown dman for us".
At #60 the Wild went a little off the board and took another american - RW Kenny Ryan.
"He's a goal scorer - soft hands with a deadly accurate release. And he works very hard. He's a guy that many people weren't familiar with - but we think he could be a gem"
The Wild then didn't pick until #106 where they took their third Swede - defenseman Alexander Urbom
"Another big mobile blueliner with a good point shot - and he's coming across to play in the CHL this season so he clearly wants to be on this side of the pond".
The Wild's draft wrapped up with Brett Fleming and Dustin Walsh.
"These two kids will have to be evaluated to see if we can fit them in our roster limits....they both are long shots to be sure".
Overall
Strange draft - because of where I was picking I focused on guys that still had the big time upside but were playing in leagues that didn't get as much hype - so that's why you seed three different american kids in my draft. It's a departure from past strategies for me so we'll see how it turns out. I'm particularly excited to have grabbed Nick Leddy in the 2nd round....I think he goes in the first of the NHL draft next weekend.
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