Minnesota's Defensemen and Goalies Displayed Diverse Skillsets At the Kurvers Showcase

The annual Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase took place last weekend at Tria Rink in Saint Paul, bringing together many of the Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, and Chicago Blackhawks’ best prospects. 

I broke down the Wild’s forward prospects at the showcase in my previous piece, and this one will focus on the defensemen and goalies. College players and those playing in Europe are unable to attend this event, and some of the Wild’s top defensive prospects fall into that category. Still, there was an interesting mix of prospects at the Kurvers Showcase that included players in various stages of development. 

Defensemen

Zeev Buium – Age: 19 – Shoots: L – 6-foot, 185 pounds

Plenty has already been written about the Wild’s top prospect, and Buium backed up the hype by being heads and shoulders above most of the players at the event. He made several jaw-dropping passes and defended well with his feet and positioning. He also scored on a hard, accurate shot from the high slot. 

Buium is still guilty of taking unnecessary chances with poke checks and on the offensive blue line, just like he was in April when I wrote about his immediate NHL readiness. He’ll need to learn to pick his spots. 

Still, he showed everything he needed to on Friday and got the day off on Sunday as a reward. Buium is already an NHL-caliber defenseman, and quite possibly a very good one. He’ll be fun to watch this year.

Jack Peart – Age: 22 – Shoots: L – 5-foot-11, 185 pounds

Peart is a tough player to figure out. On the offensive half of the ice, he’s a stellar puck mover who can make crafty moves to shake defenders on the blue line and create space, passing lanes, and shooting opportunities. He can quarterback a power play with enough deception to get the opposition scrambling, leading to good scoring chances. He displayed all of that this weekend and is looking like he’ll have an opportunity to run the first or second power play in Iowa this season.

But then, there’s Peart on the defensive side. He has the tools to defend and often does so effectively. He has good feet, and while he’s not a powerful or fast skater, he’s fairly smooth and efficient in all directions. However, it’s hard to trust him as a puck mover from his own end and even through the neutral zone. He has a tendency to make bad reads that lead to bad passes.

Numerous times each game, Peart will throw a pass into coverage or put a teammate in a bad spot. He can make bad decisions sometimes with the puck on the wall or when carrying it, and skate into trouble. On the offensive blue line, he makes some questionable decisions about when to pinch. And he’ll randomly have bad gaps when defending a rush, allowing opponents to penetrate the zone dangerously. 

Peart had a tough game on Friday but rebounded with an excellent performance on Sunday. All told, it was the type of uneven performance that I’ve seen from him for a while. He’s young, and it’s hard for defensemen to adapt to the pro game. It’s just more the erratic nature of his play that is perplexing for a player with his toolkit.

At this point, I’m wondering if it’s either that he has lapses in focus or that he doesn’t have strong hockey sense. Given his offensive instincts, I’m wondering if it’s more a lack of focus and attention to detail when the puck is on the defensive half of the ice.

I’m really curious to see what he does in Iowa this year. There will be a lot of competition for minutes and power play time. Peart shows a lot of good things, but too often he makes plays that just can’t happen from a player with his pedigree. Hopefully, he takes a nice step this year and finds some consistency.

Stevie Leskovar – Age: 21 – Shoots: L – 6-foot-3, 213 pounds

I watched Leskovar very closely this weekend. It’s clear that he is going to be a project, but also that there’s potential payoff. 

There will need to be growth in his footwork because he has heavy feet at times when defending from a stationary position, and then has to quickly get to a spot. Leskovar’s first steps are a bit plodding, and he’ll need to develop quicker first steps in all directions. He also must ensure that he maintains good gaps when defending the rush; if not, opposing skaters can exploit him wide, and he’ll have trouble recovering. Lastly, he got caught puck-watching numerous times this weekend and lost coverage.

But there’s also plenty to like. Leskovar is a fairly skilled skater on open ice for a player of his size. He understands how to use his size and length in puck battles and when defending in tight. He has a hard, heavy shot that he doesn’t force and is able to get through. 

Leskovar’s offensive instincts from the blue line in are pretty good, even if he’s not an overly skilled player. He reads plays and looks for chances to jump into space and become an option. Leskovar also isn’t afraid to join the rush when there’s a chance, and he can make a lot of the plays he needs to make. However, he passes can be too hard sometimes, but they’re usually accurate. 

And lastly, Leskovar is a physical force. He threw heavy body checks all weekend, especially during Friday’s game against the Blues, where things got pretty chippy as the game wore on. He found himself in an ongoing battle with Blues first-rounder Justin Carbonneau, one he eventually lost when he made a bad hit on Carbonneau behind the net and found himself in the penalty box. However, it was a reaction to being the victim of a cheap takedown that went uncalled earlier in the period. 

