Minnesota Wild are No. 1 in 2023 NHL prospect pool rankings

Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2023 rankings of every NHL organization’s prospects. You can find the complete ranking and more information on the criteria here, as we count down daily from No. 32 to No. 1. The series, which includes in-depth evaluations and commentary from sources on nearly 500 prospects, runs from Jan. 9 to Feb. 8.

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The Wild, despite graduating Matt Boldy, move into the top spot in this year’s pool rankings after they replaced him with Brock Faber and a big 2022 draft class that included four picks in the first two rounds and added to an already top-ranked pool.

They’re the only team in the league with a top prospect at all six positions (G, C, LW, RW, RHD and LHD) and they’re going to be — spoiler alert! — the team with the most prospects in my upcoming top 50 drafted prospects ranking.

Led by a core group of seven top prospects that is supported by strong depth at forward and on defense into the teens, they deserve a ton of credit for building a pool of this quality while also icing a playoff team in the NHL.

2022 prospect pool rank: No. 3 (change: +2)

1. Jesper Wallstedt, G, 20 (Iowa Wild)

It takes a lot for me to rank a goalie at No. 1 on a list, and there’s a reason Wallstedt is the only goalie to top any of this year’s pool rankings.

He’s the clearcut best goalie prospect on the planet for me and his play of late in the AHL — after it took him a couple of months in the fall to find himself at the new level/in the new place — has only reaffirmed that. His game has remarkable polish and maturity. There’s just a control to his game that is so singular and rare in goalies his age. I’ve written about it in the past as almost robotic, and that’s truly the best descriptor for it. Wallstedt’s a big 6-foot-3, 213-pound (he fills the net for his size) goalie who plays sharp lines positionally, holds those lines, and swallows the first shot so that he doesn’t have to make a ton of second saves. He’s incredibly calm in the net, staring down shooters and reading them. He covers the bottom of the net so well and doesn’t seem to get beat along the ice. Few shots sneak through him. His movement is compact, he tracks through layers incredibly well to find pucks, and he reads opposing shooters so well that he’s rarely beat cleanly.

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There’s a minor question mark or two around every young goalie in the sport and with Wallstedt I don’t see a single hole or area of weakness that worries me. I’d maybe like to see him develop a little more quickness (he’s strong across the net and low-to-high on pushes, but he sits a little heavy over his skates and I wouldn’t say his feet are fast per se). But otherwise, he’s got all of the makings of a true No. 1 starter.

2. Marco Rossi, C, 21 (Minnesota Wild/Iowa Wild)

Last season was a really strong rookie AHL season for the 20-year-old, and especially so as a return to the ice following a lost season of development for Rossi. This season, though he hasn’t made the jump to full-time NHLer, he has taken another step in Iowa offensively while remaining the diligent, committed off-puck player he has always been.

You won’t find a kid who is more driven than he is, and who makes overcoming what he has seem so inevitable. I remain extremely confident in his ability to become a top-six center who provides value in all three zones, too. Despite his 5-foot-9 frame, he’s built like an ox, with a sturdy and low center of gravity that allows him to take bumps on offense and play his determined, detail-oriented game on defense (on top of helping him be very good in the faceoff circle). Then he’s also got slick skill in traffic, quick hands one-on-one with defenders and goalies, playmaking acumen through gaps in coverage, a sixth sense for how to use spacing, and impressive finesse and touch to his game as a passer.

He plays a game of intellect, craft and feel. He has also begun to play more assertively and aggressively on offense in the AHL. He’s going to be a heck of an NHL player and projects as a 20-40-60 guy with defensive value for me (with the potential for more with the right linemates and luck from one season to the next). He faced a big setback down, and it slowed his development, but he’s going to get to where you’d hope a top-10 pick will in the end. I’ll stick my neck out on that.

3. Liam Öhgren, LW, 18 (Djurgardens IF)

Öhgren put together one of the most productive age-adjusted seasons in the history of Sweden’s top junior level and two strong performances internationally for Sweden (first at last year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and then at U18 worlds, where he was also the team’s captain) in his draft year. And he was in the middle of following that up with a strong post-draft season in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan while riding a three-game point streak and playing his best hockey of the season when he got injured late in January.

