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  • 2025 HW Top Wild Prospects Series: Honorable Mentions

    Image courtesy of David Reginek - Imagn Images
    Tony Abbott

    By Tony Abbott -

    It's August, and before we know it, the Minnesota Wild will be at training camp, then pre-season, then taking to the ice for an honest-to-goodness regular-season game. To get us through our final stretch of summer, we're bringing back Hockey Wilderness' Top Wild Prospects series for 2025.

    Our definition of "Prospect" is any rookie-eligible player... with one exception. Since this is David Jiříček's first summer in the Wild system and isn't a full-time NHL player, we are including him in this series. We feel it's important for you to know where he stands. Still, we did not want to exclude a rookie-eligible player from the series, so we are expanding our series from a top-10 to top-11 this year.

    We had six Hockey Wilderness writers weigh in and vote for their top-11 prospects, and while a lot of the names were the same... not all of us agreed on how the top-11 shook out. And in some cases, who was in the top-11. All in all, 17 prospects received at least one vote from our six-writer panel.

    We want to make sure that everyone is accounted for and heard, so here are the six players who were voted for but fell short of making our list. 

    Riley Mercer, Goalie

    Total Votes: 1
    Highest Vote: 11th
    Acquired: Free agency, 2025 (undrafted)
    2024 Team: Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
    2024 Stats: 46 GP; 27-15-4, .925 SV%

    Leading Drummondville to a Memorial Cup win didn't turn enough heads for Mercer to get drafted in 2024, when he passed through the proceedings for the third time. But the Minnesota Wild liked him enough to give him a development camp spot last summer, and his final season of junior eligibility went well. That was good enough to give the 6-foot-2 netminder an entry-level contract.

    How will his first year as a pro go? We'll see. It's very possible that Mercer starts off his career in the ECHL, with Cal Petersen and the next name on our list ahead of him on our list. Any 21-year-old goalie is going to be a project, so if Mercer works his way into the mix for the big club, it's going to be a few years out.

    Samuel Hlavaj, Goalie

    Total Votes: 1
    Highest Vote: 11th
    Acquired: Free agency, 2024 (undrafted)
    2024 Team: Iowa Wild (AHL)
    2024 Stats: 36 GP; 14-14-4, .904 SV%

    While Jesper Wallstedt floundered with the Iowa Wild, Hlavaj stepped up as a rookie to become a stabilizing force. A .904 save percentage in the AHL only ranked 29th of 52 qualifying goalies, but considering that was behind a porous and inexperienced Iowa blueline, that's probably a better number than it looks like. It might be especially encouraging that he finished hot, with a .933 save percentage in his final 12 outings. He's also gotten work this summer, showing well for Team Slovakia in Olympic qualifiers and the World Championships.

    At 24, Hlavaj is further along in his development than Mercer by a long shot, and with Wallstedt set to graduate to the NHL this season, Hlavaj has a great chance to seize the net full-time in Des Moines. Petersen's stats in the AHL were almost as bad as Wallstedt's, which suggests that Hlavaj gives the Baby Wild the best chance to win.

    Aron Kiviharju, LHD

    Total Votes: 3
    Highest Vote: 11th
    Acquired: Draft, 2024 (fourth round)
    2024 Team: HIFK (Liiga)
    2024 Stats: 52 GP; 4 goals, 16 points

    Kiviharju fell in the 2024, going from a potential first-rounder to the fourth round, after which he promised Bill Guerin that he'd be the best pick in the draft. That hasn't happened quite yet, with him falling from No. 9 in last year's series to off the list entirely. 

    Is that fair? Maybe not. Not totally. In his first full season at Liiga, Kiviharju showed some of what made him highly-touted at one point, even in limited ice time. He's one of the most active defenders with the puck in Liiga already, ranking 13th among defensemen with 20-plus games with 97 passes per hour. He's also been able to thrive as a passer, even under pressure. The 5-foot-10 will have to shore up his two-way game, but his mobility is as-advertised.

