The Minnesota Wild held their Development camp for team prospects this past weekend. The players took part in a variety of both on-ice and off-ice activities. New Iowa Wild head coach Brett McLean was “extremely happy” with how the camp played out and was especially happy with the depth of the prospect pool. Here is a closer look at some of the notable prospects at last weekend’s camp.
Ohgren was Minnesota’s top pick in the 2022 NHL Draft selected 19th overall. It was a great sign to see both him and fellow ’22 first rounder Danila Yurov at development camp this summer. Ohgren battled an injury this past season. However, the gifted forward was happy with his improvement. He keyed on improvements he made in his board play and defensive game. Ohgren will spend the upcoming year in the SHL, Sweden’s top league, with hopes to make the jump to the North America and the NHL the following summer.
Yurov, like Ohgren, was a 2022 first rounder, taken 24th overall. Yurov is an extremely skilled forward who some project may play center in the NHL one day. He still has a year left on his KHL contract, but with how rocky the political situation is in Russia currently, it was positive sign to see him over in Minnesota this summer. Yurov was able to communicate through a translator that he hopes to join the Wild next summer. Expectations are growing quickly for the youngster, even Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov texted Yurov to let him know he’s waiting for him.
Widely considered one of the steals of the 2023 NHL draft, Minnesota was able to snag Heidt with the 64th overall pick. The Saskatoon native said the camp was “huge” for his development as a pro. Heidt didn’t put a timetable on his NHL debut. Instead he wants to focus on himself and working hard to improve all the finer aspects of his game. Heidt will most likely spend the upcoming season playing for Prince George in the WHL.
The Wild’s 2023 first-rounder got to spend some time back in his home state for development camp. Despite the Rosemount native’s tough year at Wisconsin (NCAA) this past season, his upside compelled the Wild to take him in the first round of this year’s draft. He hopes to improve his skating before taking the leap to the NHL. Stramel says he can feel a culture change coming for his current team and he is “pumped for next season”.
Another hometown kid, Faber excelled late last season after transitioning to the NHL from college hockey at the University of Minnesota. With longtime blue-line staple Matt Dumba likely on the way out, Faber will have an excellent chance to slot into the top-four role with the Wild next season. Faber let it be known that he was glad to be at the development camp. The former Gopher captain said his biggest offseason focus was getting his mind and body ready for an 82-game NHL schedule. Faber will hope to build on the success in his few games last season and become a regular in the Minnesota Wild lineup.
The Wild offseason has been extremely quiet to this point. The biggest splash being the acquisition of depth forward (and three time Stanley Cup Champion) Pat Maroon. With that in mind, it was nice to get a closer look at upcoming prospects that hope to become NHL regulars in the near future.
Stay tuned for more NHL content, including trades, signings, and various updates.
Featured image courtesy Minnesota Wild via Twitter
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