The 2014-15 Minnesota Wild: Defense

Photo: Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune

The Wild were expected to take a step forward on the defensive side of things in 2013-14. They signed Keith Ballard and youngsters Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon, and Marco Scandella were expected to progress and be big factors for the Wild.

Good & Bad: The Remaining Roster Hopefuls

Photo: Wild.com

With the end of training camp/preseason on the horizon, lets take a look at the good and bad in each of the remaining players who are still in contention for a roster spot.

Preseason Game Four & Lineup Thoughts

Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn/USA Today

In last night's fourth preseason game, Minnesota edged Pittsburgh 4-1. Jason Pominville netted a hat trick, Darcy Kuemper made 32 saves, and Ilya Bryzgalov was killing time by taking selfies with fans on the bench. Onto the notes...

Preseason Game Three Thoughts

Photo: Brad Rempel-USA Today

In last night's preseason game, it was the Wild edging the Jets 4-3 thanks to a late Jared Spurgeon goal. Here are some thoughts from last night's game:

Top 10 Prospects: #1 Matt Dumba

Matt Dumba

Defenseman

Shoots: Right

Height: 6'0". Weight: 183 lbs.

Born: July 25, 1994

2013-14 Team: Portland Winterhawks (WHL), Minnesota Wild (NHL)

Acquired: 1st round pick (7th overall) in 2012 NHL Entry Draft

Previous Rank: 4

Last season, Wild fans were given a very small glimpse of the talents of Matt Dumba.

Wild Set To Kick Off Development Camp

Photo: Wild.com

Tomorrow, the Wild kick off their annual prospect Development Camp at Xcel Energy Center. During their time here, the players will take part in on ice and off ice drills, strength and conditioning drills, nutritional instruction, and a few fun activities (as previously seen in the Becoming Wild series).

2013-14 Season In Review: Matt Dumba

Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn/USA Today

We kick off our season in review of the Wild's roster with Matt Dumba

It's Only A Game

Mikko Koivu and Josh Harding landed on IR today. Photo: Genevieve Ross/AP

Good afternoon from the north pole...er...Minnesota, where the Wild made some roster moves this morning that brought widespread panic across the internet. The team announced that they have placed Mikko Koivu and Josh Harding on IR while calling up Erik Haula and Jon Blum from Iowa.

The Top 13 Stories of '13

Photo: Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images

Since we are winding down 2013 today, it makes sense to take a look back at the best stories from 2013. So to commemorate the year 2013, we will take a look back at the 13 best stories for the Wild.

Wild Prospects in the World Junior Championships

Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Today, the 2014 World Junior Hockey Championships kick off in Malmo, Sweden. If you haven't seen already, Canada got off to a blazing start with a 7-2 pouncing over Germany.

Keith Ballard, Ryan Suter, and Stuff About Their TOI

Photo: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

Lately, everyone has been talking about the number of minutes Ryan Suter has been playing each night. At 29:33 of TOI per game, he leade the NHL by 1:45 over Erik Karlsson. Suter is looking to become the first player to average over 30 minutes of TOI since Chris Pronger back in 1999-2000  with 30:14 (also worth noting that Pronger won the Hart Trophy).

Monday Thoughts

Photo: Gerry Broome/AP

Good afternoon everyone. Good to see the squad pick up a shootout victory after we talked about the lack of goal scoring in shootouts on Saturday. Here are some thoughts as we head into a three game home stand:

What To Do With Matt Dumba

Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn/USA Today

Last night, the Wild took one on the teeth courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1 at Xcel Energy Center. Leading up to, during, and after the game there was a lot of talk regarding Matt Dumba and the fact that this is his ninth game of the season (any games played after nine, burns a year off the entry level deal).

Sunday Morning Thoughts

In the wake of a 5-1 rout of the Stars last night, the Wild are now 2-1-2 and head out on a four game trip through the Atlantic Division. Here are some thoughts from the past week and for the week ahead.

