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Let’s start with the positive. Despite the Iowa Wild’s well-documented struggles in recent years, the Minnesota Wild’s roster features five young players who have spent significant time with their AHL affiliate over the past four seasons: Marco Rossi, Jesper Wallstedt, and Liam Ohgren are all currently playing key roles. Meanwhile, Daemon Hunt and recently-recalled Hunter Haight have also played games for the big club. Additionally, veterans like Tyler Pitlick and Ben Jones have done their jobs when called upon as injury replacements. However, from a team perspective, that’s about where the positives stop. After they appeared to turn a corner in October and won two of three to start November, Iowa has dropped six straight games and plummeted to the bottom of the AHL’s Central Division with a 5-14-0-1 record through 20 games. I watch a lot of Iowa’s games and have been taking notes on my observations as the season has unfolded. As the team passes the quarter mark of its season, it’s a good time to share updates on what’s happening in Des Moines with the team and some of its players. If you have a question about Iowa or any of its players that I don’t address below, feel free to post it in the comment section. No offense The numbers are ugly: out of 32 teams, they are 31st in goals scored (37) and 28th in goals against (68). Their power play sits at a putrid 10.6% (31st) and is in the midst of a 4-for-53 stretch. The penalty kill has been mostly solid lately, but still sits at 21st in the league at 79.3%. Gerry Mayhew leads the team with 7 goals and 3 assists in 16 games, despite not being signed until mid-October. Other than defenseman David Spacek, who also has 10 points (all assists), no other player is in double digits. Haight has produced 5 points in 14 games for Iowa, while Ohgren has had 5 in 9. Every player on the current roster has a minus rating. Goaltending woes and a lack of chemistry Goaltending has been a problem. In the offseason, the team brought in Cal Petersen, a veteran with 106 NHL games, to provide stability and serve as a reliable third-stringer. Still, he ranks 36th among 47 qualified AHL goaltenders with an .891 SV% over his 10 starts. Meanwhile, Samuel Hlavaj, who came off a stellar campaign last season in which he emerged as a legitimate prospect, is dead last in the league with an .871 SV%. The situation was so dire that the team decided to send a message and brought up William Rousseau from the Iowa Heartlanders in the ECHL to start the first game of the Grand Rapids series, a 3-2 loss in which he stopped 26 of 29 shots and played well. However, he probably wanted one of the goals back. Iowa put Petersen back in net for the second game, and he responded to the message with a solid start, stopping 28 of 29 shots in a 1-0 loss. Interestingly, Iowa has played Grand Rapids, who is dominating the league with a 16-1 record, closer than anyone, with three one-goal losses, one of which was in a shootout. Otherwise, it’s been a real struggle. The team recently hit what it hopes was rock bottom with two 7-2 losses in a three-game stretch: one to the Toronto Marlies and the other to the Milwaukee Admirals. The team’s struggle to find consistent lines that can develop chemistry has become apparent. Mayhew has been a fixture on the top line for a while, but the team has tried all sorts of combinations to little avail. Haight, Ohgren, Pitlick, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, and Caedan Bankier are among those who have recently played alongside Mayhew as Greg Cronin, and his coaching staff desperately try to find combinations that can fill the net. Where is Riley Heidt? One name that fans might notice is not among those playing top-line minutes: Riley Heidt, a much-hyped prospect in his first professional season. The 20-year-old rookie from Saskatoon has had a slow start, with 2 goals and 4 assists in 19 games. He’s mostly spent time in the middle six playing both wing and center. Most recently, he has centered a new-look third line with Ryan Sandelin and Jean-Luc Foudy during Sunday’s game against Grand Rapids. Heidt has the look of a player who lacks confidence and consistency as he learns to adapt his game to professional hockey. That’s very common among young players in the AHL, a tough, physical league with many veterans who know their roles and make life difficult for their opponents. Fans shouldn’t be concerned, but how Heidt handles adversity this year will be interesting to watch. One of the hallmarks of Heidt’s game during his time in junior hockey and at prospect events is tenacity without the puck. When he’s at his best, he’s hounding pucks in all zones and aggressively engaging in board battles, using leverage and positioning to win pucks. That has been notably missing for much of the season. Heidt is often hesitant to engage physically and guilty of reaching with his stick instead of fighting to get body position when contesting pucks on the wall. It’s night and day from the player that had fans and media raving about his bona fides as a prospect. With the puck, he’s lacking the aggression and straight-line drives that he has so often used to put pressure on opposing defensemen. It’s definitely worth noting that some of his offensive struggles are probably