    David Spacek, RHD

    Total Votes: 1
    Highest Vote: 9th
    Acquired: Draft, 2022 (fifth round)
    2024 Team: Iowa Wild (AHL)
    2024 Stats: 72 GP; 4 goals, 31 points

    Spacek's made more headlines for what his father, longtime NHLer Jaroslav Spacek, has told the media than anything he's done. When the Wild traded for Jiříček last fall, that bumped him down to fourth, at best, for next year's depth chart behind his Czech countryman, Brock Faber, and Jared Spurgeon. That's a good problem to have if you're the Wild, but not as good for Spacek.

    In his second AHL season, Spacek saw a jump in points from 0.20 per game to 0.43 with Iowa. The progression is there, and another bump this year can have him knocking on the door for a third-pair role just as Spurgeon enters his last season under contract. The question right now is whether he'll have the patience to stick it out until then.

    Rasmus Kumpulainen, Center

    Total Votes: 1
    Highest Vote: 8th
    Acquired: Draft, 2024 (second round)
    2024 Team: Pelicans (Liiga)
    2024 Stats: 48 GP; 8 goals, 16 points

    I'll fess up: This one was me. And it doesn't have a ton to do with his production. As a rookie in Liiga, he played 15 minutes a night, but maybe wasn't totally ready for prime time. His point totals aren't great, and his Corsi was just 41.6%, albeit on a team that was mostly underwater.

    But the fact remains is that Kumpulainen is a big, projectable center who has performed solidly when in his age group. He's got some sneaky skill and penalty-killing chops, which makes him a decent candidate to make the NHL. A strong year could put him on the Wild's radar for 2026-27. 

    Theodor Hallquisth, RHD

    Total Votes: 2
    Highest Vote: 7th
    Acquired: Draft, 2025 (second round)
    2024 Team: Örebro HK J20 (Sweden Under-20)
    2024 Stats: 41 GP; 5 goals, 22 points

    The Wild's first pick in 2025 got the closest to cracking our Top-11. As it stands, he's got some work to do. He'll be looking to make the SHL this season, but even if he does get a full-time role, it will be a while before he gets near the NHL.

    Our own Neil Urbanski took a deep dive into Hallquisth back in July, highlighting his two strongest abilities so far: His passing and physicality. "He can be overaggressive sometimes and go for hits at the wrong time, leaving him unable to recover or hanging a teammate out to dry," wrote Urbanski. "But that’s common with young players. Good coaching and development can iron out the flaws in his game." In most seasons, Hallquisth might have snagged a spot in our top-11, but as you'll see in the coming weeks, it's a tough list to crack in Minnesota.

    Our series starts on Wednesday with No. 11. Stay tuned.

    By Tony Abbott  

    Think you could write a story like this? Hockey Wilderness wants you to develop your voice, find an audience, and we'll pay you to do it. Just fill out this form.

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    MrCheatachu
    25 minutes ago, Scalptrash said:

    Hlavaj is the most likely to make it, IMO. Although he is already 24, two years older than Wallstedt. Overall, not too much excitement on this list.

    I've always been curious about Hlavaj.  Undrafted guy who seemingly came out of nowhere (well slovakia i suppose) to put together a rather impressive campaign in the IIHF world cup on the international stage, and then has put together respectable numbers down in Iowa playing with the same teammates and competition that Wally's struggled against this year.

    The Wall put up a 9-14-4 record, 0.879s% last season in the AHL and we're trying to figure out how to get him to the big club and SillyG's telling him to get an apartment in St Paul, while The 'Vaj put up a 14-14-4 record, 0.904s% and he's not even cracking our top 17 prospects?

    I've not watched either of these guys extensively, nor do I consider myself to be an evaluator of goalie talents, so what am I missing?

    Edited by MrCheatachu
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    Citizen Strife

    You're missing goalies are like ping pong balls.  The just bounce around all over the place and you just hope they stop the puck 90% of the time.

    That or Fleury, who was a ping pong ball attached to Slinkies going down spiky stairs.

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    Kato AK
    13 minutes ago, Citizen Strife said:

    You're missing goalies are like ping pong balls.  The just bounce around all over the place and you just hope they stop the puck 90% of the time.

    And it looks like every time Hlavaj gets elevated to a higher league, he performs better. He had a .888 in the ECHL, hasn't been below .900 in the AHL, had has been stellar (>.910) in international play. 

