Article: Wild Prospects at Upcoming World Junior Summer Showcase

[Thomas Williams]

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[Up North Guy]

I like the Bleacher Report take for the Wild that Gus has a bounce back year. That would be huge.

[Pewterschmidt]

Hopefully these games will be on NHL Network.  I'd like to see Heidt in action.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

I look forward to the evaluations of these players in the world juniors situation. Should give the Wild a better sense of how ready they are to move up a level.

[mnfaninnc]

2 hours ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

I look forward to the evaluations of these players in the world juniors situation. Should give the Wild a better sense of how ready they are to move up a level.

I really think evaluations would be invalid on this stage. I would expect that both Buium and Heidt would do very well for their nations. But, who are they going up against? Their peers.

This is where ODC has a legitimate take: These guys haven't done anything in the N. And an early tournament showcase against pups is another peer tournament, not full of strong men. I would expect both to get into the corners and work hard. Can they do that in the N? It depends upon how hard they took their offseason program. 

We'll get to see the skill showcased, but what we won't see is the skill showcased with a 210 lb. man in close proximity to the player. How will they react to that? Can they shake him loose? Or, do they get crushed in a check?

This was the whole difference between '22 Rossi and '23 Rossi, and I'd expect it to be similar for Heidt and Buium.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

47 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

These guys haven't done anything in the N. And an early tournament showcase against pups is another peer tournament, not full of strong men.

I realize that, but Buium is playing NCAA. Not a lot of guys aged 24+ there, but the NCAA team that defeated Faber's Gophers had a bunch of 21-23 year olds, so it's definitely a step up from high school or juniors.

And just playing a little better than those guys doesn't tell us they are ready, but if they are dominant in their play in a structure that is different from the team they were just on, it could still be meaningful to the Wild.

[mnfaninnc]

On 7/19/2024 at 1:03 PM, Imyourhuckleberry said:

I realize that, but Buium is playing NCAA. Not a lot of guys aged 24+ there, but the NCAA team that defeated Faber's Gophers had a bunch of 21-23 year olds, so it's definitely a step up from high school or juniors.

I wouldn't consider the NCAA as apples to apples in the N, but I would say it is a better gauge than the world juniors showcase. 21-23 year olds should be bigger than 18-19 year olds.

Can Zeev make the jump like Faber did? Personally, I think he can if. What is that big if? 200+ lbs. I have no doubt that Buium will be strengthening himself just by looking at his big brother!

[LittleBallofHate]

 Well we already know he has been in the gym enough to be a pro on the pullup bar 🙂 ... Sounds goofy, but that does indicate that he probably knows that pro hockey these days means more than just high-end skill with cartoon-droopy arms & a shoulder set that lets you slip through screen doors.