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  • Can Caedan Bankier Provide the Fourth-Line Boost the Wild Need?


    Image courtesy of Iowa Wild on YouTube
    Neil Urbanski

    It’s no secret that the Minnesota Wild have struggled to find depth scoring this season, particularly from the fourth line. A quick glance at the organizational depth chart suggests that might not change anytime soon.

    Minnesota’s fourth line this season has primarily featured: 

    While no team expects their fourth line to fill the back on the net regularly, they hope it can at least control possession so that the top lines can hop on the ice with the puck in the offensive zone as often as possible. 

    However, that’s where the Wild’s fourth-line players have fallen short this season. Take a look at these possession metrics from MoneyPuck:

    Screenshot 2025-01-29 at 1.34.46 PM.png

    While fourth-line players typically perform below the NHL average, the numbers above demonstrate less-than-ideal output. For context, all Winnipeg Jets forwards who have played significant minutes are above 48% in Corsi and expected goals percentage. 

    In an ideal world, the Wild’s fourth line could produce somewhere in the same vicinity and give the top lines more opportunities to start shifts in the offensive zone each night. 

    On Tuesday, The Athletic reported that Kirill Kaprizov will be out for at least four weeks to undergo surgery for his nagging lower-body injury. Therefore, the Wild’s depth will be tested once again, and it might be time for the Wild to provide other players with opportunities to make positive contributions to the fourth line. 

    They should start with Caedan Bankier.

    I’ve watched Bankier closely since the Wild took him 86th in the 2021 draft. Most recently, I saw him when I attended the Iowa Wild’s home series against the Rockford Ice Hogs on January 17 and 18.  

    The more I’ve watched Bankier play, the more I’ve become convinced that he’s the Wild’s future third-line center and that he has promise. He’s not ready to fill that role now, but the 6-foot-2, 192-pound center is trending in the right direction. Bankier has earned an opportunity to get a few games with the big squad. 

    It’s been a tough season in Des Moines, where the team has suffered from the fifth-worst save percentage in the AHL. Iowa’s struggles are reflected in the skaters’ counting stats, and Bankier is no exception. He’s posted eight goals and nine assists in 40 games.

    While that’s unimpressive at first glance, it only tells part of the tale. 

    As he’s developed over the past season and a half in Iowa, Bankier has slowly learned to use his size to influence possession. He has soft hands and makes crisp, accurate passes. These attributes, along with his superior hockey sense and responsible, two-way tendencies, have helped him grow into a player with a mature game that knows how to compete against professional players.

     

    He also can win faceoffs from the right side (you’ll have to take my word for it, as the AHL does not publish individual faceoff statistics). Considering that Khusnutdinov has only won 46.1% of draws thus far and has been unable to drive possession, Bankier could represent a clear upgrade, even if only for a few games. At the very least, he looks like a viable call-up option who can provide a different look.

    Bankier’s pro-level details and quality decision-making make him a reliable player. Consider the below clip from Iowa’s game against Rockford on January 18.  

     

    None of that stuff is flashy. However, when players do it consistently, it drives winning. When Bankier came off the ice, the Iowa Wild had possession in the offensive zone, and Rockford hadn’t even come close to sniffing an offensive chance. 

    It wasn’t a one-off, either. Bankier has moments like these regularly. Below is an example of him using his size and awareness to maintain possession in the offensive zone from a preseason game against Winnipeg: 

    And lastly, watch him shrug off an attacker as he carries the puck up the wall in the neutral zone: 

    None of this is to say that Bankier is close to a finished product, and there are warts to his game he must correct. He must learn to dictate moments and control pace with the puck on his stick, and he might benefit from a summer training with Andy Ness to add a bit of quickness to his lateral movements. Still, his game is coming along, and Wild fans should be excited. 

    Caedan Bankier has earned the opportunity to play some NHL games, if only so he can be better prepared for when his time arrives. Undoubtedly, he can eventually become a quality third-line center in the NHL. When Wild fans get their first glimpse of him with the big squad, they’ll be able to see why. 

