Wild Blueline Prospect Theodor Hallquisth Has Top-4 Potential

The Minnesota Wild have been building blueline depth. Brock Faber has already established himself as a cornerstone, Zeev Buium is projected to quarterback the power play for the next decade, and David Jiricek brings size and offensive upside. Then there’s Theodor Hallquisth, who's the Wild’s 52nd overall pick in this year’s draft from Örebro HK J20 in the J20 Nationell Swedish hockey league. 

Hallquisth wasn’t in our Top-11 prospect rankings, but that doesn’t mean he can’t become a meaningful contributor. The Wild may have quietly landed a steady, long-term option to complement their flashier names.

The Brodin connection

Hallquisth grew up idolizing Jonas Brodin, which was pleasing to hear. Brodin is Minnesota’s defensive anchor, combining elite skating, poise, and positional awareness. Hallquisth doesn’t have Brodin’s wheels or shutdown reputation yet. Still, his defensive instincts, calm puck movement, and ability to angle opponents into perimeter hockey clearly show the influence of Brodin’s style.

If development goes well, Hallquisth could one day skate alongside the player he modeled his game after.

Hallquisth is a physical, two-way defenseman with a weak shot

I evaluated Hallquisth’s game when he played for Team Sweden versus Team USA in the 2024 World Jr. in December 2024. Here's a summary and analysis. 

Summary

1st period

• USA scored at 19:24. At 19:27, Hallquisth made his first mistake, leading to the goal. He shouldn’t have gotten so deep around the corner; he should have stayed closer to the slot to block the play with his body or stick.
• At 18:17, Hallquisth retrieved the puck on a USA dump-in. He banked it off the corner wall and out of the zone, resulting in a breakout at 18:13.
• At 12:45, he received a pass and carried the puck with speed to the right-wing dot, firing a wrist shot to generate a rebound at 12:42. The shot wasn’t great, but the placement was key.
• At 5:23, he set up a redirection on goal. At 5:13, he defended a neutral-zone attack but failed to land a hit. Sweden had to defend for over a minute until 4:09.
• At 2:35, Hallquisth stepped up physically to disrupt the transition, and Sweden successfully got the puck deep.

2nd period

• At 19:39, Hallquisth turned the puck over with a failed pass in the neutral zone.
• At 17:54, during a power play, he took a shot off a faceoff win, but it was blocked.
• At 16:58, he reset under forecheck pressure and made a nice stretch pass for a line change.
• At 14:46, he landed an open-ice hit, but USA scored on a breakaway at 14:40.
• At 12:58, he won a battle in the corner.
• At 12:42, he made a good stretch pass before Sweden turned it over.
• At 10:19, Sweden went back on the power play, but Hallquisth missed a hit that almost created a shorthanded breakaway.
• At 7:01, he used his reach to protect the net after a turnover, forcing USA to shoot wide.
• At 5:07, he shielded a forechecker effectively in a battle that continued until 4:56.
• At 4:36, he won a board battle to stop possession, leading to a zone exit at 4:29.
• At 2:22, he knocked down a net-front attacker on the penalty kill.

3rd period

• At 19:47 and 17:52, he generated wrist shots, but both were saved.
• At 16:10, he backhanded the puck out of the zone on the penalty kill. I wish he had been faster to the puck, but he still got the clear.
• At 14:42, he blocked a 2-on-1 pass below the dot, but Sweden quickly turned it over.
• At 13:35, he deflected a shot in the high slot, preventing a dangerous chance.
• At 12:13, he generated another shot, but it was an easy save.
• At 7:20, Sweden’s comeback was short-lived. His partner failed a hip check, leaving Hallquisth to defend a 2-on-1. He tied up his man, but USA scored at 7:13.
• At 4:14, he made a questionable pass behind the net, leading to another goal against. If he were left-handed, he might have cleared the puck more smoothly.
• From 2:33 to 2:23, he won another board battle but made another questionable clearing attempt — in today’s NHL, that’s a turnover.
• At 2:04, he lost his footing, but USA failed to connect on a centering pass.

Analysis

Hallquisth finished minus-4 but was on the ice for two empty-net goals, so he was minus-2 at even strength. He could have had a perfect game if he had reduced his over-aggression. His physicality is great, but he occasionally loses awareness of his teammates. 

Three areas for Hallquisth to continue developing

• Explosiveness: He’s a good skater, but can get caught flat-footed.
• Shooting: Wrist shots are his calling card, but he can improve at setting up deflections for offense.
• Puck skills: He’s effective with stretch passes and banking pucks, but not a flashy puck mover.

Hallquisth is Brodin’s biggest fan, but plays a heavy style

High floor as a third-pairing defenseman, and a low ceiling as a top-pairing defenseman. Hallquisth is capable of playing on the top pair, but as a shutdown defenseman. If things go right with Jiricek in Minnesota, Hallquisth will be playing the third pair. 

Or what if Jiricek continues to struggle in his own end? Hallquisth would end up behind Faber, while Jiricek can play third-pairing minutes. 

Hallquisth is Brodin’s biggest fan, but plays more like Jake Middleton. He also reminds me of Hampus Lindholm and Gustav Forsling, who have been instrumental to the Florida Panthers' back-to-back Stanley Cup victories. 

You don’t see Hallquisth in highlight reels. He won’t be a top power play quarterback like Buium, but Guerin doesn't need him for that. Hallquisth is exactly the type of player the Wild needs, which is reliability, physicality, defensive coverage, and the ability to stabilize a pairing. 

Hallquisth could become a reliable, top-four defensive option, but not a flashy point producer. Because he can play in all situations, Hallquisth may quietly become the glue that holds Minnesota’s future blue line together. For a second-round pick just outside the top-50, that's the type of value a contending team craves.