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He’s a bigger, stronger player than his two first-round teammates (Noah Ostlund and Jonathan Lekkerimaki) in Djurgården and he’s also a combination shot-and-pass, power-and-finesse player that they aren’t. I love the way he shades into and away from pressure in control. His shot comes off his blade quick, hard and naturally, rocking it back into his stance and letting it go (it really rattles off of his stick). His offensive arsenal is multi-faceted and he’s got some really sneaky craftiness and evasiveness to his game to complement the tools of strength over the puck and through his shot that are obvious.

He’ll need to pick up a step to translate his game to the NHL level, but I wouldn’t call his skating an impediment (it’s better than he usually gets credit for); it has looked noticeably improved this year (it looks lighter through his crossovers and his pick-ups) and he’s always finding ways to get to pucks and/or get open around the home-plate area inside the offensive zone, where his skill and shot take over.

Add in a commitment to the puck retrievals and battles and a strong base knowledge of when to make the simple play and when to attack, and you’ve got a pretty safely projectable top-nine and probably top-six winger at an early age. And don’t confuse completeness for lack of talent, as I think that can often be misconstrued and that is not the case here. He has been leading more rushes and attacking sequences in control this year. You can’t fault his effort level. He’s strong. He can score. There’s a lot to like.

4. Danila Yurov, LW/RW, 19 (Metallurg Magnitogorsk)

Those who followed my draft coverage with a watchful eye will know that I’m a fan of Yurov’s game.

I have concerns about how little he’s used in Magnitogorsk and the negative impact that can have on his development (it’s been happening for three seasons now). He has technically dressed for 115 KHL games, and he technically has seven goals and 14 points in those games, but he has averaged just 5:51 seconds in ice time across those games. If you think about his 14 points in the context of playing 17.5 minutes a night (three of his current games, but the equivalent of second-line usage), his production would actually be 14 points in about 38 KHL games split between ages 17 and 19.

Yurov has also already proven to be a dominant player in the MHL and internationally (in part because of his December 2003 birthday but mostly because of his well-rounded skill level), driving play, chances and results at both ends. He’s a kid who has really impressed me almost every time I’ve watched him against his peers. If you were to fill up two buckets with his tools (one for the strengths, one for the weaknesses) and place them on a scale, the bucket with his strengths in it would be overflowing and the one with his weaknesses would be near empty.

He plays hard and fast, he pushes tempo, he’s a strong and balanced skater, he’s an excellent give-and-go player who excels at playing in and out of space without the puck, his shot comes off of his blade hard in motion (though it could use a little more versatility), he’s got pro size and skill, he’s diligent in all three zones, and he’s almost always in the right position or reading the play to get back into it (on offense or defense).

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Kids his age are often either advanced in the way they operate on the ice but lack the high-end skill to make the most out of it, or have the skill in spades but struggle to use it because they aren’t processing the game fast enough. Yurov doesn’t have any problems on either front. He may not become a star, but he’s got projectable top-six tools.

5. Brock Faber, RHD, 20 (University of Minnesota)

Though he only turned 20 at the end of August, making him one of the youngest juniors in college hockey, Faber has already been an Olympian, a captain at the world juniors, and a captain in college. At the end of this season, one where he’s the top defenseman on arguably the top team in college hockey at the moment, he’ll try to cap off his collegiate career with a second consecutive trip to the Frozen Four before taking the natural next step and turning pro.

The strength of Faber’s game is his A-level skating (particularly its maneuverability, quick edges and balanced posture) and the way he uses it, only taking opportunities when they’re available offensively and playing tight gaps defensively. He changes directions beautifully on cuts. And while he may not beat opposing players one-on-one with the puck, when he’s under pressure he does a great job escaping, keeping opposing players on his back, and then head manning the puck. He’s a heady, efficient player who plays past the first layer of pressure and has enviable footwork.

His skill doesn’t pop like his skating does, but he kills a lot of plays with an active stick and perfect timing in the neutral zone, he’s able to join the rush, he keeps his stick on pucks, he’s smart in distribution atop the offensive zone, he has established himself as one of the best defensemen in college hockey, and he has begun to look to play with a little more sureness hanging onto the puck inside the offensive zone or transporting it in transition (both of which he does comfortably when he chooses to).

He’s the prototype for the modern defenseman, combining feet and smarts to steer and control play without needing to be the guy who takes over a game. He’s got the makings of a very effective, three-zone five-on-five player and it has been fun to see him play a little freer with the puck this last year or so. The ice tilts and positive things happen when he’s out there. I fully expect him to become a second-pairing defenseman.

