Who Is Gunnarwolfe Fontaine And What Is He Doing In Iowa?

The Minnesota Wild are getting in on the college free agent game this spring, which is nothing new for the organization. College free agency has been a well from which Wild have drawn useful contributors like Nico Sturm, Nate Prosser, and Justin Fontaine. Not all of these signings work out, of course -- just ask Casey Wellman -- but signing an intriguing player for free is always a decent bet.

In the past few days, the Iowa Wild signed a pair of amateur tryout contracts (usually a prelude to an entry-level contract signing). The first was with Ben Meehan, a U-Mass Lowell defenseman. Meehan's numbers don't indicate much NHL offense -- he has scored three goals and 17 points in 36 games this season. But he's been a captain on the team for the last two years, and the Wild have a good track record of acquiring and developing defensemen that the Los Angeles Kings took in the 2020 Draft.

Iowa's next ATO signee was Gunnarwolfe Fontaine. Is he good? Will he be a contributor in St. Paul? To answer those questions, I have just two words for you:

Gunnarwolfe Fontaine.

How can you be destined for anything but greatness when you're named Gunnarwolfe Fontaine? The second he steps onto the ice, he'll immediately catapult Name Hall-of-Famer Nino Niederreiter and become the Coolest Name in franchise history.

Seriously, let that sink in:

HIS NAME IS GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE!

"Cellar Door" was so last millenium. Gunnarwolfe Fontaine should soon replace it as the consensus two most beautiful words in the English language. Folks who say it are treated to an effortless rhythmic flow and pleasant mouth-feel. No nickname could ever be as cool as "Gunnarwolfe Fontaine," but even the hockey world -- which is obsessed with coming up with terrible, bland nicknames -- can't possibly mess this up. Call him "Gunnar" or call him "Wolfe," either is going to be great. The Wild should also petition the league to allow GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE to have his first name on his jersey. "GUNNARWOLFE" would immediately jump into the NHL's best-sellers.

My editor insists that I do some real analysis, and, fiiiiiine. What else does GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE offer the Wild?

It's fair to call GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE a late bloomer. Born just one day after the NHL Draft cutoff for 2018 eligibility, he was one of the oldest eligible players in the 2019 draft... and he was still passed over. As a 5-foot-8 player (he's now listed at 5-foot-10) without exceptional numbers in the USHL, going undrafted is the sort of thing that'll happen to you. 

Lesser prospects might have been deterred, but not ones named GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE. He returned to the Chicago Steel and finished fifth in the USHL (though fourth on his team) with 57 points in 45 games. Scouts who arrived to watch 2020 first-round pick Brendan Brisson soon had GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE on their radar. 

"His path to a successful career is still likely to be trying to mold his game after Brad Marchand (small pest with skill), but this year he showed more and more that the skill was there," wrote McKeen's Hockey, who ranked him as the 102nd-best prospect in their 2020 Draft Guide. "His shot is among the best in the USHL and can still score from anywhere in the offensive zone."

Not only was GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE a crafty offensive player, but he also proved hard to play against, a defining characteristic of Bill Guerin's ideal identity for his team.

"Defensively, he uses his speed well to backcheck and plays hard in all three zones," detailed FC Hockey in their 2020 Draft Guide. "[He] shows an affinity for getting in the face of the opposition. He blocks shots and uses an active stick. Despite a smaller frame, he usually wins puck battles along the boards, and he’s not afraid to throw his body around, making some good hits."

The Nashville Predators were the team to take a flier on GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE, selecting him 202nd overall in 2020. From there, he played five years in the NCAA (he played during the 2020 pandemic, giving him a fifth year of college eligibility). In four years at Northeastern University, he was solid, with 32 goals and 97 points in 131 games, but never finished higher than third on the team in scoring.

His true breakout came last year after he transferred to Ohio State. GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE co-led the Buckeyes in goals (17) and points (40) in 40 games, finishing tied for 26th in the nation in scoring. He's also earned a reputation for scoring the biggest goals in the biggest games.

During the prestigious Beanpot Tournament, GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE has five goals and eight points in six career games. This includes scoring both of Northeastern's goals -- including one with less than five minutes in regulation to force overtime -- en route to their 2023 shootout win over Harvard. The following year, GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE notched back-to-back overtime winners to claim the Beanpot again in 2024.

This trend continued during his time as a Buckeye, especially during the Big 10 Tournament. During the quarterfinal, he saved Ohio State from elimination by forcing overtime with 1:29 remaining. He followed up that performance with two goals in the semifinals against Penn State, where he scored the opening goal and the closing goal... again, in overtime.

In the final against Michigan State, GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE was nearly a hero again, scoring the game-tying goal with 2:21 left to take the game to overtime before Isaac Howard won the tournament for the Spartans.

To step up in so many big moments regularly, you have to be doing a lot of things right all the time. That appears to be GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE's game, and that game has gotten him to the NHL's doorstep.

Will he get there? Small, late-blooming forwards don't have the best track record in making the NHL. The odds that we never hear from GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE in a meaningful way are fairly high, joining the ranks of (Iowa) Wild Legends like Sam Anas or Sammy Walker. Jonathan Marchessault and Yanni Gourde are the 99th-percentile for his mold of player. They were passed over in the draft (and unlike GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE, never drafted) and didn't have a full-time NHL role until they were 25, but those guys are very much the exceptions.

Someone like Mason Shaw is the realistic best-case scenario for GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE. Shaw also had a small frame but provided just enough offense to stick in the NHL and provided energy and physicality. If the Wild can get that out of GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE, that will be a home-run signing.

But even if he doesn't stick in the NHL regularly, Guerin 1000% needs to call up GUNNARWOLFE FONTAINE any time the Wild travel to TD Garden to play the Boston Bruins. Can't let that Beanpot Magic go to waste.