By Luke Sims -
Hockey Wilderness is counting down the Minnesota Wild’s Top-10 Prospects, as voted by our staff. Today, we give you everything you need to know about our No. 4 prospect, Liam Ohgren.
Oh, boy, get excited for this kid.
Liam Ohgren is in North America in only his third season after the Minnesota Wild selected him 19th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. Ohgren got a taste of the NHL last season in Minnesota’s final four games, where he scored his first NHL goal.
Ohgren had a really solid season in Sweden, playing for Färjestad BK of the SHL. He recorded 19 points in 26 games as a 19-year-old player who had just turned 20, playing against men in Sweden.
Ohgren earned an invite to Wild training camp with his play in Sweden and will get a shot at making the NHL roster immediately. However, Minnesota won’t roster him just because he’s in camp. The youngster must play substantially better than his competition to prove he's worth a roster spot.
However, Ohgren has a few things going for him. The 20-year-old is a hard worker on both ends of the ice. He competed at a high level and showed tremendous effort in his four-game stint with the Wild last season.
He’s also a threat any time he steps on the ice. Ohgren had a wicked shot and was not afraid to use it. His sniping ability could give Minnesota’s top-9 a boost they desperately need.
Look at this:
That’s a bomb from the slot.
Then, look at the one below. Ohgren walks in on the powerplay and snipes one five-hole like an absolute mad lad for Team Sweden. You got to love it from Ohgren.
The kid’s got vision, too. Down one in the first against Team USA, Ohgren parked out front of the net, got the pass, moved his feet, and delivered a rocket of a pass to Fabian Lysell, his teammate. Lysell then unleashes a one-timer that knocked the bottle off and tied the game on the powerplay. Beautiful stuff from the first-rounder.
Don’t just take my word for it. The Athletic’s senior NHL prospects writer, Corey Pronman, had this to say about Ohgren, who he ranked seventh in the Wild’s prospect pool:
Ohgren was an important player for Farjestad in the SHL and Sweden’s U20 team and got some games with the Wild at the end of the year. He is an unspectacular player but helps his team in numerous ways. He has good skill and scoring ability and can be an offensive contributor. He’s very good at creating offense between the circles and projects as a bumper or net-front type on an NHL power play.
He has the soft skills and wrist shot to create from a distance, but he’s at his best when he’s getting to the tough areas. He wins a lot of battles and brings his best effort every game. He won’t blow you away with his speed or skill but he has enough of a well-rounded game to project as a middle-six wing.
While Pronman thinks Ohgren is an unspectacular player, he’ll be spectacular for the middle of the Wild’s lineup. The only issue is getting to that spot. As mentioned above, he must be truly special to unseat one of Minnesota’s middle-six wingers.
Even if he does, the Wild might still send him to Des Moines. Adam Beckman scored four goals and an assist for five points in four preseason games with the Wild in 2021-22. However, that was still not enough to make the team. Now, he plays in New Jersey. It will take a lot for Ohgren to prove he is better than Marcus Johansson or Freddy Gaudreau.
However, Ohgren is hungry. With the way he works his butt off and the threat he is in the offensive zone, he’ll push for a roster spot in camp or start the season in Iowa.
All stats and data via HockeyDB, Fox Sports, and Elite Prospects unless otherwise noted.
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