The 2013-14 Minnesota Wild: Defense

Coming out of the 2011-12 season, the Minnesota Wild defense was just abysmal. They had traded away blueliners Nick Schultz, Marek Zidlicky, and Greg Zanon mid-season and brought in Tom Gilbert to help get a spark going offensively from the blueline (Gilbert had five assists while playing the role of top defenseman).

Training Camp Thoughts

The last few days, the Wild opened their doors to the fans for practice and scrimmage during the team's training camp. I was able to get down to Xcel Energy Center yesterday for the practice session, and was able to catch today's scrimmage via the team's website (although the video quality was no help). Here are a few thoughts from the past few days:

Top 10 Prospects: #4 Matt Dumba

Matt Dumba

Defenseman

Born: July 25, 1994

Height: 6'0" Weight: 181 lbs

Shoots: Right

2012-13 Team: Red Deer (CHL)/Houston (AHL)

Acquired: 1st round pick (7th overall) in 2012 NHL Draft

Previous Rank: 7

When the Wild drafted Matt Dumba, it was a bit of a stretch to draft him over notable d-men Jacob Trouba, Derrick Pouliot and forward Filip Forsberg. But Chuck Fletcher liked what he saw from Dumba and took the Red Deer star with the 7th overall pick.

NHL 2013 Preview: Minnesota Wild

Three days from now, the 12th season in the history of the Minnesota Wild, will get under way. And perhaps, this is the most anticipated season in the team's history (Rivaling year one). Today, we look back at the previous year, and look ahead to the upcoming year, and in between, we will break down all the moves this team made during the summer.

Offseason Moves

Coming In: F Zach Parise, D Ryan Suter, F Torrey Mitchell, F Zenon Konopka, F Jake Dowell, D Brian Connelly

Heading Out: F Guillaume Latendresse, F Nick Johnson, F Erik Christensen, D Mike Lundin, F Warren Peters

In case you lived under a rock since the end of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, no moves in hockey were bigger than when the Wild inked Parise and Suter to matching 13 year, $98 million deals. The deal should boost the last place Wild offense, and strengthen the power play, to where they can put up goals with any team in the league. The additions of Mitchell and Konopka strengthen bottom 2 lines, and give the Wild prospects in Houston, more time to get acclimated with professional hockey. The Wild now enter the season with 4 complete lines, and perhaps the best on paper foward line combinations, they have ever had.

Projected Lines

(Stats listed are from the 2011-12 season)

LW-C-RW

(Goals-Assists-Points)

Zach Parise-Mikko Koivu-Dany Heatley

(31-38-69)-(12-32-44)-(24-29-53)

Matt Cullen-Mikael Granlund-Devin Setoguchi

(14-21-35)-(DNP in NHL)-(19-17-36)

Cal Clutterbuck-Kyle Brodziak-Pierre-Marc Bouchard

(15-12-27)-(22-22-44)-(9-13-22)

Darroll Powe-Zenon Konopka-Torrey Mitchell

(6-7-13)-(3-2-5)-(9-10-19)

Reserves: Matt Kassian (2-0-2), Stephane Veilleux (0-2-2), Jake Dowell (2-5-7), Nick Palmieri (4-3-7)

Defenseman

Ryan Suter-Jared Spurgeon

(7-39-46)-(3-20-23)

Clayton Stoner-Tom Gilbert

(1-4-5)-(3-19-22)

Justin Falk-Nate Prosser

(1-8-9)-(1-11-12)

Reserves: Steve Kampfer (2-3-5), Marco Scandella* (3-9-12)
* denotes player is injured

Goalies

(W-L-OT, GAA, SV PCT)

Starter: Niklas Backstrom (19-18-7, 2.43, .919)

Backup: Josh Harding (13-12-4, 2.62, .917)

Reserve: Matt Hackett (3-6-0, 2.38, .922)

Head Coach

Mike Yeo

2nd NHL Season

35-36-11

Players That Need To Step Up

Dany Heatley

Last year, Heatley came over in a trade from San Jose. He played all 82 games and had top line minutes in every one of those games. Problem was, his production was the lowest its ever been in his 10 year NHL career. Now that the Wild added Zach Parise to play opposite Heatley, Heater will need to increase his production to take pressure off Parise and give the Wild a dual threat on their top line.

