Back On Another Win Streak & Calder Contenders Aplenty
The Wild can't be held down as we look at another overtime win and the Calder contenders that are making it happen.
Welcome to the THW Minnesota Wild Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Wild writers.
In today’s edition, we look at their latest overtime win, examine just how good they have been at developing some elite prospects over the last few years and of course take some time to do a weekly check-in with the team.
It would be great if you’d share the THW Wild Substack with your friends and family so that they can subscribe and enjoy all the latest.
Now on to the good stuff…
Data Dump: Pitting the Minnesota Wild Against Themselves
December 21, 2023 by Tyson McKay (Premium Substack Content)
I was interested in specifically pulling out which Minnesota Wild players were having the strongest season when compared to other players on the team. The differences between players on different teams is massive because every team has their own schedule, their own issues, and their own completely different styles of play.
A much better comparison is two players on the same team because they have played in the same games, gone through the same difficulties, and overall had much more similar experiences. I compiled all of Hockey Stat Cards’ game scores for each player on the Minnesota Wild and ranked them from highest to lowest.
Wild’s Rossi, Faber & Kaprizov Lead in Win Over Canadiens
December 22, 2023 by Mariah Stark (Holland)
The Minnesota Wild were coming off a huge win over the Boston Bruins on the road when they faced the Montréal Canadiens at home on Thursday night (Dec. 21). They added another to their injured list as they played without Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Mats Zuccarello, and Ryan Hartman. Luckily, they started strong with a power play goal by Matt Boldy 13 minutes into the first period. They added to their lead just over a minute later to give them a two-goal lead to end the period.
Then it was the Wild’s turn to jump onto the board to retake the lead, only for the Canadiens to answer back with a little over three minutes left in regulation. Neither team could score before time ran out, and they needed overtime. That’s when Kirill Kaprizov stepped up for the second game in a row and scored the winner just five seconds before time ran out. While Kaprizov came up big in the end, the rookies stepped up first, and that’s where we’ll start.
Wild’s Prospect Development Producing Yearly Calder Contenders
December 19, 2023 by Tyson McKay
The Minnesota Wild have had a reputation for being a mediocre team for most of their existence in the NHL. Good enough to get into the playoffs, but not good enough to go far. While it is always fun to watch the team you like consistently make it to the playoffs, it also means that they are consistently drafting in the middle of the first round and unable to acquire the elite talent present at the front of the draft. Somehow that has changed for the Wild, who are somehow able to perennially have a player knocking on the door of the Calder Trophy ever since Kirill Kaprizov won the first one in franchise history in 2021.
The rise of the Wild’s prospect pool to the top of the NHL in recent years is well-documented, but not really understood as they have only had a single top-ten draft pick in the last ten years. There is no reason that a team should be able to make the playoffs every single season and still add elite talent to an already stocked cupboard, and yet the Wild have done just that. The trend continues with Brock Faber and Marco Rossi both garnering Calder Trophy attention this season, but a lot of it starts with putting the rookies in the right places to find success once they hit the bright lights of the NHL stage.
Minnesota Wild Check-In: Depth Steps Up While Stars Struggle
December 18, 2023 by Mariah Stark (Holland)
The Minnesota Wild continue to improve their play, and it’s working well for them, especially this past week. As another week passed, they played two more games and added two more wins. They took down both the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks in consecutive shootouts at home. Things initially looked a little scary, but they pulled it together.
While certain players stood out in each game, as for the leaders of the past week, no one stood out. Seven players tied with one point each, and the rest had zero points. However, that didn’t mean they failed to make an impact; we’ll start this article with who contributed the most to offense and defense.