    Hopefully Guerin gives him a couple games in the N this year, I just hope its not a need due to injury.  

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    MrCheatachu
    19 minutes ago, Kato AK said:

    Hopefully Guerin gives him a couple games in the N this year, I just hope its not a need due to injury.  

    Than why did we sign Cal Peterson?!

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    Kato AK
    1 hour ago, MrCheatachu said:

    Than why did we sign Cal Peterson?!

    To be a stabilizing figure in the AHL and show younger goalies what it takes to at least make the NHL (not necessarily stay there).

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    Teeroy

    Jesper's numbers should have an asterisk! The defense down here was terrible. He had to lead the league in 2 on 1's against. We had to lead the league in SH goals against!!

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    mnfaninnc
    6 hours ago, Kato AK said:

    And it looks like every time Hlavaj gets elevated to a higher league, he performs better. He had a .888 in the ECHL, hasn't been below .900 in the AHL, had has been stellar (>.910) in international play. 

    Hopefully Guerin gives him a couple games in the N this year, I just hope its not a need due to injury.

    Actually, Vaj was pretty much under .900 for most of the season and in the last 12 he pulled above that line. He had a couple of starts for the Heartlanders, I wouldn't read much into his stint in the E. I do like him and feel like we may have gotten a pretty decent 'tender.

    Since goalies are weird and drafting a goalie 7 years ahead of when he would normally show up is like a game of darts with novices. Shooter has gone in a different direction. Instead of drafting them, he's waited until they are a little more mature and then signed them after they weren't drafted. To me, it looked like there were some good goalie prospects that weren't drafted in the NCAA, but maybe that was the league. 

    Overall, the honorable mentions are a pretty decent list. I wasn't expecting any 'tender other than The Wall to be mentioned and am surprised that Spacek didn't make the top 11. I didn't get to see a lot of preseason, and the games I did get, I don't remember him in, but when I saw him live, I liked his game. For most of the year, Crotty played top pairing with Lambos. Spacek was on the 2nd pairing before Jiricek showed up. Jiri might have knocked him down to 3rd pairing. But Spacek produced. 

    His father was upset because he didn't get a sniff of the N, but to be honest, he wasn't ready for that. Lambos only got a couple of practices. Maybe Spacek deserved something similar, but he wasn't ready to be inserted into the lineup. But, it looked like he vastly improved, and that's what you want. It took a long time for Seeler and Soucy to marinate and be ready to move up. Spacek should be similar.

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    1Brotherbill

    So, 11 prospects that are better than what we have on this list.  Who could that be.  Jiricek has already been named.  Assume Yurov since he hasn't been in North America yet.  Ohgren without a doubt.  Wallstedt because he isn't in St. Paul full time yet.  Strammel because they desperately want it to happen. Lambos because he has to be.  Riley Hiedt because we need another Dumba/Rossi player in St. Paul.  Buium because he is the next coming. Hunter Haight because that would drive LaPanta nuts to see him on the same line as Hiedt. Aron KIviaharju because the Wild want to go back to being team Finland.  Theodor Hallquisth because the Wild have to show that they actually know what they are doing in the draft.  

    That leaves out Aaron Pionk, Jack Peart, Kyle Masters, Riegor Lorenz, Caden Bankier, and Adam Benak.  The prospect pool is deep but outside of maybe six the rest should be traded for an upgrade and do it now.  Though I really want Hiedt and Haight to be on the same line really really bad. 

     

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    Sam
    51 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

    I heard there's a kid named Jack Johnson who might be one to watch!

    If by kid you mean 40 year old, washed-up guy who’s past his prime than hell yeah!

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    Imyourhuckleberry
    1 hour ago, Sam said:

    If by kid you mean 40 year old, washed-up guy who’s past his prime than hell yeah!

    Yeah, that guy. He's at least held the Stanley Cup, and is a big LHD. He might make the squad out of camp, perhaps just until Brodin returns.

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    TCMooch
    10 hours ago, Enforceror said:

    He's still marinating 😉

    JUST GIVE HIM TIME TO MATURE! EVERYBODY EXPECTS GREATNESS DAY 1 AND DON'T LET PROSPECTS DEVELOP BEFORE CASTING THEM OFF!!!!!

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