Devin Setoguchi

Like Heatley, Setoguchi is in his second season in a Wild uniform.  And he too had the worst statistical season of his career in 2011-12. Setoguchi often played on the top line for Minnesota in 2011-12, but this season you can write him in pen on the second line. The Wild need Setoguchi to step up his game to give them a great 2nd scoring line. With puck movers Cullen and Granlund on his line, he will be relied upon to score the goals on that line.

Tom Gilbert

In 08-09, Gilbert had the best year of his career, when he notched 45 points (5G, 40A) for Edmonton. Since then, he has been on a slow decline. Gilbert, was acquired before the trade deadline in 2012, for fan favorite Nick Schultz, and was brought in to be the puck moving defenseman the Wild needed. Now that Ryan Suter is in the fold, Gilbert will be on the second defensive pairing, and the Wild need him to play some big minutes and make some big plays. If he can't, one could see the Wild using one of their compliance buyouts on him in the offseason with young D-Men Brodin and Dumba on the way up.

5 Prospects That Will Impact 2013

Mikael Granlund-F

Obviously, Granlund will be making an impact on the 2013 roster. He will be starting as the second line center in between Cullen and Setoguchi. Granlund is a great talent, as he has great skills and vision to set up and sometimes score goals. The team's top prospect finally signed on with the club this past summer, and will be a huge addition to the squad in 2013. 

Jason Zucker-F

Zucker is not slated to start the season with the big club. But should one of the forwards get injured, look for the Aeros leading scorer to be the first man called up. Zucker has transitioned his game from the WCHA to the AHL quite nicely, putting up similar numbers between the two leagues. He has been a force on Houston's top line, using his speed and great hands to keep his name in the scoresheet.

Matt Dumba-D

The Wild's first round pick in 2012 will get his chance with the club in 2013. An injury to Marco Scandella has helped open the door for Dumba to get some NHL minutes this year. But in all likelihood, Dumba will play a few games with Minnesota before he gets sent back to Red Deer to finish off the season. Dumba is an offensive minded defenseman, scoring 20 goals for Red Deer last year (He has 10 this year). Look for him to fire the puck on net often, when he gets his chance with the Wild this year.

Matt Hackett-G

Hackett made this in last year's Wild Preview. He is still considered a prospect, and he will make an impact at some point this year, so it made sense to put him on this list. Hackett has been the starter for Houston for three years now, and in the final year of Nik Backstrom's contract, the goalie would like to send the front office a message by playing strongly. He will only see time with the Wild this year should Backstrom or Harding go down with an injury. And if he does, the Wild will need him to play very sharply, given the condensed schedule and all.

Jonas Brodin-D

Entering the season, Jonas Brodin is injured, and not playing anywhere. But, in the next couple of weeks he could return to the ice. Brodin is a solid defensive minded defenseman and has ridiculous vision when he is on the ice. He was so much of a rock for Houston's blue line, before going down with injury, that there was/still is talk of him making the Wild roster at some point this year. Its more likely now that Brodin will only get a shot with Minnesota this year in the event of someone getting hurt, but should he get called up, he may not get sent back down.

Where They'll Finish

Check back tomorrow to see where the Wild will finish in the division standings in 2013, and then on Friday to see where they will finish in the conference standings, when we predict the NHL season and playoffs.


