By Luke Sims -
The Minnesota Wild have added some exciting new prospects to their prospect pool. The first head-to-head action they will get against opponents not wearing the same jersey will be at this weekend's fourth annual Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase in St. Louis.
Minnesota’s prospects will play St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks youngsters in a round-robin tournament at Centene Community Ice Center from September 13 through 15.
The schedule for this Wild’s game is as follows:
Saturday, September 14, vs. Blackhawks at 6:00 pm
Sunday, September 15, vs. Blues at 3:00 pm
The Wild has also released its roster for this tournament, and they have some exciting names.
Forwards:
Luke Toporowski (41), Hunter Haight (43), Matthew Sop (53), Ryder Ritchie (54), Gavin Hain (56), Mason Zebeski (57), Riley Heidt (58), Mikey Milne (60), Kody Dupuis (74), Felix Lacerte (75), Caeden Bankier (76), Brad Marek (78), Jack O'Brien (79), Pavel Novak (80), and Luke Loheit (86)
Defensemen:
Jack Peart (49), Bogdans Hodass (65), Jordan Tourigny (67), Carson Lambos (71), Kyle Masters (73), Stevie Leskovar (81), David Spacek (82), and Kalem Parker (84)
Goalies:
Kyle McClellan (33), Samuel Hlavaj (35), Riley Mercer (50), and Chase Wutzke (95)
The Wild have some fun forward prospects playing in the tournament. Some future NHLers headlining the tournament include Haight, Bankier, Heidt, and Ritchie. Hain, Toporowski, and Novak spent some time in the AHL last year and should continue to work under Iowa coach Brett McLean.
On defense, the Wild have some familiar faces like Lambos, Peart, Masters, and Spacek. They all logged minutes in Iowa last season and will look to start the season on the right foot.
The Wild have recent draft pick Wutzke in net. He had some impressive stats in the WHL last season. They also have Samuel Hlavaj, a recent Team Slovakia alum. Hlavaj should start the season in Iowa, while Wutzke will return to the WHL to prove his end-of-season heater was not a fluke.
While the prospect showcase may not make or break any prospect stock, it will give the team a good look at some of the guys and their progress after a summer of off-season training.
Heidt thinks he’s ready to make the jump.
“Yeah, 100 percent,” he said. “I fully believe that. I’m just trying to get better at one thing every day. It’s what I’ve done my whole life. It got me to this point. I fully believe in my capability that I can do it.”
Heidt has the opportunity to make the team, but it will be a challenging road. He’d have to beat out Liam Ohgren and Marat Khusnutdinov or unseat a veteran in Marcus Johansson or Freddy Gaudreau. The Wild could also look to move one of those veterans, but it would be difficult.
Minnesota’s penalty kill was putrid last year, and Heidt found himself on Prince George’s penalty kill last season. Heidt may also be able to find a role on the penalty kill with his hard-working attitude and willingness to compete.
Heidt is not eligible to play in the AHL because he's only 19 years old, but the Wild could give him a nine-game tryout before the Wild send him back to the WHL. The Boston Bruins gave Matt Poitras a tryout last year, and he ended up sticking around for the entire season.
The Athletic’s senior writer Corey Pronman thinks Bankier is one of the most intriguing prospects for the Wild this season.
“Bankier has a lot of intriguing NHL traits between his skating, skill, and having a decent-sized frame down the middle,” he wrote. “He didn’t light it up in his first pro season, and I don’t expect him to make the Wild, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he had a good camp and put himself on the injury call-up shortlist.”
Bankier will likely start the season in Iowa, where he should get a featured role. Due to his two-way skills, the Wild will likely give Bankier a role on the power play and the penalty kill. The British Columbia native battled injuries for a portion of the season but still ended the year with 23 points through 51 games in his first pro season.
Ritchie is fresh off a trade in juniors. He’ll head to the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers to play with top prospect Gavin McKenna. Ritchie was a leader on the Prince Albert Raiders, his WHL team last season. He should be in for a big year with another dynamic playmaker by his side. Wild fans can get their first look at Ritchie during this tournament.
Haight has improved at every level. The Wild have signed him, and after spending three seasons in the OHL, he’s ready to make an impact with the Iowa Wild this season. His flashy puck skills and wicked shot will fill some seats in Des Moines this upcoming year.
The quartet of Wild defenders has to prove that the struggles in Iowa last season were growing pains, not blocks. The Wild will need one of these defenders to step up and prove that they are worthy of an NHL job or showing signs of it.
There are a plethora of guys who will hopefully wear a Wild sweater in the future, and their season kicks off this weekend in St. Louis.
All stats and data via HockeyDB and Elite Prospects unless otherwise noted.
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