Minnesota Wild Prospect Pyramid 2025

Minnesota Wild Prospect Pyramid 2025

So, for me, the Minnesota Wild have been a really intriguing team to watch draft over the years. I have a lot of respect for Jud Brackett. I always have. I just think he has a pretty decent eye for talent in general. I think he’s just a guy that manages to extract a lot of good value out of where they have picks. And so, Minnesota’s ended up with some pretty intriguing players in here. So, let’s get into it. Starting with the core category, we’re going to go with Zou and Liam Ugrren. Ugrren did not have the best run in the NHL this year, but I don’t think that’s his fault. I watched him a bit in the AHL this year where he was nearly a point a game and I mean that was a team that didn’t score a whole lot. 32% involvement in his team’s offense, 17% involvement in his team’s goal scoring. Those are really, really, really good benchmarks to hit for an AHL rookie. And for me, Liam Ogrren is a player that will just get better and better and better the more and more he plays against NHL level competition. I don’t know if he’s more than like a good checking forward, but I do see him as a really really good one of those. A really simple but effective player at both ends of the ice who can compliment some of the best players on your lineup. I would love to see more of him this year and I hopefully will in the NHL. Zeve Buim, also one of my favorite players from the 2024 class, went back and had another phenomenal year with the University of Denver. I do think that his NHL play showcased definitely some of the weaknesses in his game, but the skill level and the creativity and the offensive upside is undeniable. And I can absolutely see a really, really good NHL player here as an offensive defenseman at the very least moving forward. In the depth category, there’s a trio of players here from Minnesota. Leading the way for me is Riley Height. Now, Riley Height is a bit of a risk. He’s a player who I think brings a ton of potential, a ton of raw ability and skill and energy, but just a really frustrating player when you watch a full game of him at times off the puck in his own end. There’s just not enough jam, I think, for what an NHL team is looking for. And I’m not quite sure the offensive output is enough to stick on an NHL roster. But I do feel like at the end of the day though, the offensive ability will find him a job of some kind, even if it is a third line complimentary offensive piece. Maybe you can put him out on the power play and see what he can do there because I think the skill is at least good enough to push back against NHL competition. Charlie Strael is in here, too, and that might surprise some people, but I’m a big believer in him. I do think that they drafted him way too high, but I do feel like there is the potential for a solid NHL player here. Maybe not a top six guy, but a big physical dude who can compliment some guys, maybe even guys further up the depth chart than he maybe should be, but a really, really interesting big physical presence with a bit of skill and just a lot on the table that he might be able to offer. And then you’ve got Danilia here who is coming over from the KHL. Now, I do feel the hype train on him got a little bit out of control in the season before this one, and his KHL production this year did kind of scratch the itch of what I expect out of him a little bit more. I don’t know if Denil Yurov is going to be the top six scoring forward everyone thought he would be after two seasons ago, but this year I think it’s pretty reasonable to see where his floor kind of is as a top nine jackof alltrades type smart capable forward that has some skill, has some finishing ability, has some defensive ability, just brings a little bit everywhere that should be able to find a job in some kind of role somewhere. Is he going to score a bunch in the NHL? Maybe. I think it very much depends on who he’s playing with, but it’s not impossible. Moving into the may category, there are some interesting players here. I think there’s a lot of guys that are really riding the line between depth and maybe here, especially David Jurichek. This might be controversial to some, but David Jurichek has had a real up and down season this past year. I’m only putting him here because based on what I’ve seen of him in the NHL and based on the age that he is at, you still see the same strengths and issues that I’ve always seen in Urac’s game. The problems just show themselves a lot more in the NHL. And he doesn’t get the opportunity to do what he does really well because of his off puck play in his own end. I feel like trailing so much that he ends up not getting the puck on his stick as much as he could. And if he doesn’t have the puck on his stick, he’s not able to do what is the best parts of his game. So for me, it just is a weird spot for him to be in. Barely considered a prospect anymore considering his NHL experience. But at the end of the day, I do feel like there is a still strong defenseman here. His ability to finish checks, grind play down along the boards, and monitor close quarters defense and open ice, those are all areas that I think have been exploited by opponents this year. But boy, once the puck is on his stick, he can be a fun player to watch, especially in the offensive zone. There is upside here still, but I have downgraded him just because of the issues that I see now once he touches the NHL ice. But also in this group, you have some interesting players. Ryder Richie had a pretty interesting season as well. There’s some good skill, nice complimentary offensive player, but I’ve downgraded him from a depth to a maybe here. I was never really huge on Ryder Richie in the first place, but I still saw a decent skill floor, and I just don’t know if it’s NHL level right now, so I’ve downgraded him a little bit. Aaron Kiharu is in here. The offensive tools are definitely there, but again, I think he is a bit of a long shot, but I still think there’s a chance. Adam Bino, I could say almost the exact same thing. I really, really liked what I’ve seen of him, but again, if you’re aiming for an NHL player, the bar for a player like him to stick in the NHL is really, really, really, really high. We’ll see because he doesn’t really strike me as a Minnesota Wild/Billgar type player. So, we’ll have to wait and see. But, I do think Bak has enough