The Wild made a trade to acquire pick 122 but they used it to draft Aron Kiviharju.
A couple of years ago, Aron Kiviharju was a projected top-15 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. He suffered a torn ACL and missed almost the whole year during his Draft year.
In just seven games for HIFK of the Finnish league, Kiviharju posted one goal and two points. He has been injury prone but his ability to play the game is still very high.
"It looked like he didn't miss a beat with his skill and IQ," one scout said. "But the speed hasn't improved since the start, which is understandable given the injury he had."
Ryan Kennedy with The Hockey News has Kiviharju at 60 on his top 120 rankings for the 2024 NHL Draft.
The biggest knock on him was his skating and the difference between what it was before his injury and what it is now. But at pick 122 the Wild are clearly happy enough to take the risk.
The 5-foot-10 defender isn't the most physical guy and with his size that is understandable but he has a ton of talent. He has decent offensive ability but succeeds at exiting the puck on breakouts. He should be a good shutdown defender in the NHL.
"Everyone knows how good he is, and he's a delightful, bright kid," a scout told Kennedy. "No question marks there. A smallish defenseman who's not a great skater but he is a really good player, so what's the forecast? How good can he be despite his physical limitations? Somebody is going to take him, but when? It will be interesting."
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