Teammates praise Boldy for dominant performance

Matt Boldy is on another level and his talent is shining through more and more with every appearance he makes for the Minnesota Wild. The 21-year-old just finished the 12th game of his career with four points and a hat trick, an incredible feat for an even more incredible player — and his teammates think that as well.

“He’s been great. He’s been having, obviously, a huge impact for us,” said winger and Boldy’s roommate, Jordan Greenway. “It’s scary. It’s scary the depth that I think that we have. We can rely on everyone for different things, whether it’s getting on the scoresheet or locking down another line, whatever the case is. We can rely on pretty much everyone, so that’s definitely a good feeling, and it’s gonna be good for us going down the stretch, for sure.”

Every line can score, but lately, it’s been the trio of Kevin Fiala, Frederick Gaudreau, and Boldy that have been lighting the lamp seemingly every other shift. The 21-year-old addition to the lineup has provided a new life for Fiala’s offense — someone that can actually finish on the plays he creates from the neutral zone going forward and being able to successfully cycle the puck with the elite puck protection skills Boldy is already showing and making use of.

“He’s very calm. He’s very level with everything,” coach Dean Evason said. “We’re impressed by his attitude and how he conducts himself. Obviously, he’s got elite skill, but he’s also got elite mental capacity to play the game the right way and conduct himself the right way as a teammate.”

Even players that don’t get to play with the rookie often are full of praise for what they get to see from the bench.

“He had an amazing game,” Joel Eriksson Ek said of Boldy. “You can see how good he is and how smart he is and how he uses his stick to protect the puck. Him being so young and being so strong is amazing. It’s great for our team to get a player like that.”

Eriksson Ek also recognized just how much Fiala and Boldy work well together, comparing them to another dynamic duo in the lineup.

“I think you can really tell they enjoy playing with each other,” Eriksson Ek said. “It’s so much like Zuccy and Kirill, how they can find each other without even looking, just playing the puck into areas and the next guy is there. It’s fun to see, and it helps our team to get that scoring.”

Since Boldy debuted on Jan. 6, the Wild have the third-most points in the NHL with a 11-1-1 record and have the third-highest goals for rate (3.44 GF/60) in all situations. They are simply scoring loads of goals right now and are riding a wave to compete for the top spot in the division with the Colorado Avalanche.

The kid is special and we’re just going along for the ride.