Minnesotans taken in the 2020 NHL Draft

While no Minnesota prospect heard their name be called in the first round for the second consecutive year, the State of Hockey once again had a good result as 11 players who played Minnesota amateur hockey were selected in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, along with two players who have familial ties to Minnesota Wild alums.

Minnesotan Selections in the 2020 NHL Draft

Brock Faber

Position: D

Selected: 2^nd round (45^th overall) by the Los Angeles Kings

Amateur Team: USA U-18s

Hometown: Maple Grove, Minn.

The University of Minnesota commit will bring great skating and a big frame to the Los Angeles blue line, using his size and speed to prevent opponents from easily gaining the offensive zone.

Jake Boltmann

Position: D

Selected: 3^rd round (80^th overall) by the Calgary Flames

Amateur Team: Lincoln Stars, USHL

Hometown: Edina, Minn.

Another future Golden Gopher, Boltmann was surprised to hear his name called on day two, as he went unranked by most scouting services. Flames GM Brad Treliving described Boltmann as “a gifted skater, great edges, smart and competitive.”

Wyatt Kaiser

Position: D

Selected: 3^rd round (81^st overall) by the Chicago Blackhawks

Amateur Team: Andover Stars, MSHSL

Hometown: Ham Lake, Minn.

Kaiser’s selection made it two-in-a-row for Minnesotans in the third round. The scouting report on the soon-to-be University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldog shows a speedy skater with strong edges and good maneuverability, making him a tough defenseman to forecheck against.

Kaiser also had the burn of the draft when asked about being taken by the Blackhawks instead of his hometown Wild:

Ouch.

Jackson Hallum

Position: C

Selected: 3^rd round (91^st overall) by the Vegas Golden Knights

Amateur Team: St. Thomas Academy Cadets, MSHSL

Hometown: Eagan, Minn.

The Golden Knights grabbed one of the fastest skaters in the draft in Hallum. The St. Thomas Academy Cadet committed to the University of Michigan in September, and reportedly was informed he was selected by Vegas on the way to his Econ class.

Jack Smith

Position: C

Selected: 4^th round (102^nd overall) by the Montreal Canadiens

Amateur Team: St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders, MSHSL

Hometown: St. Cloud, Minn.

Tying the score at 2-2 for UMD vs. the U of M, Smith is smart, offensive-minded forward who scored 129 points in 61 regular-season games at Cathedral. Smith was ranked #169 by NHL Central Scouting for North American skaters, so the Habs must have really liked what they saw in the future Bulldog.

Blake Biondi

Position: C

Selected: 4th Round (109^th overall) by the Montreal Canadians

Amateur Team: Hermantown Hawks, MSHSL

Hometown: Hermantown, Minn.

Just seven picks later, the Canadiens take another UMD commit. Biondi was named Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey after scoring an incredible 3.04 points per game for the Hawks. And as for pedigree, Blake is the son of Joseph Biondi, a ninth-round selection by the Minnesota North Stars in 1990 out of Minnesota-Duluth, though he never made the NHL.

Jackson Kunz

Position: LW

Selected: 4^th round (113rd overall) by the Vancouver Canucks

Amateur Team: Shattuck St. Mary’s

Hometown: Grand Forks, ND

A North Dakota commit, Kunz is a playmaker with good hockey sense and strong passing ability. He finished the 2019-20 season at Shattuck with 40 goals and 29 assists in 69 games. He’ll play the 2020-21 season with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL.

Artem Shlaine

Position: C

Selected: 5^th round (130^th overall) by the New Jersey Devils

Amateur Team: Shattuck St. Mary’s

Hometown: Moskva, Russia

Another big scorer from Shattuck, the 6-foot-1, 174 pound winger brings strong puck skills and the ability to crash the net and clean up rebounds. Originally committed to Boston University, Shlaine flipped to UConn and will start his collegiate career there in 2020-21.

Mason Langenbrunner

Position: D

Selected: 5^th round (151^st overall) by the Boston Bruins

Amateur Team: Eden Prairie Eagles, MSHSL

Hometown: Moose Lake, Minn.

Yep, those Langenbrunners. Mason is the son of long-time Dallas Star and New Jersey Devil forward Jamie Langunbrunner. The younger Langenbrunner transferred from Cloquet to Eden Prairie for the 2019-20 season and scored 19 points in 25 games. He’ll move on to Harvard in the 2020-21 season.

Veeti Miettinen

Position: RW

Selected: 6^th round (168^th overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs

Amateur Team: Kiekko-Espoo U20 “A”, Jr. A SM-Liiga

Hometown: Espoo, Finland

Nope, no relation to former Wild Antti “Mittens” Miettinen. Veeti will be bringing his accurate shooting and quick, agile skating to the St. Cloud Huskies next season.

Joe Miller

Position: C

Selected: 6^th round (180^th overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs

Amateur Team: Blake Bears, MSHSL

Hometown: Minneapolis, MN

Miller led the Bears with 59 points in 25 games as Blake won third place in the 2019-20 Class AA boys hockey tournament. Very fast but a bit undersized at 5-foot-9 and 146 pounds, Miller will hope to grow his size and his skill at the University of Minnesota in 2021-22. The Leafs’ selection brings the number of Gopher draftees to three, tying the UMD Bulldogs.

Wild Ties

Wild fans will recognize two other names called in the 2020 NHL Draft, as a pair of relatives to former Wild players were selected on Wednesday.

Luke Tuch

Position: LW

Selected: 2^nd round (47^th overall) by the Montreal Canadiens

Amateur Team: US National U18 Team

Hometown: Baldwinsville, NY

Luke was taken a round later than his brother, 2014 first-round Wild selection Alex Tuch, but will bring a similar skillset to Boston Univiersity in 2020-21. At 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds, the younger Tuch has the size and skill to be a strong power forward in the NHL.

Ryder Rolston

Position: RW

Selected: Fifth round (139^th overall) by the Colorado Avalanche

Amateur Team: Waterloo Black Hawks, USHL

Hometown: Birmingham, Mich.

The 6-foot-1 174-pound progeny of former Wild, Bruins and Devils great Brian Rolston, Ryder is tall and strong like his famous father. He’s fast, mobile and has a quick wrister. No word on his shootout slapshot.