HW 2011 Prospects: Sven Baertschi

With each post, you will get to understand what type of player he is, and how he can help the Wild. You'll understand his strengths, flaws and get to understand what type of player he'll develop into.

The HW's Rank - The average rank of several of our favorite available rankings, weighted appropriately.

Summary Scout Notes - A broken down version of comments offered by each service. To read the whole explanations, click on the source site and search.

History And Accomplishments

HW's Take:

He is a shifty winger with good playmaking skills and great vision. However, his true strength is his ability to score. His wrist shot is very accurate and strong, and can seemingly score from anywhere on the ice. He is also a very good stickhandler, and doesn't mind playing with some grit.

However, like many goal-scoring prospects, his defensive game comes into question. Baertschi tends to shy away from going into the dirty areas and at the NHL level, sometimes you just have to to get the goals. You can't always rely on your shot.

Nonetheless, Baertschi has is a great kid and if he focuses on improving his two-way play, he would be a perfect fit for the Wild

HW's Projection

Top six goal-scoring winger

Summary Scouts Notes

For full explanations, click on the links:

Portland head coach Mike Johnston (via NHL.com)

B2011DW

Swiss sniper can really put the puck in the net ... excellent skater who can explode to top speed in just a few strides ... has a heavy, accurate shot that he loves to rip coming off the rush ... got a quick stick and has a vicious little shot ... very good puck skills ... a solid kid who is passionate and plays with a lot of natural exuberance ... he does have a tendency to play a perimeter game and stay away from the dirty areas of the ice ... one-dimensional
OHLProspects

Video Evidence

Where Does He Fit With The Wild?

Like a glove, paired with Mikael Granlund. Granlund has the ability to make plays out of nothing and Baertschi has the ability to score from anywhere.

You wanted a goal scoring prospect? Here he is.

Good Choice At #10?

So yes, some may disagree with me but I love Baertschi at #10.

How Does He Look As A Wild?

Comment away!