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    Nice article and I like having the vids as backup/reference. Although I haven't seen Bankier play a lot, the times I have he has seemed to stand out to me. Give him the MNFan treatment over the summer and lets see where he's at next year.

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    43 minutes ago, Enforceror said:

    Nice article and I like having the vids as backup/reference. Although I haven't seen Bankier play a lot, the times I have he has seemed to stand out to me. Give him the MNFan treatment over the summer and lets see where he's at next year.

    (Put a like or thanks on the page 😉)

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    13 minutes ago, FredJohnson said:

    (Put a like or thanks on the page 😉)

    Yeah that would be the polite thing to do huh. I always forget to put likes on the article itself....Thanks for the reminder!

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    We've got our Iowa guy! Thanks Neil, this is really helpful. I can't wait to see updates on Haight, Lambos, Jiricek and Spacek. Milne too for P-Dash.

    I saw similar things when I saw him vs. Checkers. His goal was real nice where he drove the net, got the pass alone and deked the goalie pretty easily. 

    I vote for him to get called up immediately and give him 3 games with MaRat and Lauko on the wing. Advice to him is finish all checks, cancel out your man, skate as hard as you can every shift, and don't defer, fire the puck when your chance comes. 

    Right now, the Wild should be taking a long term approach to the Kaprizov injury where they start preparing for next season. I'm not saying we're bagging this season, I'm saying use the valuable time here to set up the guys who are going to make this team a contender. Bankier is one of them. Haight is another. Shore, Jones, Gaunce, Boyd are nice depth pieces but add nothing to the team. For instance, last night Shore got an assist for overskating the puck....again!!!

    Opportunity comes at strange times, but you want to be ready for any opportunity as a kid. Give them the surprise callup to keep them on their toes, and every one of those kids could use a nice little financial bonus that comes with it. A week up in St. Paul pays like 10 weeks in Des Moines.

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    11 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

    MaRat and Lauko

    I think we can circle the MTL Game And label it as their breakthrough game.  Lauko has been knocking on the door all season (bros getting paid this offseason, hopefully it’s by us.) but khus seemed to level up this game.  Found the next gear and his confidence showed.  Shore did fine but I wouldn’t be opposed to Iowa auditions on their wing.  You didn’t hear it from me but any line with Fred and trenin is the 4th line

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    1 hour ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    I think we can circle the MTL Game And label it as their breakthrough game.  Lauko has been knocking on the door all season (bros getting paid this offseason, hopefully it’s by us.) but khus seemed to level up this game.  Found the next gear and his confidence showed.  Shore did fine but I wouldn’t be opposed to Iowa auditions on their wing.  You didn’t hear it from me but any line with Fred and trenin is the 4th line

    Since Lauko has been back that 4th line has been clicking and are doing an amazing job. Billy needs to get him signed, it's no coincidence since he's been back Marat has been playing better. 

    I'm not too hung up on "line numbers" with Hynes, he is so much more fluid than Dean was and isn't afraid to move pieces around. Fred gets a lot of grief on this forum but I thought he played a hell of a game last night. Looked fast, forechecked great and showed his stick skills. 

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    1 hour ago, M_Nels said:

    Fred gets a lot of grief on this forum but I thought he played a hell of a game last night.

    I don’t gate Fred’s game, I just believe it’s a 4 th line game (possession heavy, defense first, nearly zero offense) and he’s regularly asked to play top 9 minutes(even top6 and PP minutes) and that’s just wrong

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    5 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

    Great final start by Fleury in Montreal!

    Also nice that the team showed up for him and helped get the regulation win along with the shutout. What's that we see...some depth scoring?

    They all knew this was a really, really big deal for him. When Montreal did the tribute and it went over the allotted commercial time, you could see everyone honoring Fleury. Tributes are usually pretty similar, but this one was different, and to have it in the Montreal Forum, the House of Champions, his own back yard, priceless. 

    Fleury put on a nice show for his hometown fans, but the team had a little extra juice on the back half of a b2b. Perhaps they were serving Red Bull for dinner because it looked like they had wings. 