Here’s Wild assistant director of player development Matt Hendricks on his impressions of Faber since last year’s trade: “I’ve been extremely impressed by him. He’s a quiet leader I think, just getting to know him personally. He has a purpose every day that he comes to the rink. It’s almost like he has that pro mentality right now where he goes to bed at night with a plan for the next day. And that’s a big battle with younger players but he seems to have it. He understands the pedigree, and expectations for himself, and I think his expectations for himself may be bigger than anyone else’s. What a great guy though. And just a freak. Like off the ice in the gym, the kid’s an athlete.”

6. Carson Lambos, LHD, 20 (Winnipeg Ice)

The Winnipeg Ice teams of the last two seasons have garnered a lot of attention for their high-powered offense, but the job they’ve done from the net out preventing goals has been equally impressive and Lambos is one of the team’s most valuable players for his ability to do both (as signified by the ‘C’ on his jersey this year). Though I’m sure he was disappointed to not make the Canadian world junior team as a returnee, I think that was a comment on the big, long blue line they wanted to build more than on him as a top junior-level player. He’s confident and poised with the puck on his stick, regularly beating the first layer of pressure into an intentional play (whether that’s side-stepping a forechecker and slinging an outlet past or walking past the high man in the offensive zone into a hard writer that can score from the high slot). He engages himself in all aspects of the game, whether that’s running or joining in the offense, being disruptive defensively, or timing his reads well. I think his play in Finland last season was undersold, regardless of the way his health contributed to his fall. He’s athletic, he’s confident on the attack, he puts himself in a lot of transition sequences, he’s sturdy in engagements, his point can come off hard and he’s a heady distributor and stretch passer. There are times when he can play a little too much on instinct and scramble a little, but I still see clear top-six upside at the next level even if he settles as more of a No. 4-5 D than the No. 3-4 fans might hope for out of a late first.

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7. Marat Khusnutdinov, C, 20 (SKA St. Petersburg)

For all the criticism that gets lobbed at KHL teams (especially top ones like SKA) for the way they bring along young players (often by sitting them on the bench instead of playing them in the VHL or MHL until a real opportunity opens), Khusnutdinov’s development has been handled really well. He stayed in the MHL for the entirety of his draft year, they split his development across levels in his post-draft season but played him more than seven minutes a night when he was with the KHL team, he played 14 minutes a night as a full-time KHL player in his second season post draft last year, and they’ve now got him playing 16 minutes a night at 20 years old this season. He deserves a lot of credit too, though, for playing a game that has earned that trust and for making the most of his opportunity to emerge as the league’s most productive under-23 (not under-21!) forwards this year with 37 points in 58 games.

Khusnutdinov has good overall skill and an engine that’s always ramped up, engaging himself in the play and making quick decisions from A to B to move the puck, track the play and make quick, small skill plays in between. And while he’s a little on the smaller side (5 feet 9, 165 pounds) and not particularly dynamic in any one area, he can flash skill (more as a playmaker than a scorer, though he’s opportunistic around the net too). He’s effective, he’s talented, he can skate and he’s going to battle to compensate for his deficiencies. That’s a good player. Despite his size, he has also won 51.7 percent of the 600-plus draws he has taken this year. He projects as a good middle-six player and I thought hard about ranking him ahead of Lambos in sixth here. He also, like Lambos, Faber, Rossi and Ohgren before him, and Ryan O’Rourke and Daemon Hunt after him, is another Wild prospect who has worn the ‘C’ before.

8. Jack Peart, LHD, 19 (St. Cloud State University)

Peart has followed a steady, positive progression over the last two and a half years. After getting better with each viewing and winning Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey in his draft year, he played himself onto Team USA for the world juniors late in their process for the 2022 tournament, returned twice after it was cancelled in the summer of 2022 and then again in 2023, and has been a consistently effective player as an underclassman in his two seasons at St. Cloud State.