a product of his environment. When I wrote about Heidt after this fall’s Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase, I noted how Heidt is “at his best when working in tandem with linemates who can read off his puck touches [and his] ability to make quick, efficient plays with the puck in all zones,” and how it would be important to find complimentary players that maximize his strengths. So far, there hasn’t been anyone in Iowa who can fill that role, and it’s probably contributing to Heidt’s lack of confidence with the puck. For a brief time, he was on a dynamic-looking line with Rasmus Kumpulainen and Oskar Olausson. Still, as injuries and call-ups shook up the roster, that line was broken up. Kumpulainen has struggled with consistency, as has Olausson occasionally. If I were Cronin, I might try Heidt with Mayhew, because Mayhew is an intelligent player with a track record of offensive success in the AHL. That might help jumpstart him. Bankier is a bright spot I’ve been back and forth with where to rate Bankier as a prospect. Last season, I wrote that he had the potential to be a valuable third-line center down the road, and earlier this season, I noted his continued improvement while also questioning whether he had the foot speed necessary to stick in the NHL. Since then, Bankier has been one of the bright spots in Iowa, and it recently rewarded him with the opportunity to center the top line and the power-play unit in the Grand Rapids series. Bankier is noticeable most nights because he's usually in the right spot and gets a lot of puck touches as a result. He’s got a really good release on his shot, which he can let go with power from multiple angles. It’s something he’s definitely improved at over the past year, and he’s tied with Mayhew for the team lead with 40 shots on goal. He doesn’t have scoring touch, and he’s not quick, but he is pretty efficient with his feet and has decent straight-line speed. He makes a lot of slick area passes and works well in motion on the power play. One of the hallmarks of his game is his stick placement when defending. He disrupts many plays and is an effective penalty killer. Another strength of his is that his game doesn’t change, no matter where he is in the lineup. He brings the same steady, two-way presence, which makes him a valuable piece. I’ll be watching Bankier closely as the season progresses to see if he can continue to elevate his game. He’s a restricted free agent after this season, and it will be interesting to see if he gets another contract with the organization and what that might look like. Czech mates on D Since being sent down by Minnesota a couple of weeks back, Jiricek has been playing big minutes on the top pair and top power play unit, while also getting a lot of run on the penalty kill. That’s probably what’s needed, and while Jiricek’s stats have been underwhelming (1 goal, 1 assist, and -5 in 10 AHL games), he’s not to blame for the team’s struggles. That said, he hasn’t been great, either. Defensively, he’s been mostly fine, but that’s never really been an issue for him. At this level, you’d like to see him making plays with the puck and using his size and length to create space. Instead, he’s been mostly vanilla when I’ve seen him, making safe plays and not really pushing the pace. Then again, maybe that’s the mandate he received from the NHL club after he displayed a propensity for bad turnovers during his time in Minnesota. David Spacek has been impressive this season, putting up 10 assists in 19 games and taking a spot on the top power play unit. He makes good puck plays in all zones, and his efficiency with zone exits and as a distributor on offense has continued to improve. He defends well with his skating and positioning, though he can struggle on the rush at times because he doesn’t have a powerful push when accelerating backwards. He’s much improved in board battles and is clearly stronger physically this season. There were reports last summer that Spacek might be unhappy with the opportunities he’s received in the Wild organization. While Minnesota briefly recalled him last month to serve as a seventh defenseman as the Wild dealt with injuries and illness, there doesn’t appear to be a path for him to stick in Minnesota anytime soon. He’s not a better option than anyone above him in the organization. That said, he’s more consistent than Jiricek and is light-years ahead of Carson Lambos and Jack Peart on the organization’s depth chart. It’s starting to look like Spacek has developed towards being nearly NHL-ready. It will be interesting to see what the Wild decides to do with him. Haight and Aube-Kubel are standouts Haight and Aube-Kubel have been the best forwards in Iowa. They play with a pace and straight-line decisiveness that sticks out relative to their teammates. With Haight, it’s just a matter of consistency and becoming more impactful with playmaking. His two-way game and physical play are NHL-caliber. While Haight is never going to be a goal scorer in the NHL, he can turn into a solid third-line player if he can become more of a difference maker with the puck on his stick. Aube-Kubel is a veteran who brings consistency, effort, and two-way play every night. He’s not flashy, but he’s got game and has proved to be a nice depth addition by the organization.

