Kalisha Turnipseed Verified Member Posted January 2, 2024 Share Posted January 2, 2024 View full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnfaninnc Verified Member Posted Friday at 03:05 PM Share Posted Friday at 03:05 PM Quote 21. Soini Role: Third-pairing defenseman and penalty killer The Wild may have found a gem who can play on their third pairing and provide physicality with size. Soini plays a two-way style but is at his best as a physical shutdown defenseman. He can clear the front of the net and keep opponents on the perimeter. Soini needs to continue to build more muscle and gain more consistency. I briefly watched a couple of shifts from him in Finland's 3-0 win over Latvia. I think he's a better skater than we thought. Still a lot more development to go, but he could become a very inexpensive 3rd pairing guy. Quote 20. Kiviharju Role: Third-pairing defenseman and power-play producer Experts projected Kiviharju to be a top prospect for the 2024 Draft. However, he dropped in the draft due to injury concerns, and the Wild took him in the 4th round (122nd overall). Kiviharju told Bill Guerin that he got the best steal of the draft, which Guerin loved. He’s adjusting to playing against men in Finland. You hope that he becomes more durable and plays like a left-handed version of Jared Spurgeon once he figures his game out. Until then, he has boom-or-bust potential, but could he become a third-pairing defender to take over for Declan Chisholm? Same game, I didn't notice too much from Kivijarhu except that he was willing to take the body. Granted these are 19 & 20 year old kids, but it was nice to see he didn't shy away from it. However, while Soini has size, Kivijarhu does not, and I think we can have enough guys back there with size and do what Kivijarhu can do. I would suggest this is a trade piece. Quote 17. Spacek Role: Third-pairing shutdown defenseman and penalty killer Spacek looks like the Wild’s next Hunt. Spacek has improved his scoring in his second season in Iowa and shows signs of being a top-four defenseman with 40-point potential. Still, we must temper expectations. Spacek is already scoring 12 points in 28 games, a 0.43 scoring rate. Last year, he scored 12 points in 61 games. Spacek looks like he’ll replace Hunt in the system and be their first call-up defenseman. Could he be the Wild’s king of stability? I think this guy is a top 4 player that we will have for awhile very cheap. I don't expect him to surpass Faber or Jiricek, but he caught my eye as really improving. Having a top 4 on the 3rd pairing will be a luxury, especially at his price. When he prices out, Soini should be ready. Quote 16. Bankier Role: Versatile bottom-six and all-situations forward Bankier could be someone who will play any situation for the Wild when called upon, but he'll likely play a checking role and get penalty-killing minutes. Bankier has the size to be an effective defensive player in the bottom-six. In August, Corey Pronman ranked Bankier No. 6 on a list of Wild players to become a middle-of-the-lineup player. Could Bankier become a late bloomer? I would put Bankier into the mid-6 category. He's got a better scoring touch than I think he gets credit for, and he's playing top 6 minutes in Iowa right now (as the Wild are still renting the baby Wild's top line). It was hard to say if he was on the 2nd line or 1st line when I saw him, but I thought his line was more effective than the Haight line. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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