He’s a natural athlete and heady transition defenseman who excels at breaking the puck out of his own zone, starting the rush through neutral ice, and managing the point offensively, especially as a facilitator. But it’s evident he also prides himself on working to be active and disruptive defensively, even if he’s not overtly physical (physicality should not be confused with work ethic!), and he does a really good job breaking up plays as a result. He’s got a comfort, poise and consistency of execution to his game that is admirable. I’m not fond of the ambiguity of the term hockey IQ, but he’s got it in spades. He just sees and processes the ice at a high level, regularly looking off his first option to quickly identify and then hit a better second one. He can drive a pairing or play off of a partner when they choose to involve themselves. His underlying results have been strong across levels. And while he’s not dynamic, he’s got the tools to become a useful two-way five-on-five depth defenseman who can chip in on both special teams when called upon. There should be no rush either. He’ll be just shy of his 22nd birthday when he graduates even if he plays all four years. That’s the way I’d go if I were him, even though he’s already a top player at a good program.

9. Adam Beckman, LW, 21 (Iowa Wild) 

Beckman’s a hard-shooting, shot-focused winger with a scoring touch who has worked to fill out his frame (which underwent a growth spurt) and get faster. He’s a dangerous mid-range scorer with his shot, which is threatening from a standstill, on catch-and-releases and from a variety of stances in motion. He is a better off-puck shot threat than an individual creator because his skating is a little limiting though. I’ve slowly come around on his overall upside and now believe he has medium odds at a complementary middle-six scoring role and second power-play usage. It still feels like he’s got room to grow to develop his game, too, which bodes well even though he’s 21. I’ve liked what I’ve seen of him in the AHL these last two years, even if his production has been good but not great.

He’ll burry it when he gets good looks, too:

10. David Spacek, RHD, 19 (Sherbrooke Phoenix)

Drafted as an overager after emerging as one of the top defensemen in the QMJHL as a rookie last year following a move to North America from Czechia (where he was never in real consideration to be picked), Spacek looks like a really sleuth pick just seven months out from his fifth-round selection in Montreal now. He is a borderline dominant two-way defenseman on one of the best teams in junior hockey, playing big minutes and driving results when he’s on the ice for the Phoenix. He was an absolute rock for the silver-medal-winning Czechs at the world juniors, too, looking every bit the prospect that a bigger name like captain Stanislav Svozil was there. You can count on him. He’s a steadying presence defensively on the blue line. He’s physical and stout defensively. Though his game offensively isn’t dynamic, he engages in the offense and possesses a hard, NHL shot. I’ve been more impressed by him in his last two seasons in junior than I was by fellow Wild prospects Ryan O’Rourke and Daemon Hunt at the same ages in junior, and they were really solid two-way players at that level as well. He’s also a righty, while they’re lefties, which doesn’t hurt.

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Here’s that shot I talked about. He can really step into them:

11. Caedan Bankier, C/LW, 20 (Kamloops Blazers) 

Bankier’s a 6-foot-2 center (who has also played on both wings at times in junior) with B-level skill and a good finishing knack. He’s got sound shooting mechanics (whether through his control into a catch-and-release or his follow-through on a set shot) and the tools to create in volume at the junior level. He reads and scans the ice in front of him fairly well and makes smart decisions accordingly. He occasionally makes plays through layers. He’s effective as a secondary component on a top line in the WHL and has become more of the guy at that level this season. He’ll track back, come up with his share of steals, drive off the wall with the puck, penalty kill effectively, stickhandle to the interior, and will stay around it at the junior level. His game can lack pace (he has worked on his skating but it still needs more) and dimension, though, which leaves some to question whether he’ll top out as a good AHLer. The Wild should sign him, though, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually breaks into the league and sticks as a useful bottom forward.

12. Rieger Lorenz, LW, 18 (University of Denver)

The top NHL prospect at Canada’s Jr. A level last year, Lorenz, who posted 96 points in 74 combined regular-season and playoff games in the AJHL and impressed as one of Team Canada’s lone bright spots at U18 worlds (where they outscored the opposition 6-0 with him on the ice at five-on-five), has struggled to find his game in college this year (not uncommon for 18-year-old freshmen coming from Jr. A). He’s a driven, puck-protection player who wins lanes in possession, forechecks to get it back when he doesn’t have it, can get to high-danger areas (either in control with his soft hands or off the puck to play to the front of the net), and then can finish plays when he’s there with a hard and accurate shot. But he can also play to the perimeter and facilitate (he does a good job identifying and then finding second and third options). He’s not mean, he’ll take what’s given (and sometimes what isn’t), plays hard, and will continue to fill out his 6-foot-2 frame. He was also one of the best penalty killers in the AJHL last year and led the league in short-handed goals with five. Lorenz projects as a middle-six winger at his ceiling and I expect him to become a top NCAA player as a junior or senior, get an NHL deal, and give the AHL climb a go.