The State of Hockey wakes up on Saturday to the rumbling aftershocks of the Quinn Hughes trade. And in taking the temperature based on comments on Hockey Wilderness, elsewhere on the internet, and personal text messages, it seems one of those shocks is of the sticker variety. One can definitely argue that the Vancouver Canucks maximized their return for Hughes. The jewel of the trade for them is Zeev Buium, who came into this season as a consensus top-10 prospect in the NHL. They got a legitimate top-six center in Marco Rossi, who is 24 and coming off a 60-point season and a good start before injuries struck. They got a solid NHL-ready(ish) prospect in Liam Öhgren, and a first-round pick in 2026. It's a really good haul for a rebuilding team forced to sell off a franchise player. The largest point of contention seems to stem from surrendering Buium in the deal. NHL teams are usually loath to give up prospects of Buium's caliber -- they're young, cost-controlled, and full of potential. Putting on the Sigmund Freud glasses to psychoanalyze the fanbase, perhaps they have lingering memories of the Wild giving up Alex Tuch as a top prospect before he was able to establish himself in Minnesota. Or it might not be that deep. Buium's the rare prospect where you can throw around comparisons like Hughes or Cale Makar and not sound like someone who breathlessly compares J.J. McCarthy to Tom Brady. It makes sense that fans would be attached to the idea that he, too, could grow into being a player like Hughes. Why surrender Buium plus two roster players and a first-rounder if Buium might grow into the role in the near future? The reason why is simple: Hughes is the Hughes-like player that we think Buium can become. There's uncertainty with Buium, and no, it's not because he didn't immediately take the NHL by storm. It's unlikely that he will be Hughes, mostly because most prospects -- hell, most S-Tier prospects -- don't turn into Hughes. Hell, Luke Hughes has the same parents as Quinn, and he hasn't even turned into Quinn yet. The Athletic's Corey Pronman may have illuminated that point when he spoke at length about Buium ahead of this season. "[Buium] brings you out of the seat with his talent. He's so skilled, so smart, so dynamic. A great skater," the normally reserved prospect evaluator gushed. "When I see him. "Honestly, when I watched him, I see (Zach) Werenski. I see that guy at the same age." Look, Zach Werenski rocks. He contended for the Calder Trophy in his rookie year with a 47-point season. He's scored 20 goals from the blueline twice. Last season, he finished runner-up for the Norris Trophy and seventh for MVP, and he's producing at a point-per-game pace this season. And yet, as great as he is, he's not transcendent in the way Hughes is. Werenski has averaged 57 points per 82 games throughout his career, while Hughes is averaging 77. Werenski's play has been worth a cumulative 23.7 Standings Points Above Replacement throughout his career, while Hughes is at 27.3 SPAR... and that's with 134 fewer games. Hughes has also been a Norris Trophy finalist twice before his 26th birthday, while Werenski didn't accomplish that until his age-27 season. Buium has the talent to beat the odds, sure, but it's much more likely that he's "just" a No. 1 defenseman than an All-World defenseman like Hughes. It's just simple probability. The Vancouver Canucks know this, too. They didn't make this trade because they were excited about cashing in a 26-year-old Hughes for a younger version. As Vancouver beat writer Harman Dayal wrote for The Athletic, "With the writing on the wall that Hughes wasn’t going to re-sign in Vancouver long-term, the Canucks had to do their best to minimize the pain." The Canucks almost certainly would have preferred to keep Hughes. That fact alone should dispel the reservations about the price involved. Trading for Hughes also means giving up Marco Rossi, who has looked like a low-end No. 1 center over the past two seasons. Rossi's a strong player with a nose for the net, a responsible two-way game, and sneaky grit. Is he ever going to be considered an MVP candidate? Probably not. Meanwhile, Hughes is at that level. As for Öhgren and the first-round pick? The former might be a solid middle-six winger, while the latter is a lottery ticket. So if we're scoring at home, there are just two risks for this trade: That Buium hits his 99th-percentile outcome and becomes a Hughes-type player, and that Minnesota can't convince Hughes to