Minnesota Wild Prospect Rankings - August 2010

The lack of quality prospects who could represent the core of the Wild raised many questions about the future of the team. However, with the 2010 Entry Draft completed, the Wild acquired six new prospects in addition to three new college prospects acquired at the end of the 2009-10 regular season.

(Part 1 of 4. There will be four rankings throughout the year, during the beginning of August, December, February, and June)

Requirements for rookies:
*Under the age of 27
**Has played less than 15 NHL Games (some exceptions apply e.g Gillies)
***Has played less than 4 years of pro hockey

Prospect Rankings

1. Mikael Granlund C

2. Marco Scandella D

Finishing his junior career with a bang (winning silver with Canada WJC team, suspended 15 games for a high hit, achieving career high PPG), Scandella looks to translate his success at the pro level. Known mainly for his defensive game, Scandella possess a hard shot and is a decent puck mover.  Wild Coordinator of Amateur Scouting Guy Lapointe told Aeros.com that Scandella reminds them of "A better Hall Gill type of defenseman but with more ability." Last year, he was one of the last cuts at the Minnesota Wild training camp so he will be looking to compete for that open 7th defenseman spot. If not, he will have time to polish his skills with the Houston Aeros.

3. Casey Wellman C

4. Tyler Cuma D

5. Matt Hackett G

6. Colton Gillies LW

After seeing the result of rushing prospects to the NHL level firsthand with James Sheppard, the new Wild management quickly tried to rectify their mistake and sent Colton Gillies down to the Houston Aeros, hoping to avoid wasting his potential development time sitting on the bench. Drafted by the Wild for his high paced physical game, Gillies has shown flashes of talent but like any rookie, showed a good amount of inconsistency. But now that his rookie year is over and with new head coach Mike Yeo arriving, Gillies will be hoping to improve his consistency and to impress the Wild staff for a call-up back to the Wild pro roster.

7. Brett Bulmer LW

Originally thought to be an off-the-board pick by the Wild during the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Bulmer showed why the Wild chose him so early during the Wild's Development Camp. Bulmer exhibited solid skating, decent puckhandling skills and a lot of physical play, even stirring up some action with Tyler Cuma and Maxim Noreau. Regarded as a late bloomer, Bulmer still has room to grow into his 6'3" frame and will be relied on by the Kelowna Rockets as he is looking to pair off with potential top five pick in the 2011 Entry Draft, Shane McColgan.

8. Cody Almond C

Although Almond only scored 18 points in 48 games with the Houston Aeros, there seems to be a 'fan favorite' love growing within the Wild community. Almond played solid during his call up to the Wild, which surprised many, expecting little from the rookie. Almond is a complete player, able to playing both sides of the ice, complimented with a physical edge. He showed up in development camp ready, outplaying every single Wild prospect during scrimmages. Almond is an interesting project, with many confused on what type of player he will develop into as he is extremely versatile. Mike Yeo, the Aeros new head coach, will have the opportunity to mold Almond into the player that he wants.

9. Erik Haula LW

10. Maxim Noreau D

11. Johan Larsson LW

Drafted in the second round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Larsson went on a hot streak during the WJC U-18, playing as team captain for Sweden, and scoring 6 goals and 8 assists in 5 games. Thought to be a strong two-way player, his offensive breakout have the Wild hoping there is some more hidden offensive talent within Larsson.

12. Nate Prosser D

One out of the three college signings by the Wild, Prosser played 3 games with the Wild, in which he impressed the staff and fans with his solid play and strong shot. No one was expecting Prosser to play solidly an average of 19.36 minutes per game. Prosser will be one of defensive prospects challenging for the 7th spot with the Wild.

13. Justin Falk D

A stay-at-home defenseman, Falk possess huge size and good mobility that has had Wild's head coach Todd Richard excited about his future. Amongst the number of late season call-ups for the Wild, Falk showed a very long reach and physical play. He will most likely head back to the Houston Aeros but his future seems to be bright.

14. Jason Zucker LW

The Wild traded its third and fourth round picks in the 2010 Entry Draft to move up into the late second round and select Jason Zucker. During the 2009-10 season, Zucker won three gold medals, impressive for a 17 year old, including a gold with Team USA during the U-20 WJC. Known for his forechecking skills, Zucker will have another year (hopefully two) to make the Team USA team again and head for a championship medal.

15. Anton Khudobin G

16. Kristopher Foucault LW

Inconsistency and work ethic seems to be the issues with Foucault. Described as a "Skilled offensive winger with quality hands and a pro release", Foucault's regular season play can be considered underwhelming, but will become an offensive force during the playoffs. He will most likely head back to the Calgary Hitmen and try to repeat his playoff success during the regular season.

17. Darcy Kuemper G

The biggest thing for Kuemper is consistency. He has the large size and the good mobility but he had a disappointing start to the season and a disappointing playoff performance as well. His second half performance was surprising a lot better. He played solid for his try out with the Houston Aeros so there is promise, he will just need some time to develop his game in the juniors.

18. Kyle Medvec D

Medvec has one more year with the University of Vermont, and will serve as an assistant captain as a senior. Little is known about Medvec, but in his recent play during the developmental camp scrimmages, he displayed huge size, good mobility, and decent hockey sense. If he can improve his skating, he could make a decent bottom paring defenseman but will most likely to spend one more year in college and a few in the AHL before making it to the NHL.

19. Chad Rau C

Rau's rookie year was impressive, being the Aero's top rookie for the 2010-11 season. He has those abilities to make him a dangerous forward but also has some glaring flaws, such as skating and physicality. If he improves in those areas previously mentioned, perhaps there might be a future for Rau with the Wild as he does possess offensive skills that make him a dangerous opponent.

20. Jarod Palmer RW
21. Joel Broda C

Signed even before developmental camp started, Broda was signed by the Wild to a three-year entry level deal. Broda scored 73 points in 66 games and was part of Calgary Hitmen, who won the 2010 WHL Championship. With the Wild actively trying to improve their prospect pool, Broda is a welcomed addition, possessing decent size and good hands. While his skating ability and his defensive play is somewhat lacking, Broda will have time to develop with the Houston Aeros and the Wild do not mind adding a youngster to the Aero's roster.

22. Johan Gustafsson G

Selected in the 6th round in the 2010 Entry Draft, Gustafsson possess the size and the athleticism that NHL teams look for in goalies. Former Assistant General Manager Tommy Thompson, who also ran the draft for the Wild, had Gustafsson ranked 44th overall in his rankings. He will head back to Sweden where he will be given time to develop

23. Petr Kalus LW

Since returning from Russia, Kalus has shown that he has matured but still was not overly impressive, especially in his 2 games with the Wild, in which fans felt underwhelmed by his non-existent play. By now, fans can only hope for a energetic 4th line grinder if Kalus does not decide to move back to the KHL.

24. Matt Kassian LW

25. Jere Sallinen LW

In Sallinen's first full season in the SM-Liiga, he scored a modest 11 points in 38 games. However, his main strength, and the reason the Wild drafted Sallinen, was his ability to provide physical play. Some worry that his reckless style of play and some wonder if he can overcome his injury plagued career (a back injury during the 08-09 season and a hit from behind during the most recent U-20 WJC), and continue to improve his overall game.

26. Dylen McKinlay RW

With their last pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the Wild selected Dylen McKinlay. A skinny forward that can play the two-way game and score goals, if he puts on more muscle, he can become a more effective hockey player.

Other Prospects:

27. Anthony Hamburg, C
28. Carson McMillan, RW
29. Sean Lorenz, D
30. Bjorn Krupp, D
31. Chris Hickey, C
32. Julian Walker, C