The Win Streak Continues, A Weekly Check-In, & Ranking November's Top Prospects
We analyze the latest win over Calgary, check-in with the team and the new coach, then rank the prospects who performed the best in November.
Welcome to the THW Minnesota Wild Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Wild writers.
In today’s edition, we examine the Wild’s latest dominant win over the Flames, check-in with the team and their current status, dive into how the first week with John Hynes as head coach went, and more!
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Wild’s Boldy & Special Teams Step Up in Win Over Flames
December 6, 2023 by Mariah Stark (Holland)
The Minnesota Wild were looking to keep their first win streak alive when they took on the Calgary Flames in the first of a four-game road trip on Tuesday, Dec. 5. They started things right with the game’s first goal for the fourth straight time and under two minutes into the game. They held the lead through the first period and into the second, where they added two unanswered goals to go up 3-0.
The Flames responded towards the middle of the second to get on the scoreboard, but the Wild returned to retake the three-goal lead to end the period. The Flames came out in the third ready to fight their way back into the game with an early goal that put the Wild on their heels for just a bit. However, they quickly found their stride again, added a fifth goal to seal the deal, and won 5-2. Four out of their five goals came from their big scorers, and that’s where we’ll start.
Wild Check-In: Zuccarello & Dewar Lead the Way
December 5, 2023 by Mariah Stark (Holland)
After a few weeks’ hiatus, the Wild Check-In is back and has some good news to discuss. The Minnesota Wild had quite the busy week between firing and hiring a new coach, plus they found a way to win games. That’s right; they found a way to win not just one game but all three they played this past week. They started by taking down the St. Louis Blues, then moved on to the Nashville Predators and wrapped up the week against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Before this past week, the Wild seemed destined to continue their losing streak with no real hope. They were making mistake after mistake, and nothing worked, no matter what they tried to do to fix it. However, after the coaching change, everything seemed to get better, and they had several players who were struggling before stepping up, plus Mats Zuccarello leading the way, and that’s where we’ll start.
Wild’s First Week With Hynes Behind the Bench a Positive
December 4, 2023 by Mariah Stark (Holland)
The Minnesota Wild have made it through the first week with their new head coach, John Hynes, and things finally seem to be looking up as they have a perfect 3-0 record with Hynes as coach. They’ve found ways to get past the St. Louis Blues, who always play the Wild hard, the Nashville Predators, who were on a six-game win streak at the time, and finally, the Chicago Blackhawks, who happen to have someone named Connor Bedard.
Some may have thought the first game or two was luck due to a jumpstart after the coaching change, and the team would fall back into old habits, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The Wild haven’t made any monumental changes besides the man behind the bench. Hynes has focused on making more subtle changes instead of a team overhaul, and it’s worked. Many thought this team needed to start from the bottom and work its way back up, but not with Hynes in the room. We’ll look at each subtle change he’s made and how it’s worked out.
Minnesota Wild Prospect Report: November’s Top 5 Rankings
December 2, 2023 by Tyson McKay
Another month is in the books and we are officially closing in on Christmas, or more importantly for some, the 2024 World Junior Championship (WJC). The Minnesota Wild’s prospect pool is overflowing with talent and their representatives can be found buzzing in their various leagues around the world. The month of November is an important one as teams figure out where they stand amongst their opponents and there have been many Wild prospects doing their best to push their teams to the top of those lists. Here are the five players that excelled the most in November.
Repeat readers might notice that the top two prospects from October, Marco Rossi and Brock Faber, are not on this month’s list. That is simply because they have been so excellent in the NHL that they are a top-pairing defenseman and a number-one center and will not be included so that we can take a look at some different names on these lists moving forward.