stay in the State of Hockey. Are the risks noteworthy? Sure, but they're also acceptable. And even if one of those outcomes happen, that might not mean Minnesota automatically loses the trade. Buium might be everything the Wild think he'll be, but the fact of the matter is that Minnesota needed him to be a superstar this season to maximize their Stanley Cup window. That's not a fair expectation, maybe, but that's how the Wild are built. Kaprizov is healthy, on pace for 47 goals, and most crucially, making $9 million against the cap before his cap hit nearly doubles. Important players like Mats Zuccarello, Jared Spurgeon, Marcus Johansson, and Marcus Foligno are well into their 30s. Their cornerstone players: Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Brock Faber are in the age-23-to-29 sweet spot. The Wild still have about $6.3 million of deadline cap space to make another move. For those reasons, this may be the year Minnesota is best-suited to make a run. So if it costs Rossi, Öhgren, and a first-round pick for Bill Guerin to, effectively, hit fast-forward for six years of Buium's development, that's worth it. Wild fans should already know how challenging it can be waiting for prospects when the contention window says it's go-time. That's what happened with the Zach Parise/Ryan Suter Wild core. They waited for top prospects like Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle, Jonas Brodin, Matt Dumba, Jason Zucker, and Nino Niederreiter to grow up fast and boost an aging core. Those players reached a high level in the 2016-17 season, but by then? Parise and Suter were 32, and their best years were behind them. Mikko Koivu was 33, and about to go into decline. They had the one great season that year, got goalie'd in the first round, and that was that. Acquiring Hughes is about avoiding that mistake. Having Hughes and Kaprizov in the fold and in their primes over the next two seasons gives Minnesota two playoff runs that look more promising than any in franchise history. They don't have to wait for someone to hit their stride, hoping they'll fall in the middle of the Venn diagram between prospects developing and aging veterans holding on. The pieces are largely in place, go win some games. That probably makes the deal worth it even in the worst-case scenario: that this ends with Hughes walking in the summer of 2027. Again, Kaprizov's at the absolute height of his powers, at age 28. The Wild hope he'll age well, and his all-around skill set suggests he should still play at a high level into his 30s, but his ability to bring a Cup to Minnesota is probably at its apex this year and next. Hughes and Kaprizov for two years might represent a greater chance at the Cup than Buium and Kaprizov for the next nine. Besides, seeing as the Wild are the only team to have written a $17 million check to a superstar, it's going to be tough to call it a slam-dunk that Hughes will be gone in two years. Much like it was with Kaprizov this summer, the price for Hughes was substantial, but also, it's a price any team should be willing to pay. Players as good as Hughes don't hit the trade market often, and certainly not when they're in the middle of their prime. You pay whatever price to get those players when they become available, because regardless of what's getting sent back, the team landing an All-World player is going to walk away the better deal.

In the age of analytics, player tracking, and data overload, sometimes the good, old-fashioned eye test gets overlooked as fans and media scrutinize players. There’s a reason for that, of course. History has proven that the eye test alone isn’t sufficient for overcoming biased perceptions or imperfect observations that can cloud analyses and lead to poor decision-making. However, there are times when you see a player, and you just know. That’s been the case with rookie Danila Yurov during his rookie season in Minnesota. Beginning with the Tom Kurvers prospect showcase, then in training camp and preseason, and on through the first 15 games of his NHL career, the 21-year-old from Chelyabinsk, Russia, has looked the part of an NHL player. His game at the Kurvers showcase was representative of a player still finding his stride. Still, even then, he clearly was a step above most of the prospects there. It was the first glimpse of the skating, puck pursuit, and remarkably mature two-way game that reflected a player who arrived in North America as a pro-ready prospect. Yurov carried that momentum