Who will the Wild draft with pick No. 13?
With the 13th overall pick, the Minnesota Wild select ... Konsta Helenius from Mikkelin Jukurit of the Liiga.
Why pick him? Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News has the Wild selecting Helenius with pick 13 in his Mock Draft. Ferrari says that Helenius plays a lot like the former franchise cornerstone Mikko Koivu. He is an offensive center who has a great two-way game.
What the scouts say: "He plays a competitive, detailed 200-foot game," one scout said. The production is there. The vision and awareness and ability to finish. If he wasn't 5-foot-11, is he challenging for top five? When you see guys like Zach Benson doing it, you can't be afraid of it."
Who are the other options? Cole Eiserman could be an intriguing option for the Wild if he were to still be there at pick 13. He is a pure scorer and could translate his scoring abilities to the NHL as a top-six winger. Carter Yakemchuk could be another option for the Wild at pick 13. He would likely be the best defenseman available when the Wild are picking. Yakemchuk has size (6'3"),strength, and scored 30 goals last season in the WHL.
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