Liam Öhgren Shaking Off Disappointing Start to Season

Liam Öhgren entered the 2024-25 season as one of the Minnesota Wild’s most exciting prospects. In our prospect rankings, we ranked him as the fourth-best player in Minnesota’s system. The Swedish winger also produced positive results in a four-game audition with the Wild last year with a goal and an assist. It seemed like everything was set up for Öhgren to make an impact in his first full NHL season. 

Unfortunately, Öhgren’s possible ascent was delayed when he failed to make an impression in the season's early going. Öhgren failed to make enough impact to hold off more experienced players like Jakub Lauko. After eight games with no points, the Wild sent the former first-round pick for more seasoning in Iowa. 

Since returning to Iowa, Öhgren has been playing fantastic hockey and seems to have completely shaken off the early season letdown. 

Öhgren Misses Opportunity

Before analyzing Öhgren’s bounceback, it’s vital to examine why he struggled in the NHL and ultimately didn’t make the team full-time. Öhgren wasn’t just a candidate to make the team; he appeared to have the inside track. Michael Russo projected Öhgren to be the Wild’s fourth-line left wing. Other projections rated him as high as playing on Minnesota’s second line.

In Öhgren’s eight games, he played more of that bottom-six role. According to Moneypuck.com, Öhgren averaged 9:53 of time on ice per game, and his most common linemates were Frédérick Gaudreau, Marat Khusnutdinov, and Lauko. Playing Öhgren in this role seemed to make sense. 

The most celebrated parts of his skill set include a highly competitive style, a solid 200-foot game, an ability to score in high-danger areas, and playing with physicality. These traits should lend well to a bottom-six role, especially as he got used to the NHL’s speed. However, none of that seemed to translate. Öhgren scored no points and failed to produce underlying numbers indicating a positive impact.

Perhaps most concerning was Öhgren’s quality of chances. In his limited action, Öhgren managed 17 shot attempts, resulting in 10 shots on goal. None of them were rated as high-danger opportunities. The talented prospect has an above-average shot, so an important part of his game is getting into good scoring areas to use it. Without that, his play floundered at times, and he ultimately missed his opportunity to play in Minnesota.

Regaining Form In Iowa

Since being sent to Iowa, Öhgren has overhauled his game. In 16 games, he’s scored 10 goals, leading the Iowa Wild. He’s back to playing his usual style. He uses his physicality to get to dangerous areas of the ice, where he can use his solid shot to score goals. Just look at a few points he’s scored since joining Iowa, all coming from the same general area of the ice. 

In each clip, Öhgren gets into a high-danger area of the ice before ripping off his shot. Even from tight angles, Öhgren is a dangerous scoring threat. Beating AHL goalies and defenses is much easier than playing like that on the big stage. Still, his assertiveness was sorely missed in his NHL stint. In Iowa, Öhgren is doing a much better job earning opportunities to put his scoring ability on display. 

Part of Öhgren’s reclamation of form is due to a change in role. He’s playing as a top-six player instead of the limited minutes he played in Minnesota. Öhgren’s skill set should translate well to a bottom-six forward role, but that’s a niche he hasn’t filled in a long time. Having more offensive responsibility results in much greater output. He can also play on the power play, where he functions as a threatening net-front presence. 

While many expected Öhgren to make a run at an NHL roster spot this season, he’s still only 20. The winger looks like he’s progressing great for the Wild, even if he had some setbacks early in the season. His play in the AHL is promising in a year that hasn’t been fantastic for Iowa. 

Playing at a lower level has allowed Öhgren to show off his speed, physicality, competitive edge, and shooting prowess. Öhgren’s return to form puts his season in a new context. While his early-season run with Minnesota was undoubtedly disappointing, his time in Iowa is turning this year into a net positive for his development. 

What Öhgren Can Bring To the Wild

The good news for the Wild is that whenever Öhgren is ready to jump to the NHL, the Wild need a player like him. Minnesota entered the season with concerns surrounding their depth scoring. While those concerns seemed unfounded earlier in the year, they became pertinent again with Minnesota’s recent injury bug. 

As of this writing, it’s been 17 periods since the Wild scored without Kirill Kaprizov on the ice. The lack of firepower has led to poor results. Minnesota has lost four straight games while scoring a combined four goals. 

Öhgren has all the talent to make up some of that gap. The winger has the talent to be a middle-six contributor who plays a physical game. At 6-foot-1, 187 pounds, he isn’t the hulking player that GM Bill Guerin seems to covet, but he already plays like one. He’s only 20 years old as well, so he should fill out his frame a bit, which will make his tenacious play even more effective. 

If he’s such a natural asset to the Wild, it is fair to wonder why he hasn’t gained more NHL time with so many injuries. The Wild are leaning on players like Ben Jones, Travis Boyd, and Devin Shore to fill in while Öhgren stays in Iowa. Keeping him where he’s succeeding is probably best for all involved. 

The spots that have been needed are for a bottom-six role that he’s already struggled with this season. Instead, Öhgren can stay in Iowa and continue thriving in a more suitable role. At some point, Öhgren will have to develop into playing that spot. For now, Öhgren is progressing in Iowa and getting back to playing a style that will pay dividends when he finally transitions to the NHL full-time.