13. Daemon Hunt, LHD, 20 (Iowa Wild) 

Hunt’s probably the one player on this list whose opinion I diverge on from the Wild. I like him. He was an excellent junior hockey defenseman and has held his own playing pretty big minutes in Iowa for a rookie defenseman his age. But I think he has also often been credited for things I’m not convinced are actual strengths. He’s physically engaged, for sure. He likes the challenge of defending good players one-on-one. He’s strong, he keeps his head up, and he skates well, which helps him defend the rush and move the puck. But I also think his game can be sloppy (both with and without the puck), he misreads the play and mistimes pinches a fair amount, and he’s too eager to shoot and play on instinct rather than poise (which can get defensemen in trouble up levels). I’ve been more and more impressed by his gaps the last two seasons, coaches have always liked him, he’s got the athletic tools, and there’s enough skill to his game to translate, but I do think for a player who is known for his defensive aptitude that it’s oddly unpolished at times. His injury history also hasn’t done him any favors. There are more than a few who believe he’s going to be a solid third-pairing defenseman at the NHL level in time though.

14. Ryan O’Rourke, LHD, 20 (Iowa Wild) 

O’Rourke became very good at all of the things he does best, really leaning into his hybrid modern/throwback style in junior. He’s still figuring things out in the AHL, but I think he has been better than his usage there as well. He’s a thorn in the side of opposing players before and after whistles. He makes stops defensively. He executes tape-to-tape passes and finds players in stride on outlets. He just fits the “reliable, no-fuss, No. 5-7 guy” role to a tee. In junior, he established himself as a minute-munching all-situations defender and an excellent rush defender who gapped well, played a strong positional style, and also had a physical edge to his game. He has shown those same signs in the AHL as well. He’s hard along the wall, he’s an effective man-on-man defender with his feet, timing, and size combination, and he’s always dialled in mentally. Offensively, there’s also more than meets the eye, with good offensive-zone instincts, a hard shot and good enough hands to beat the first layer of pressure off the blue line even if it’s fairly vanilla. He’s a good kid and player to have as organizational depth at minimum, and I think there’s room for him to become slightly more than that in time.

15. Servac Petrovsky, C, 18 (Owen Sound Attack)

Petrovsky, who didn’t turn 18 until August and was one of the top 17-year-old producers in the OHL last season with 30 goals and 60 points in a combined 72 regular-season and playoff games as one of Owen Sound’s top forwards, has been good again this year for a good Attack team without taking a big step forward per se. He also adds more to that team than his point-per-game counting stats suggest as an important penalty killer, the team’s best faceoff man (55.4 percent) and a driver of underlying results. Petrovsky’s a talented player and finisher who can quickly end plays in the home-plate area or begin them on the perimeter in control. He’s got a quick release, soft hands and feel for the puck, and good speed through cuts and directional changes (more than straight-line explosiveness). He rounds corners tight and fast, he’s driven, he’ll apply pressure as an eager F1 on the forecheck, he plays with pace, and the consistency of his habits is always there. Everything about his game is quick: His feet, his hands, his release, his bouncing from one thing to the next. He has also had strong international showings this year, leading Slovakia in shots on goal at both the summer and winter world juniors, and getting named a top-three player on the team at the former. Your eyes are drawn to him when he’s out there. I’m not sure where he fits as a potential NHLer, but there’s a lot to like about his game and I’m looking forward to tracking him to see how far he can push it.

The Tiers

Each of my prospect pool rankings will be broken down into team-specific tiers in order to give you a better sense of the talent proximity from one player to the next (a gap which is sometimes minute and in other cases quite pronounced).

The Wild’s prospect pool breaks down into three tiers divided as such: 1-4, 5-7, 8-15.

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Also considered were Saginaw Spirit forward and 2022 second-round pick Hunter Haight (the final cut and a kid I would have had on this list before the year began and am sure will be on it in the future), Kamloops Blazers breakout defenseman Kyle Masters (the second last cut), Boston College junior Nikita Nesterenko and senior Marshall Warren, and Iowa Wild winger Mikey Milne. Really hoping for the best for Pavel Novak, who I think would have been on this list were it not for his diagnosis (and whose game I’m on record as liking a lot), as well.

(Top photo of Jesper Wallstedt: Jerome Miron / USA Today)

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