By Tony Abbott -
When gaming out the best-case scenario for the 2024 Minnesota Wild, Liam Öhgren is almost definitely a part of that team. While Öhgren is considered part of the second-tier of a loaded Wild prospect pool, he's immensely talented. EP Rinkside ranked the 2022 first-rounder 54th in their Top-100 Affiliated Prospects list, and every one of his tools rated at an above-average grade. For a team that may lack above-average shooters and skaters, Öhgren is an asset the Wild could use -- and use right away.
We know that the Wild will play their kids at some point this season. The way they've constructed their roster almost requires someone to step up for a top-six role. The Wild sent Riley Heidt, their breakout prospect from last year, back to Canadian Juniors this week after looking not quite comfortable with the speed and physicality of the NHL preseason, so that narrows down Minnesota's options.
Arguably, if we consider Marat Khusnutdinov a lock to make the roster, we've narrowed it down to one player: Öhgren.
Is he ready for prime time?
After Friday's game, it looked like the answer was yes. In Minnesota's 8-5 romp over the Winnipeg Jets' (mostly-prospect-filled) squad, Öhgren looked dominant at times alongside Joel Eriksson Ek and Yakov Trenin. The trio dominated possession time, and Öhgren scored a late goal by crashing the net for a rebound in a very Eriksson Ek-ian fashion.
After admittedly "not feeling good" in his first preseason game, Öhgren bounced back with a statement, which would hopefully springboard his momentum in a roster battle.
That momentum lasted until Sunday. Playing the Dallas Stars in a mostly prospect-on-prospect tilt, Öhgren's role went from being a supporting player on Eriksson Ek's line to being an offensive catalyst. Playing beside Jakub Lauko and Ben Jones, Öhgren struggled to find his footing. His lone shot attempt came late in the game after John Hynes moved him up to Marco Rossi's line.
However, the 20-year-old Swede still had chances to impress, and he did again on Tuesday night. Reunited with Eriksson Ek and with Marcus Johansson as the third member of the line, Öhgren shone again.
Their line bullied the Chicago Blackhawks despite seeing a regular diet of Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi. The trio attempted 16 shots to Chicago's three as a unit. In Öhgren's nearly nine minutes of sharing the ice with Bedard, the Wild out-attempted Chicago by a 14-6 margin. Per Natural Stat Trick, Öhgren also led Minnesota with 0.36 individual expected goals on his shots.
We've seen two versions of Öhgren: One who thrives alongside big-time players like Eriksson Ek and one who struggles when tasked to create offense on his own. If you're the Wild, what do you do here? What's best for the team, and what's best for his development?
The Wild remain uncommitted as of Wednesday afternoon. Öhgren is still on the Wild's roster and splitting time with Johansson on Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy's line at practice.
Whatever the decision ultimately becomes might reveal what Minnesota eventually sees their top prospect becoming. Are they happy if Öhgren becomes a high-end supporting player? Someone who may not be the offensive catalyst of their line but serves as a viable running mate to a star player like Eriksson Ek, Boldy, or Kirill Kaprizov?
If so, there are much, much worse places for him to develop than riding shotgun with Eriksson Ek. His defensive prowess and net-front presence would benefit any player, particularly someone with a well-rounded offensive game like Öhgren. It's also a bonus that playing with Eriksson Ek would also allow Öhgren to play more like Eriksson Ek. The veteran Swede's relentless forechecking tends to set the tone for his line.
But perhaps the Wild do see Öhgren as a catalyst of his own line. If so, they may pigeonhole him in a supporting role that won't benefit his development in the long term. If the Wild are looking for Öhgren to run his own line, he's not ready for that at the NHL level. To become ready for that, he's going to need reps. He'll need to get in the habit of touching the puck a ton, creating his own shot, and scoring in the AHL. That's probably not happening as a third wheel behind Eriksson Ek and Boldy, who both see a lot of 5-on-5 shots of their own.
And that's the push-and-pull that Minnesota is going to be faced with when making this decision. Is Öhgren good enough to play in the NHL? Probably, at least in the right scenario. Are the Wild a better team for it? Probably, or at the very least, they'll have more upside. But could Öhgren benefit from playing in the AHL? The answer is probably also yes.
He will likely play in the NHL this year, but figuring out the exact right time for him to be in the lineup is a tricky balancing act.
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