Follow Giles on Twitter @gilesferrell

2013 Top 10 Wild Prospects: 7-5

7. Matt Dumba-Defenseman Red Deer (CHL). Previous Rank: NR

Matt Dumba, was the 7th overall pick in the 2012 draft by Minnesota. He is not overly big (6'0", 182 lbs), but is very mobile, and is a very good offensive defenseman. Prior to being drafted, Dumba scored 20 goals and added 37 assists in 69 games for Red Deer. And in 42 games this year, Dumba has scored 10 goals and 13 assists. He is set to partake in the Wild's training camp beginning on Sunday, and could get a cup of coffee with the big club before being sent back to Red Deer. Dumba will have to do a lot in the camp to just get that cup of coffee, but he does possess better offensive skills than most d-men on the Wild roster. Dumba is only 18, so there is no rush by the Wild to get him up with the big club. Look for him to play a full season with the team in a few years.

6. Matt Hackett-Goaltender Houston (AHL). Previous Rank: 6

If not for the great talent above him on this list, Hackett would come in higher. But, for the second year in a row, he will settle for #6. Hackett enters his 3rd full season with the Aeros, and as you may recall, has seen sometime with the Wild while either Niklas Backstrom or Josh Harding has dealt with injury. He started his NHL career by shutting out the opposition for 102:48, which is now an NHL record. This year, Hackett has played in 28 games for Houston and has a record of 13-11-0-3 with a 2.63 GAA and a .904 save percentage. With the expiring contract of Niklas Backstrom, its possible Hackett could be with the Wild full time starting next season. But it all depends on if Backstrom wants to return to the Wild for another year or two. If he does leave, a tandem of Hackett/Harding should do just fine.

5. Johan Larsson-Forward Houston (AHL). Previous Rank: 8

Admittedly, Larsson was ranked far too low on this blog last year. But after further study on him, he is up where he belongs now. Larsson, like many others on this list, is in his first year with Houston, after coming over from Brynas of the Swedish Elite League. He is turning into a tremendous two way forward, after honing up his offensive skills over the past few years. So far this year with Houston, Larsson has scored 9 goals and 11 assists in 35 games played. With the depth of forwards the Wild has this year, its unlikely we see Larsson up in the NHL this year. So look for him to get his chance next year to make the team.

Minnesota Wild 2012-13 Top 10 Prospects List

10. Mario Lucia

9. Brett Bulmer

8. Zack Phillips

7.Matt Dumba

6.Matt Hackett

5.Johan Larsson

4.Tomorrow

3.Tomorrow

2.Tomorrow

1.Tomorrow

Follow Giles on Twitter @gilesferrell

Wild Draft Recap: Rounds 2-7

In surprisingly the same amount of time it took to go through the first round last night, the NHL finished up the final 6 rounds of the annual entry draft this morning. The Wild held a pick in every round this morning and in every round but the second, it was the 7th pick of the round (The second round pick was 16th in the round, which was acquired in the Marek Zidlicky trade). Here is the list of players the Wild drafted today:

2. Raphael Bussieres LW Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)
3. John Draeger D Shattuck-St. Mary's (MN)
4. Adam Gilmour C Nobles (MA)
5. Daniel Gunnarsson D Lulea (Sweeden)
6. Christoph Bertschy C Bern (Swiss)
7. Louis Nanne LW Edina HS (MN)

Add the first round pick Matt Dumba to that list, and you have 3 defenseman taken with the first 5 picks in the draft. So clearly, there was more of an emphasis on that position for Chuck Fletcher and his staff.

Its far too early to grade this draft. It will take quite some time before we know the answer on any of these picks, so judging any of them would be a complete waste of time right now.

I've already seen some negativity regarding the team's final pick, Louis Nanne (Yes, the grandson of former North Star Lou Nanne). People seem to think the team picked him just to say we have some Minnesota players in our system. Come on folks, be real. The team drafted him, and all these players because they felt they were the best player available on the board. Quit making such idiotic remarks.

Now that the draft is over, we now look ahead to 8 days from now when NHL Free Agency begins. Its the day we all have been waiting for, but will it be as glamorous as we all hoped?