The 2025 NHL Draft is within the rearview mirror, and it is time to go over each draft class. On this piece, we are going to take a take a look at the Minnesota Wild. Minnesota didn’t have a first-round pick within the 2025 NHL Draft. The Wild traded it within the David Jiricek trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets. In total, they made five picks on Day 2 in Los Angeles, California.
The Wild are hoping the players they chose give them some reinforcement for the longer term. Minnesota has a formidable core of players already on the NHL level. They’ll concentrate on re-signing Kirill Kaprizov over the summer. However the hope is that somebody from this class will play alongside him, Jiricek, and Brock Faber down the road.
Greater than per week has passed because the 2025 NHL Draft concluded. With this in mind, let’s take a deeper take a look at the Wild’s draft class and hand them an initial grade for the general quality of their class.
Wild reach within the 2nd round
The Wild didn’t make their first choice of the draft until the second round. With the 52nd pick, Minnesota chosen Örebro HK defenseman Theodor Hallquisth. Hallquisth has so much going for him by way of his NHL projection. Nonetheless, this was a giant reach by Minnesota at this spot.
Hallquisth has the scale that teams want from their defensemen. Furthermore, he’s an honest skater who gives his all on the ice. His puck moving skill is one other facet of his game that makes him an intriguing prospect. The incontrovertible fact that he’s a right-shot defenseman makes him all of the more coveted by teams within the NHL. That is foundation for a possible NHL defenseman.
Nonetheless, there may be quite a lot of work that should be done. Hallquisth is an honest skater, but he isn’t the very best. He struggles with quickness, specifically, which has limited him within the defensive zone. His offense may not translate to the NHL, so his defense goes to wish to enhance, and his skating together with it.
The Wild see something within the Swedish defender, and that is admirable. Nonetheless, he doesn’t comfortably project as an NHL player. Taking this big of a chance within the second round may be very dangerous from general manager Bill Guerin.
Minnesota finds 4th-round value in 2025 NHL Draft
The Wild didn’t pick again until the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Draft. And thankfully, they found some value here. The primary of their three fourth-round picks was Adam Benak, a player ClutchPoints had regarded as a late-first-round or second-round prospect.
What holds Benak back is his size. He stands 5’7″, which is the type of frame teams will draw back from irrespective of his skill. But he has a ton of skill to supply. Benak is a hardworking center who scored greater than a point-per-game for the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL this season. He has legitimate middle-six potential if he can find one other gear to assist the Wild forget concerning the size concerns.
With the 121st pick, the Wild chosen North Bay Battalion winger Lirim Amidovski. Amidovski is an incredibly fast winger who plays with relentless physicality. If there may be any player who presents as a real bulldog, it’s him. The priority is his overall skill, but even when this does not come around, he could work as a bottom-six energy player.
123rd overall pick Carter Klippenstein doesn’t have the identical potential because the previous fourth-rounders. Nonetheless, he could also realistically change into a checking forward in the underside six. He profiles well as a fourth-line forward who wins puck battles and gets within the opponent’s face. Nothing flashy, sure, however it’s still something.
Grade and final thoughts
The Wild get a median grade for his or her work within the 2025 NHL Draft. Truly, this is usually a grade for Minnesota’s fourth round. They found legitimate value there and people selections could define their draft. Nonetheless, the reach within the second round drops the grade, and their overall lack of depth doesn’t help matters, either.
Minnesota Wild draft grade: C