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  • Theodor Hallquisth Should Factor Into Minnesota's Plans As A Right-Side Defenseman

    Image courtesy of Obero Hockey on X
    Kalisha Turnipseed

    By Kalisha Turnipseed -

    The Minnesota Wild are looking for more defensemen in their organization who can make a long-term impact. This is my second piece on Theodor Hallquisth, who isn't on the Wild’s Top-11 prospect list yet. I'm quickly becoming a fan of Hallquisth because he’s an all-around player. That’s why he has top-four potential.

    The Wild have built an intriguing pipeline of right-side defensemen, starting with Brock Faber, who’s already the team’s cornerstone. However, Faber doesn’t have to worry about anyone taking his top-pair job, including Hallquisth. David Jiricek, David Spacek, and Sebastian Soini are notable prospects with NHL ceilings. They are Hallquisth’s organizational competition.

    Jiricek is Minnesota’s best right-side defenseman prospect due to his unique combination of size and shot. However, he will still need to earn his spot in the Wild’s lineup. Jiricek lacks the well-rounded game needed to be a top-four defenseman right now. His skating must improve, and he often gets caught playing subpar defense in crucial situations.

    If Jiricek doesn’t develop over the summer, he could have a short-term future in Minnesota. He must develop a two-way game and better skating speed. Will injuries plague his performance? That’s an expensive gamble.

    Jiricek can still develop into a more physical version of Justin Schultz with a better shot. Schultz was a supporting player to Kris Letang when the Pittsburgh Penguins won back-to-back Stanley Cups. Zeev Buium is projected to become the Wild’s version of Letang, and Jiricek could play a big role in supporting Buium’s offense.

    By trading Declan Chisholm, general manager Bill Guerin created an opportunity for Minnesota’s prospects. The question is, does Spacek have a long-term future? 

    Spacek will need to elevate his offensive game to earn any sort of long-term consideration. He brings a defensive foundation with offensive instincts and is the son of former defenseman Jaroslav Spacek.

    Jaroslav played 13 seasons with the Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Carolina Hurricanes. He was never an All-Star but could play in the top-4. He scored 30 points in two seasons and 40 points in three seasons.

    The point is that Jaroslav demonstrated longevity. It’s not easy to play 13 years in the NHL. Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin have played more than 14 years; it takes a special talent to last that long. Can Spacek show better offensive upside than his father?

    Soini is an interesting prospect. He has a lower ceiling than Jiricek, Spacek, and Hallquisth. Soini can play a 200-foot game, but he’s an average skater. His physical play and defensive awareness are his best tools. Picture a lighter version of Christian Folin.

    Folin played seven years, but never played more than 65 games in a season. He played for the Wild, LA Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, and Canadiens before returning to Europe. I’d keep Soini around as the 7th defenseman because he can carve out an NHL role.

    Depth chart

    Tier 1: Faber

    Tier 2: Jiricek

    Tier 3: Spacek and Hallquisth

    Tier 4: Soini

    Hallquisth needs to stay in the gym, like Liam Ohgren, and continue getting shredded. He should keep improving his skating stride so he can become an elite skater like Brodin. He’s going to become what Joel Eriksson Ek developed into: a player who drives opponents crazy. 

    He might surprise you with his offensive traits. I could see him scoring somewhere between 5 and 10 goals and 20 and 35 assists. Hallquisth has plenty of time to develop his game, but could become a stud once he arrives in St. Paul.

    By Kalisha Turnipseed  

    Think you could write a story like this? Hockey Wilderness wants you to develop your voice, find an audience, and we'll pay you to do it. Just fill out this form.

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    MNCountryLife

    At only 18 years old his timing to enter the league around 21 or 22 years old would be well timed as Brodin will be 35 and Spurgeon 38.  I am assuming Spurgeon will retire when his contract expires at the end of 2027.

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    1Brotherbill

    Faber, Middleton, Buium, Jiricek, Lambos, Spacek, Soni, Hallquisth, Peart, Pionk, Kiviharju, Benoit, Healey, Kipkie, Masters, at some point they need to take a gamble and move some of these prospects that no matter what won't make it to St. Paul. 

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    MNCountryLife
    13 hours ago, 1Brotherbill said:

    Faber, Middleton, Buium, Jiricek, Lambos, Spacek, Soni, Hallquisth, Peart, Pionk, Kiviharju, Benoit, Healey, Kipkie, Masters, at some point they need to take a gamble and move some of these prospects that no matter what won't make it to St. Paul. 

    It's a great problem to have.  Those that have the skill to make it in the N will probably be traded while the rest will remain in IA to bolster the IA Wild roster.  We need IA to be competitive as well.

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    1Brotherbill
    10 hours ago, MNCountryLife said:

    It's a great problem to have.  Those that have the skill to make it in the N will probably be traded while the rest will remain in IA to bolster the IA Wild roster.  We need IA to be competitive as well.

    Why do we need Iowa to be competitive?  Teams that have deep prospect pools and good AHL teams are always in line for the number one pick. Teams with no prospect pools are teams that play for the conference championship.  Top 10 prospect pools are all teams that missed the playoffs last year and will probably miss the playoffs this year.  Except Minnesota has one of the top pools and makes the playoffs.

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    MNCountryLife
    11 hours ago, 1Brotherbill said:

    Why do we need Iowa to be competitive?  Teams that have deep prospect pools and good AHL teams are always in line for the number one pick. Teams with no prospect pools are teams that play for the conference championship.  Top 10 prospect pools are all teams that missed the playoffs last year and will probably miss the playoffs this year.  Except Minnesota has one of the top pools and makes the playoffs.

    You want your prospects playing with other good players so they learn correctly.

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    1Brotherbill
    12 hours ago, MNCountryLife said:

    You want your prospects playing with other good players so they learn correctly.

    You want you prospects to be playing in the NHL not in Iowa.  As good as the pool is ninety percent of them will not make it in the NHL.  The other teams that have deep pools have generational talent in that pool or close to it.  The Wild have a bunch of 4th line or bottom pairing defenseman in this pool.  A lot of them but still not elite talent. 

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    MNCountryLife
    15 hours ago, 1Brotherbill said:

    You want you prospects to be playing in the NHL not in Iowa.  As good as the pool is ninety percent of them will not make it in the NHL.  The other teams that have deep pools have generational talent in that pool or close to it.  The Wild have a bunch of 4th line or bottom pairing defenseman in this pool.  A lot of them but still not elite talent. 

    Not all prospects are ready for the N.  You want the best possible players you can find in the A. The more good players you have there the better the chance of having a solid contribution from them when one must be called up.  That means you need a good mix of veterans, young guys and a few tweeners.  

    The "A" is a training ground and people learn better when they are around better players.  I do agree with you that IA has not been improving the players like we hope.  It needs to be better.

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    1Brotherbill
    8 hours ago, MNCountryLife said:

    Not all prospects are ready for the N.  You want the best possible players you can find in the A. The more good players you have there the better the chance of having a solid contribution from them when one must be called up.  That means you need a good mix of veterans, young guys and a few tweeners.  

    The "A" is a training ground and people learn better when they are around better players.  I do agree with you that IA has not been improving the players like we hope.  It needs to be better.

    Having good players in your AHL means you have good players to fill your bottom six roles or your last pair of defense.  It's nice to have these players in the playoffs.  Look at Florida players you never hear of do fantastic things in the playoffs.  The Wild has a lot of those players filling top six positions.  Florida doesn't. 

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