By Luke Sims -
NHL teams rely on their AHL affiliates and farm systems to develop draft picks and prospects into NHL players. However, Minnesota’s farm team in Des Moines has not produced as much NHL-ready talent as other organizations.
However, that should change this year.
Last season, the Wild appointed a new coach in Brett McLean, replacing former bench boss Tim Army. They promoted McLean from assistant coach to head coach in Iowa. Now, Iowa’s record didn’t improve last season. Going from 34-27 in 2022-23 under Army to 27-37 in McLean’s first season behind the bench. But they provided the big club with ample skaters who filled solid roles and provided value in the bottom-six.
Last year, the Wild signed Vinni Lettieri and Jake Lucchini in the offseason. They started in Iowa and provided key depth roles. Some of Minnesota’s young players, like Daemon Hunt, 22, played spot roles in the NHL as injury replacements.
The issue is that those guys will always be there. You can sign guys like Lettieri and Lucchini anytime you want. The Iowa Wild have not produced many players into guys that stick in the NHL.
The Nashville Predators have done a solid job of developing players like Tommy Novak, a third-rounder from the University of Minnesota who the Preds developed into a second-line center. Novak spent three seasons in the AHL before making the full-time leap to the NHL, where he’s been a key piece in Nashville's forward core.
While Novak is an outlier, he’s what NHL teams are hoping for with AHL player development. Connor Dewar and Brandon Duhaime were Day 2 picks who came up through Iowa and were effective NHL players for the Wild. However, they could not find their way out of fourth-line roles and are now in Toronto and Washington, respectively.
Minnesota has developed top-tier guys like Marco Rossi and Matt Boldy, whom the Wild expected to reach the NHL soon after drafting them. Even goaltender Jesper Wallstedt was heralded as one of the best goaltending prospects in the world after the Wild traded up for him in the 2021 NHL Draft. Wallstedt has spent two seasons in Iowa and has the potential to play more games in the AHL this season.
It’s tough to see guys like Adam Beckman’s development stall. In the offseason, the Wild traded the 2019 third-rounder for Graeme Clarke, another 2019 third-rounder. We still don’t know how young defensemen like Ryan O’Rourke and Carson Lambos, who are entering their second and third seasons in Iowa, respectively, will pan out. However, for first- and second-round picks, you would have liked to see a little more from them at this point to instill confidence that they can be NHLers one day.
This year, Hunt might break the mold as a young defender who looks to lead the blueline in the absence of former Iowa Wild captain Dakota Mermis. Hunt isn’t the only one. Fortunately for the coaches in Iowa, an influx of talent is headed their way, and they will have plenty of opportunities to develop players.
The Wild have a collection of guys who will make Iowa fun this year. Adam Raska is a physical forward the Wild got from the San Jose Sharks, who played in some games for the NHL last year. Graeme Clark is a Minnesotan who the Wild got in the Beckman trade. He’ll look to add some needed scoring to the AHL or the NHL. Sammy Walker is a former Gopher who will try to build upon his AHL resume as a small (5’10, 180 lbs.) scorer.
Younger guys like former third-rounders Mikey Milne and Caden Bankier developed nicely in juniors and will try to build on that in the AHL this season. Milne will enter his third season for the Iowa Wild, while Bankier is starting his second. Bankier was hurt for most of last season. However, his stock has shot up recently, and he’ll look to be a key piece down the middle for Iowa.
Hunter Haight and Pavel Novak are two uber-skilled forwards who should bring an additional scoring punch to the Iowa lineup. Novak and Haight are playing in some of their first AHL games. Still, they have shown they have the puck skills to make a difference at either level.
The Wild have brought in a handful of veterans to be this year's version of Lettieri and Lucchini. This time, though, Travis Boyd, Devin Shore, Reese Johnson, and Brendan Gaunce are better suited to provide mentorship and stability as they transition from the NHL to the AHL.
Gaunce last served as the captain for the Cleveland Monsters, the Columbus Blue Jackets AHL team. He was almost a point-per-game player in Cleveland, with 19 points and 20 assists in 46 games. Gaunce could provide the Wild with some leadership and experience, as he’s been up and down between the NHL and AHL for several years.
Shore, 30, is another player who's been around. He’s a veteran of five different NHL teams, has played 443 NHL games, and is looking to keep his career alive with Minnesota. Shore will probably be Minnesota’s first call-up with Boyd if the Wild need someone to fill in.
Boyd is a former Gopher who had 35 points in 74 games for the Arizona Coyotes in 2021-22. He's a solid depth forward with a right shot that can play center and is a solid asset for the Wild’s bottom six. He’ll probably start the year with the NHL club.
Johnson is more of a bruiser from the Chicago Blackhawks who could stick as the extra forward and be a physical presence in the bottom six. He’ll probably be another tough guy for the Wild, but tight cap room for the NHL club may complicate that.
A fun Iowa Wild forward lineup may look a little something like this:
Gaunce - Shore - Walker
Raska - Gaunce - Novak
Milne - Bankier - Haight
Luke Toporowski - Gavin Hain - Matthew Sop
That combination of veteran support, younger skilled players, and some guys who have had time to develop in Iowa can help the team win. They are setting up the Iowa Wild to be more successful in winning games and developing players.
All stats and data via HockeyDB, Elite Prospects, and CapWages unless otherwise noted.
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