Leskovar also had a fight on Sunday. He’ll need to learn to rein it in at times, but he also understands the impact he can have with his physical play.

He might have a hard time cracking the Iowa Wild lineup this season, at least initially. However, if Leskovar spends some time in the ECHL, that won’t be a bad place for him. He can play a lot of minutes there and learn to be a pro. There’s a wide range of outcomes in terms of his ceiling. Still, the Wild don’t have another prospect like him, and he’s worth the gamble for that reason alone.

Kyle Masters – Age: 22 – Shoots: R – 6-foot, 176 pounds

I have been a Masters fan since the Wild drafted him in 2021, and I mostly liked his game this past weekend. Still, a player with two full years of professional experience should be good at an event like this. It’s a question of ceiling for Masters, and I’m no longer sure that his ceiling involves playing NHL games. 

The 22-year-old has split time between the AHL and ECHL the past two seasons. It’s looking like he’ll be in a battle with Leskovar, Mike Koster, and Will Zmolek for depth minutes for the Iowa Wild this year. He’s right-handed, and that should also give him a leg up, but there’s a good chance he'll spend time in the ECHL once again.

Masters moves the puck up ice well and understands how plays develop. He makes a handful of nice passes every game to jump-start attacks up ice. However, he hasn’t grown a lot as a skater in the past couple of seasons, and I don’t think he has quick enough feet to defend top players. I’m not sure if he has the offensive instincts and the skill necessary to be a threat on that end. I’m starting to wonder if Masters will top out in the AHL and eventually end up in Europe.

Mike Koster – Age: 24 – Shoots: Left – 5-foot-10, 190 pounds

Koster, the former Gopher, was one of the older players here, so he was expected to perform well, and he did, especially on Sunday. He showed his solid puck-moving and ability to transport the puck up ice. He’s a smart play reader and can defend with his feet and a good stick. His lengthy college experience should have prepared him to handle the physical play of pro hockey. 

I’ve seen Koster play in high school, juniors, and college, and I’m not sure how much better he can get at this point. It seems he’s maxed out a lot of his physical tools, but it looks like he can be a solid AHL defenseman, and he’ll have a chance to become that for the Iowa Wild this year. Eventually, I could see him becoming a guy who can get called up for a couple of NHL games a year as an organization’s ninth or tenth defenseman.

Goalies

Riley Mercer – Age: 21 – Catches: L – 6-foot-2, 203 pounds

I’m certainly no expert on goalies, but I back Mercer as a potential good find by the Wild. He played two periods on Friday and was the victim of a couple of early defensive breakdowns, and never really seemed to find his rhythm. 

Still, he showed good poise and positioning, and looks pretty calm in his net. I’m excited to see what he does this year, likely in the ECHL with the Heartlanders, and potentially in some AHL action. Goalie development takes time, but a strong first year to follow up on an excellent junior career could elevate Mercer into a legitimate prospect status.

William Rousseau – Age: 22 – Catches: L – 6-foot-1, 187 pounds

Like Mercer, Rousseau was a free agent signing after completing a solid junior career and had a nice season for the Heartlanders last year. 

He was given the tough task of coming in cold for the third period in both games last weekend (each goalie got two periods of work) and performed very well. Rousseau has solid rebound control from what I’ve seen and looks pretty athletic. He and Mercer will probably be competing for starts in the ECHL, as well as for potential call-ups to the AHL.

Chase Wutzke – Age: 19 – Catches: L – 6-foot-2, 161 pounds

The Wild’s youngest goalie prospect turned in a solid performance on Sunday, showcasing his athleticism with several solid saves, including the save of the weekend, shown in the first highlight below.

I was impressed by Wutzke’s quick, powerful lateral movement and ability to play big in his net. While he’s young, it was easy to see the potential that led the Wild to select him in the 2024 draft. He’ll be a fun one to track as he heads back to the WHL for another season.

Other notable invitees

With so many of their prospects playing in college or Europe, the Wild had more invitees on their Kurvers Showcase roster than normal. Of the nine players that were invited to participate in the camp, there were three in particular that caught my eye as players to monitor for potential depth signings down the road:

Cash Koch, a gritty, undrafted 18-year-old forward, brought some real intensity and made an impact on several occasions. Koch is set to play his third season in the WHL.

Rowan Topp, a 6-foot-2, 203-pound right-shot defenseman who moves fairly well and isn’t afraid to mix it up physically. There’s no flash to Topp’s game, but he plays an honest style and was a fun player to watch. 

Jordan Tourigny is a four-year vet of the QMJH. The 20-year-old is a mobile 6-foot, 185-pound right-shot defenseman who makes some outstanding plays with the puck. I enjoyed watching him get up and down the ice.