into training camp, where he steadily progressed as the preseason went on, getting better with each game as he adapted to the smaller ice and faster pace. He displayed skating and hockey sense and diligent two-way play throughout camp. It was clear he was ready to be a valuable contributor and produce quality shifts regularly. Yurov’s game hasn’t been flashy, but it’s been steady. He’s in the right places. He stays above the puck, takes smart angles to win puck races, isn’t afraid to go to the net, and covers a lot of ice with his efficient skating. He just keeps getting better, little by little, and it’s been noticeable. John Hynes and the Wild coaching staff have clearly seen it too, deploying Yurov primarily at center after he began the season at wing. In the team’s most recent game, a 3-2 overtime win over the first-place Vegas Golden Knights team, Yurov played a season high 13:09, including nearly four minutes on the top line with Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello after Ryan Hartman left with an injury. After the recent news that Hartman is week-to-week with a lower-body injury, and with Marco Rossi still on the shelf, The Athletic’s Michael Russo has reported that Yurov is going to get another shot with the Wild’s dynamic duo against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday. Playing on the top line against the Hurricanes will be Yurov’s stiffest test yet. They have looked like a buzzsaw this season, overwhelming opponents with their depth, aggressive defending, and relentless forechecking. The Wild experienced this first-hand less than two weeks ago, when Carolina thoroughly outplayed them for long stretches during a 4-3 defeat. Yurov was a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game that night in Carolina. It’s not a coincidence that he's been in the lineup every night since. His skating and intelligence would have been an asset. The Wild first activated him the next night against the New York Islanders and made an immediate impact with a first-period goal. Yurov makes small but noticeable contributions almost every shift, and he’s starting to pass more than just the eye test. According to Natural Stat Trick, he has produced an expected goal percentage of 55% or higher in five of his past seven games, and the Wild have outscored their opponents 2-0 during his minutes over that time. Minnesota has also broken even with high-danger scoring chances during his minutes over that stretch. He produces these numbers with intelligent positioning, a surprisingly strong stick that can win puck battles or maintain possession under pressure, and excellent skating. On Yakov Trenin’s first goal of the season against Vegas on Sunday, Yurov made two key plays that led to the goal. The first was out-leveraging Ivan Barbeshev for a loose puck after the Wild entered the offensive zone, and the second was another won stick battle in which he beat Ben Hutton to a loose puck down low and poked it free to Trenin. He did that after he made the correct read to get to the corner and capitalize on a loose puck created by Marcus Foligno. Yurov earned his first career assist on this play, and the way he did it is indicative of how he’s been able to turn in a quietly impressive rookie campaign. Smart reads, timely positioning, and a good stick go a long way in the NHL, where victories often hinge on repeatedly winning the small moments. He’s still a young player who will have some rough nights here and there, and there’s a lot of hockey left to be played this season. Still, there’s no question that Yurov is becoming a valuable contributor to Minnesota’s lineup. Wild fans have long wondered exactly what type of player he’d be once he finally arrived, and they haven’t been disappointed. Because when it comes to this rookie, seeing is believing.

