It was fitting that the day after Major League Baseball held its Futures Game in Minneapolis, the Minnesota Wild held what is essentially its franchise’s equivalent in St. Paul.
Despite the MLB Home Run Derby taking place concurrently, the State of Hockey still showed up in force to an exhibition of kids to the tune of 4,100 fans.
The Wild’s yearly development camp’s Green versus White scrimmage featured a little more than 40 of the up-and-coming young starlets in the organization pitted up against one another. It was a tryout atmosphere where everyone wants to be noticed – offensive specialists deking and attempting skill tricks while defenders lie in wait, trying to make the biggest hits possible. See: exciting. (Video highlights can be found here.)
With a standout camp some of these prospects could find themselves playing at the Xcel Energy Center regularly, but it will be a tall task considering the nucleus of the Wild that reached the conference semifinals last year is well and truly in place.
With this off-season’s free agent signings of former University of Minnesota stars Thomas Vanek and Jordan Schroeder as well as Swiss leaguer Cody Almond, the forward ranks present even less opportunity. Jason Zucker signed a two-year contract extension on Tuesday, suggesting his role with the varsity team will be expanded this upcoming season.
Stiff competition in the Wild organization is something Zack Phillips knows all too well. The 2011 first-round pick was partaking in his fourth development camp and has yet to feature for the Wild. He watched on as his former teammates Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund excelled during the postseason.
“It’s nice to see them having success and its nice to be a part of an organization that’s heading in the right direction,” Phillips said, “but obviously it will be nicer when I get my chance to contribute a little bit more so [I’m] hoping for that this year and we’ll see what happens.”
In October, Phillips will turn 22, an age when most blue-chip players are expected to reach the NHL and begin contributing shortly thereafter. He said he hasn’t spoken to management and isn’t sure what they’re plans are for him.
Phillips said he’s gunning for the roster spots held by his friends and former teammates Coyle, Zucker, Granlund and Justin Fontaine. He said their success in the NHL gives him confidence he’ll be ready when called upon.
“Given the opportunity, hopefully I can step up and do the same thing,” he said.
Phillips represents a player who could have an abrupt impact on the Wild in the short term. A talent coming in the distance for the Wild is 2014 first-round pick Alex Tuch.
The 18-year-old was born in 1996 and Wild fans got their first up-close look during the six-day camp. The pro he’s channeling is Charlie Coyle but has the upside of Anze Kopitar from the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings. Like Coyle, at 6’4’’, 213 pounds his build suggests power forward. But scouts say he’s much more than that as he possesses silky hands, speed that beleaguers his size, a hefty shot, position versatility and above average hockey intelligence.
Watching Tuch’s development should be enjoyable because, like Coyle, Zucker, Fontaine and Erik Haula, he’ll do so in NCAA Division I college hockey. Look for Tuch and fellow Wild forward prospect Adam Gilmour – both of whom scored in Monday scrimmage – at upcoming Frozen Four tournaments, as they’ll be lining up with perennial powerhouse Boston College.
Tuch’s goal saw him pick up the puck in front of the net with his back to goal. He spun around and calmly finished off the movement. Gilmour’s goal was an exhibition of soft hands, as he used a coy backhand from a tricky angle to find the back of the net.
Considering 2014 NCAA runner-up Minnesota had no early departures this offseason and will thus likely be odds-on favorites to return to the national title game, it’s a distinct possibility that we could see Tuch and Gilmour face off against the hometown team in a high-stakes clash. (The only Gopher in the Wild’s farm system is goaltender Michael Shibrowski, though Minnesota forward Vinni Lettieri was invited to camp and scored a neat breakaway goal on Monday.)
It also must be said in this space that two forwards that shone brightly in the prospect scrimmage were Kurtis Gabriel and Zack Mitchell. It was hard to keep an eye on Phillips because his line mate Gabriel, a third round pick in 2013, continued to grab the attention. The 21-year-old displayed extremely quick hands throughout: first completing a difficult high-speed between-the-legs shimmy past one defender in the first period and then stickhandling with blinding speed in his successful post-game shootout attempt.
Mitchell, another 21-year-old Canadian, was the personification of the word ‘wow’ on Monday. Last season he had 83 points in 67 games for Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League. In person it’s clear to see he’s a stickhandling extraordinaire. On one play, his burst of speed to create space once taking of possession of the puck in front of the net was breathtaking. From there he let his hands take over and left everyone frozen as he maneuvered behind the night and back in front once again to bury it. It was an astonishing play considering he basically circled the net while the other nine skaters watched. Mitchell later scored during the shootout. His shot went five hole between the goalie, who didn’t move a muscle.
