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That's Wild
While we won't have any NHL hockey to watch for months, the true hockey sickos will at least have some hockey this summer. The World Junior Summer Showcase is where all the nations of the upcoming World Junior Championship get to strut their stuff and test out some players to see if they have what it takes to make their team for the year's tournament.
This summer, it will be in Plymouth, Michigan from July 26 to August 3, and countries have started to announce their rosters for the showcase. A bonus: A couple of Minnesota Wild prospects have made it.
Zeev Buium will be on Team U.S.A.'s roster, Riley Heidt on Canada, and 2024 fifth-rounder, defenseman Sebastian Soini has made Finland's roster.
While other teams have more players heading to Plymouth, the Wild certainly should have some prospects playing key roles for their country. Buium will most likely play a lot of minutes for U.S.A. and in theory, Heidt should be an offensive leader for Canada. Soini is a more physical defenseman, so we should expect maybe a shutdown role with some penalty killing for Finland.
The showcase featuring the U.S.A., Canada, Finland, and Sweden will give us something to talk about during these dead days.
- Speaking of prospects, a very, very early look at one potential pairing for the Wild in a couple years. Will Buium and Brock Faber be better together or apart? [Hockey Wilderness]
- The Iowa Wild have signed defenseman Will Zmolek to a one-year, AHL-only deal. The blueliner was previously in the Philadelphia Flyers organization. [The Hockey News]
Off the trail...
- Evgeny Kuznetsov's career in the NHL seems to be done. The Russian forward has had his contract terminated and signed a long-term deal in the KHL. [NHL.com]
- Hot and spicy takes for each NHL team. [Bleacher Report]
- Steven Stamkos says that the Nashville Predators have to believe they can win a Stanley Cup. Oh, great. [NHL.com]
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