There are superstars, there are Hart Trophy winners, and there are Hall of Famers. But there's nothing more terrifying than the [YOUR TEAM HERE] Killer. The guy who is liable to get a goal against your team every time they line up against your best defensemen. The player who can make you nervous in crunch time, even if no one else makes a peep against you. Minnesota Wild fans are no strangers to this concept. Jarome Iginla was perhaps the most notorious Wild Killer of all time, notching 39 of his 625 games against Minnesota... and that's without the team even existing for his first four seasons. Twin incredible Colorado Avalanche centers, Joe Sakic (16 goals, 38 points in 41 games against Minnesota) and Nathan MacKinnon (24 goals, 64 points in 52 games), could also lay claim to that title. But the Wild have, historically, been short on [OTHER TEAM] Killers. Their top goal-scorers, Marian Gaborik and Zach Parise, in particular, weren't known for being a thorn in the side of their top rivals. Or at least, until now. We've seen enough, we're calling it: Kirill Kaprizov is officially an Avalanche Killer. According to NHL Network's Top-100 player rankings, the Wild faced off against the second (MacKinnon) and fourth-best (Cale Makar) players in the entire league. They rolled into Grand Casino Arena with one (one!!!) regulation loss in 23 games. But Kaprizov was their equal as the Wild somehow went toe-to-toe with the Avs in a track meet. Kaprizov didn't score in overtime or the shootout, but he dragged Minnesota to the extra frame. His 200th and 201st goals were both the result of will over skill, crashing the net to cash in both times. It's far from the first game Kaprizov has terrorized the Avalanche. Friday was his 13th and 14th career goals against Colorado, making the Avs the team he's scored the most goals against during his career. It's the most that anyone has scored against the Avalanche since Kaprizov entered the league. It's not even close. Most Goals vs. Avalanche, since 2020-21: 1. Kirill Kaprizov, 14 T-2. David Pastrnak, 10 T-2. Kevin Fiala, 10 T-2. Gabriel Vilardi, 10 T-5. Tage Thompson, 9 T-5. Matt Duchene, 9 T-5. Tomas Hertl, 9 T-5. Evander Kane, 9 T-5. Adrian Kempe, 9 T-5. Joe Pavelski, 9 T-5. Jason Robertson, 9 T-5. Brayden Schenn, 9 T-5. Tyler Seguin, 9 It's just one example we see from Kaprizov of a true superstar trait: The ability to elevate his game against the best opponents. Kaprizov, Most Career Goals Per Game vs. Any Team, Career 1. Columbus Blue Jackets, 1.25 (10 GP) 2. Boston Bruins, 1.20 (5 GP) 3. Tampa Bay Lightning, 1.00 (7 GP) 4. Buffalo Sabres, 0.86 (7 GP) 5. Detroit Red Wings, 0.83 (7 GP) T-6. Vancouver Canucks, 0.75 (12 GP) T-6. Carolina Hurricanes, 0.75 (8 GP) T-6. Pittsburgh Penguins, 0.75 (8 GP) 9. Colorado Avalanche, 0.74 (19 GP) 10. Dallas Stars, 0.73 (11 GP) Of the 10 teams against which Kaprizov scored at the highest rate, the four in bold are the ones that've gone to the Conference Finals during that time. Predictably, the highest-scoring rates are against Eastern Conference teams, where the sample size is smaller, but a similar trend holds when we look only at the Western Conference. Kaprizov, Most Goals Per Game vs. Western Conference Teams, Career 1. Vancouver Canucks, 0.75 (12 GP) 2. Colorado Avalanche, 0.74 (19 GP) 3. Dallas Stars, 0.73 (11 GP) 4. Vegas Golden Knights, 0.65, (17 GP) 5. San Jose Sharks, 0.60 (20 GP) Again, we see Kaprizov putting up his biggest numbers against the best teams. The Avs, Stars, Golden Knights, and Edmonton Oilers are the only four teams to have gone to a Conference Final since Kaprizov entered the league, and Kaprizov has been able to show up against all four teams. Kaprizov vs. Colorado: 19 GP, 14 goals, 22 points Kaprizov vs. Dallas: 11 GP, 8 goals, 16 points Kaprizov vs. Edmonton: 14 GP, 1 goal, 14 points Kaprizov vs. Vegas: 17 GP, 11 goals, 16 points Kaprizov vs. WC Big 4: 61 GP, 34 goals, 68 points We're talking about a 46-goal, 91-point pace against these teams. You'd say that bodes well for Kaprizov in the playoffs, except, well, that Kaprizov's been about as dangerous a goal-scorer in the playoffs as anyone. He's had boom-or-bust series in the postseason, but there's no denying the overall picture, either. Goals Per Game, Playoffs, Since 2020-21 (minimum: 15 GP): 1. Nathan MacKinnon, 0.64 2. Adrian Kempe, 0.63 3. David Perron, 0.61 4. Kirill Kaprizov, 0.60 5. Chris Kreider, 0.56 6. Jake Guentzel, 0.55 7. Leon Draisaitl, 0.54 T-8. William Nylander, 0.50 T-8. David Pastrnak, 0.50 T-10. Brad Marchand, 0.49 T-10. Valeri Nichushkin, 0.49 No Wild fan needs to be told, "Kirill Kaprizov is good," of course. But as the question of "Did the Wild dramatically overpay for Kaprizov?" keeps bouncing around, it's games like this, against teams like the Avalanche, that show why he's priceless. There's no one else in Wild history that you can reliably expect to get a goal against top, top teams like the Avalanche, the Lightning, the Stars, and the Golden Knights. It's not close. Black Friday might be the day of discounts, but in the State of Hockey, it was a reminder of why the team decided to pay list price on their superstar.