It’s a bit early for predictions, but one of these two young forwards from north of the border could provide explosive impact as early as this season and be the Wild’s Erik Haula of 2015.
The state of the Wild’s defense is a different story and could resemble a revolving door of sorts in 2015.
Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin are locked in as the top three blue-liners. Beyond that Marco Scandella, Keith Ballard, Jonathon Blum and Stu Bickel would likely fill the last three spots in some fashion if the season started today.
But competition will be fierce as former 7th overall pick Matt Dumba and free agent acquisition Christian Folin look to breakthrough. Dumba’s got skill and confidence to go along with it, during the scrimmage he consistently attempted to join the offensive rush and wasn’t afraid to deke in dangerous positions. But his game looks too raw for a Stanley Cup-contending team at the moment and a little more seasoning at the lower levels would serve him well. The Wild agree, as was evidenced by his brief call up in November where he only featured in 13 games.
As a potent offensive defenseman Dumba has an exciting future within the Wild organization. He’s comparable pro would be Mike Green of the Washington Capitals. Seeing as he’s averaged 15 goals the last four years in Canadian juniors, such high appraisal adds up. Considered by some to be the Wild’s top overall prospect, the 19-year-old’s ceiling is astronomical.
Folin is a different story and a name Wild fans should familiarize themselves with rather quickly. The UMass-Lowell product was signed in March on a two-year deal. The move was quite a coup for the Wild as 15 to 20 other NHL teams were reportedly chasing his signature. The 23-year-old led River Hawks defenseman in scoring with six goals and 14 assists, including one slap shot that he literally smacked through the goal netting.
When asked whether he likes to pass or shoot, without hesitation, Folin said: “Shoot.” That’s a good thing since Wild d-men Suter and Brodin tied for 32nd among NHL defensemen with eight goals last season. Overall, Minnesota ranked 25th out of the 30 NHL teams in goals scored during 2013-14. Clearly the Wild rely heavily on stellar defense and quality goaltending to maintain their success at times. More blue-line scoring is one apparent treatment to strengthen the team, something both Folin and particularly Dumba can contribute.
Among his many suitors, Folin said he chose Minnesota because he played two years of juniors in Austin, Minn., where he made good friends and found a fanbase that appreciates hockey.
“I saw how the fans when I played here are involved and how much they love the team here,” Folin said. “So when I got the chance to come back here it was a pretty easy decision.”
Folin profiles as a large defensive defenseman and like many veterans of the college game should be NHL-ready fairly quickly, if not already. The fact the Wild have yet to resign free agent Nate Prosser or replace Clayton Stoner, a defensive defenseman with a similarly large frame, after losing him in free agency to the Anaheim Ducks is telling as to how the Wild likely plan to use Folin in the 2014-2015 season. The Gothenburg, Sweden native is among the few prospects that have a chance to make the senior club out of training camp.
“My goal is to play in the NHL [this] year,” Folin said. “I know how I play and I know what I can do out there and what I bring to the table. So, yeah, I’m definitely looking forward to the season.”
A few other blue-liners to keep an eye on for the future are Gustav Olofsson and Louie Belpedio. Olofsson, a second-round selection in 2013, offers an ideal defenseman’s body at 6’4’’, 191, but also shows athletic potential beyond that size. The 19-year-old from Boras, Sweden looked wise beyond his years at camp. He’s a name to remember.
Belpedio is an 18-year-old who was chosen by the Wild in the third round of the 2014 draft. He’s not considered a top-class prospect by scouts, but his play during camp defied those remarks as he often looked among the best skaters on the ice. Everything he did was with such a sense of calm, which is even more impressive considering he was born in 1996 when Bill Clinton was still in the Oval Office. The Illinois native was playing for the U.S. U-18 development team but will start next season with the University of Miami (Ohio).
At the end of the scrimmage all the prospects entered the center-ice circle and saluted the fans. Some of these players will do this in front of adoring fans in a sold-out NHL arena in the future, while some never will. The forthcoming NHL season will see hopes crushed and dreams realized, for whom remains to be seen. One thing is certain: 2015 will be another Wild ride.