of an offensive ceiling that it’s worth betting on, especially where they took him in the draft. I do like Carter Clippenstein as well. He’s a player that they drafted this past season. He didn’t score a lot, but I do think the size and skill combination with him are worth betting on, and I think in a few years maybe there could be something there. He just seemed to have a few moments that I caught this year where he would just pull pucks around guys in a way that definitely is unbecoming of a player that’s 6’3 and I love to see stuff like that. He just plays that sort of skill first but still physical game that I really really like to see a lot of the time. And again, even if I feel like he’s a long shot, there could be something there. Teddy Hogfist and Hunter Height, I think they’re fine players. I don’t know if it’s going to be enough to stick in the NHL, but they’re smart, simple, capable, and maybe there’s something there with them as well. And the last name I wanted to touch on here is Yesper Walstead. I was really disappointed with his play this year. I don’t know what’s going on, honestly. I really, really don’t. Maybe there’s something I’m missing, but he went from an AHL all-star to one of the worst goalenders in the AHL last year. Now, granted, I will say when you look at the deeper numbers at even strength, he faced a really, really hard workload this year. He was not very well insulated and I don’t think that’s a situation he’s particularly used to. But man, I really wanted to see what was going on here. And so I watched his last few games of the season, watched the saves he made, the goals he led in, tracking the puck, you know, getting up and down in the crease, everything like that. And he looked like a completely different goalender from what I remember when he was 17, 18, even in last year. I don’t know what’s happening, but it was honestly a little shocking seeing what was happening to him in the net. things like tracking the puck about 2, three feet in the crease, tracking pucks two, three feet across his body, 10 ft out from in front of him. He would be opening his five hole into a five chasm, taking his knees off the ice, and guys would just slip pucks right under his pad. Just that ability to seal holes seemed to be a real gap in his game. I love Jesper Walstead. I really, really, really do. I want nothing but the best. But I I don’t Look at me. I I’m dead serious. I loved him when he was 17, 18 years old. Last year I have no idea what was happening there. I just I really I’ve seen a lot of goalending this year and he just it was bizarre. So hopefully that was just a season that you can just throw in the trash and he gets back on track this year, but it was rough. And then you have everyone else. And there’s not a whole lot in here that I really want to dig into a whole lot. There’s a lot of players in here that are smart, do it all type guys who bring a little bit in a bunch of areas, but I never really saw them really cracking an NHL gig long term. And there’s a lot of those guys in here. And they drafted a lot of these guys relatively high. guys like Reie Loren. I’m thinking Jack Pier, Carson Lambos, just guys who are guys at 17, 18 years old with maybe some traits that could be a thing, but never struck me as really really high-end players. And Lambos was an interesting example for me as well because we had the luxury of seeing him in Finland in his draft year. Iowa really struggled this year and part of it is I think some of the players that they’ve drafted over the years just guys who I don’t think have found that next gear in their 21 22 23 year old seasons. So time will tell it’s not over. I think Aaron Pian is an interesting defenseman that I’ve always found kind of intriguing but again for his age I just don’t know if it’s going to come together. And this is his last year in my database so just a fine group of guys. Maybe Rasmus Koopaan could turn into something but this is what every team kind of looks like. There’s a lot of mid late round draft picks that just probably won’t be much. So, for the Minnesota Wild, I’m going to be giving them a 1D. I think there’s a lot of high-end talent in here, and I think there’s even more potentially high-end talent. I think Minnesota aims kind of high with some of their picks. Guys like Banak and Ki Haru come to mind. Zeve Buou is a huge bet, but I really do believe the NHL upside there. I still think Liam Ogrren is going to be a very valuable NHL player, even if he’s not incredibly productive. I’ve liked him when I’ve seen him in the NHL. I’ve liked him when I’ve seen him in the AHL. And just seems like a rockolid player that I hope cracks the roster this fall. Height, Straml, and Yurov are interesting bets that I think could round out your roster. And maybe they’re a little limited, but could be something. Beyond that, there’s a lot of interesting bets. I like the rawness of Clippenstein’s game. Hulkfist keeps it simple and effective. I still think there’s something there with Urich, but he really rides that line of depth and maybe, but I think he is on the highest side of maybe out there. It’s just a matter of the issues coming enough of a way in a positive direction that everything kind of comes together a little more. And yes, for Walstead, if he has a great year, he could really bounce back and become the franchise goalender everybody thought he would be. But yeah, you can go see for yourself. But it was not pretty when I watched him, especially at five on five. And with that, we’re going to call it. If you like the video, definitely like and subscribe. If you really liked it, definitely consider a subscription over at scouching.ca, CA where you can get access to all kinds of fun data tools and our Discord server and plenty of other fun stuff that you’re just not going to find anywhere else on the internet. So check that out at scouting.ca. Thank you for watching and we’ll see you in the next

In this episode of the Prospect Pyramid series, Will Scouch takes a deep dive into the Minnesota Wild’s prospect pool. From top-tier future stars to longshot projects, every eligible player in the Wild’s system gets placed into a tier on the pyramid.

Will walks through each placement, explains his reasoning, and gives an updated look at how the Wild’s farm system is shaping up for the future.

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