When a hockey team is painful to watch, it’s important to find a deeper reason to keep watching. The Minnesota Wild have been struggling, with a current record of 7-7-4 as I write this. While I’m a perpetual “rose colored glasses” sort of fan, not everyone can manage that. They need a deeper reason to keep positive and support the team. Here’s one of my reasons. One week ago, the Wild lost one of their biggest and most devoted fans. He wasn’t famous or well-known, but he never missed watching a game and was more passionate about this team than anyone I’ve ever known. His name was Mason, and he was my little brother. Mason passed away unexpectedly after a sudden medical emergency last weekend. A few hours before he died, he watched an amazing 5-2 win against the New York Islanders, with that Kirill Kaprizov-Mats Zuccarello back-and-forth goal being the last Wild goal he saw. I think that he died happy, with some hope that the team could turn things around. But even if they couldn’t, he would never stop supporting the Wild. That was his ride-or-die team, come hell or high water. Mason loved the sport of hockey more than anything. He started skating shortly after learning to walk and never looked back. Hockey was a year-round sport in our household, and as his big sister, I spent countless weekends in hockey rinks around the Midwest supporting him. Hotel room after hotel room, championship games or toilet bowl games at 7 am on a Sunday, it didn’t matter. The thing was, we didn’t do all of that because we thought he would ever make it as a professional. He was undersized all the way up until he graduated from high school. He was good, not great, but it didn’t matter. As a family, we were there for the love of the game, and Mason was at the heart of it. When his playing days were over, that passion shifted into being a fan. Once he could swing it, Mason started buying season tickets. Starting with one of the 11-game packages, he worked his way up to being a full-season ticket member this year. The funny thing was, he didn’t even live in Minnesota. But Mason wanted to be able to go whenever he was back in town and to share the love of hockey with friends and family, even when he couldn’t attend. Some of my favorite hockey games I’ve ever been to were with my brother. Mason and I went to Alex Goligoski’s 1,000th game celebration, where he scored the OT winner against the Carolina Hurricanes on November 19, 2022. I previously wrote about that game and how amazing it was. I cried like a baby and, honestly, I think Mason teared up too. We were at the game against the Vancouver Canucks, which ended 10-7 on February 19, 2024. Mason, in some sort of weird premonition of the upcoming game, had purchased two baseball hats at the Hockey Lodge before the game, even though he had come to the game wearing one already. He ended up tossing two of them onto the ice that game. The Wild were scoring so fast in the third period that the announcer couldn’t even announce them fast enough. We laughed and cheered so loud that we both lost our voices. Mason also waited in the virtual line to get tickets for our entire family to go to the Winter Classic when the Wild hosted it in 2022. I know people think it’s crazy to watch an outdoor game when the wind chill is close to -50°F, but it was perfect. Mason would go to buy a beer, and by the time he got back to his seat, it would be slush. The Wild lost, but the atmosphere was so fun that I tend to forget that fact. As I work on moving forward, drenched in grief, it is hard not to have my No. 1 hockey buddy along for the ride. Our text messages were a constant stream of NHL news, hockey quips and memes, and funny social media posts about our favorite sport. My mom would call and ask me if I’d heard from Mason lately. I’d have to say that, yeah, I talk to him every day, but only about hockey. I have no idea what’s happening in his personal life. We both functioned as a sounding board for the other when it came to our favorite sport. Most people I befriend will know hockey on a surface level or a lot about one team specifically, but Mason and I were hockey-crazy. We could share about league minimum guys, AHL teams, or Men’s or World Juniors, knowing that the other person knew exactly who or what they were talking about, no extra explanation needed. And now he’s gone. He’ll never again watch the Wild on TV, attend another game in person, or buy another jersey. Mason will not get to see Kaprizov break any and all remaining team records, Zeev Buium grow into the world-class defenseman we all know he can be, or the Swedish goalie tandem dominate the league. When the Wild win the Cup (and Mason and I firmly believe it’s a when and not an if), I will have to celebrate at the parade without him. But I will also celebrate for him. Even if this season becomes a repeat of the 2023-24 disaster season, I will still watch every game. Because no matter what, Mason would have been watching too. He is my reason for staying a fan, even when it is hard and breaks my heart. So if this season is becoming hard or even unbearable for you, please remember my brother Mason and keep cheering for the Wild. Because at some point, I need them to bring the Cup home to the State of Hockey for him. And hug your fellow hockey fans tight. We’re all in this together. If you’d like to learn more about the extraordinary human being my brother was, I'd love if you read the obituary I wrote for him because we lost a good one, folks.