    While it probably wasn't on the players' mind so much, banking another 2 points was important for our season. And it was nice to see Shore finally get a goal, Ogzy finally get one, and that spin move MaRat put on a defender was just wow. 

    Marat needs speed around him to be successful. He'll keep up the pace if he's got guys who go with him, but what I've noticed is he gears down when he doesn't have the speed with him. Lauko plays fast, so that allows MaRat to also play fast. This is why I was thinking Johansson might actually fit on this line. I do not believe that Shore does. I wonder if Bankier can keep up? 

    Marat has almost had a year in the league now. Could it be that some things are starting to slow down for him? Could he finally be comfortable with his defense and can now start to find his offensive game? Could Mikey Milne be the missing piece of this line?

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    Two games in a row where "line 4" was humming. I am really enjoying how hard they are on the forecheck and its creating chances that they are starting to capitalize on. Rossi is still putting up points even with Moose and Hartman so maybe we are seeing that its not just the Kap effect. Ohgren after a rough start has looked much better as of late, maybe not eye popping but no worse than NoJo.

    With injuries I would also love seeing a few guys get a cup of coffee and at minimum learn what the NHL is like, know what is needed to compete at the next level. On the topic of prospects, is the Wall crumbling? Is it more defense? Offense not driving play? Growing pains? I appreciate the insight Neil and hopefully look forward to more news about the prospects. (Yes I gave a like already to the article). With how Marat is playing right now it may be tough to take him out of the line up, does a ton of little things very well with flashes of speed and edge work. Could moving Shore up and down or day of rest scratches be the way see some younger guys get a shot?

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    10 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

    Could Mikey Milne be the missing piece of this line?

    It pains me to say this but Milnzy looked over-matched during his last audition.  Would love to see him get another audition AFTER Bankzy get's his chance first.

    Let's find out if Bankzy is Beckman 2.0, or something more??

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    44 minutes ago, IllicitFive said:

    Rossi is still putting up points even with Moose and Hartman so maybe we are seeing that its not just the Kap effect.

    I thought Rossi was another guy that had a fantastic game. He was flying all night long, tough in the corners and along the walls and had that rocket of a shot low blocker.

    Much to ODC's dismay he's a great player and hopefully not going anywhere.

    Speaking of small players, Spurge's leverage against players 3-5" taller and 30-40lbs heavier is amazing. Can't remember the Habs player but he stapled one of their bigger players in the corner. 

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    17 minutes ago, M_Nels said:

    He was flying all night long, tough in the corners and along the walls and had that rocket of a shot low blocker.

    Rossi continues to demonstrate that he's all Finnish, no Swedish.  That's why I hope we keep him for right price and term.  Will he be effective in playoff hockey, he'll survive but I bet he looks more like Granlund than Marsseshouex (sp?) in post-season, but that little rascal Rossi has pluck and every locker room needs that.

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    1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

    This is why I was thinking Johansson might actually fit on this line. I do not believe that Shore does. I wonder if Bankier can keep up? 

    I get what you are saying about NoJo's speed pairing with MaRat, but i just don't see it being a success. I would not want NoJo torpedoing MaRat and Lauko having success. He certainly could keep up but it is what he would not do as he does his normal cardio routine. I would offer him a trade or being put on waivers. I think Shore is better and I am impressed with his game. I agree with you on calling up one of (or a series of call-ups) of young guys who have the speed and grit.

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    One other thing caught my eye last night. Zucci was just nothing. His game has really fallen off. He never was a banger who could power through the middle or bang in the boards, but last night he was merely a passenger. I know his buddy is out and that is where he gets most of his value, but, woof he was bad.

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    Bankier is the prospect I've been high on outside of the Yurov, Ohgren, Jiricek, Wallstedt, etc group.  It's nice seeing him getting some recognition.  I haven't seen much of his play, but every time he seems to be noticeable, often in the right position, or how he seems to recognize plays on either end of the ice.  He's got a way to go to  claim a consistent roster spot in the NHL, but I'm really interested to see how he progresses since he looks like he has the ability to carve out a path for himself if he keeps working hard.

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