4 Minnesota Wild Prospects Listed In the Athletic's New Rankings

ST. PAUL — While development camp is less about evaluation and more about everything else, Minnesota Wild prospect and 2022 first round draft pick Liam Ohgren made a strong case as the most noticeable prospect at development camp two weeks ago at Tria Rink.

The 19-year-old is one of the Wild's most anticipated prospects — and it's for good reason. The Athletic's Scott Wheeler ranked Ohgren as the NHL's 40th best prospect in his newest ranking, and he likes what he has seen from the Swede.

"I love the way he shades into and away from pressure in control," Wheeler wrote in his rankings. "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 multifaceted 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."

After a rough start last season because of an injury, Ohgren said he felt like he "stepped up" as the season went along, which culminated into a strong postseason showing — and an improvement defensively.

"I think my defensive game took a huge step and also my strength on the puck in the O-zone," Ohgren said at development camp. "The board game."

Ohgren notched 20 points in 39 regular season games with Djurgardens in the HockeyAllsvenskan league last season before scoring eight goals and 13 points in 17 postseason games.

As for who he models his game after? It's the Colorado Avalanche's Gabriel Landeskog, a fellow Swede who has 248 goals and 571 points to his name.

“I feel like I kind of resemble him on the ice," Ohgren said, "and off the ice as well as a leader. I think I’m (a) two-way forward, pretty heavy and can score a lot of points as well.”

Ohgren, who showcased his elite skill and dangerous shot at camp, plans to play one more year in Sweden with the goal of turning pro for the 2024-25 season.

“Yeah, I really hope so," Ohgren said. ..."Hope to take even more steps this year and then hopefully I’ll do my best to make the team next year in Minnesota.”

The Wild's other two forward prospects listed in Wheeler's top-50 prospect rankings are below and Jesper Wallstedt is ranked as the NHL's top goalie prospect. Here is part one, two and three of our prospect rankings from June.

Wheeler: "I remain extremely confident in his ability to become a second-line center who provides value in all three zones. Despite his 5-foot-9 frame, he’s built strong, with a sturdy and low center of gravity that allows him to take bumps on offence and play his determined, detail-oriented game on defence (on top of helping him do well 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 offence in the AHL."

Heckmann: Rossi has a lot to prove in the 2023-24 season after recording one point in 19 games last year with the Wild before getting sent down to AHL Iowa. But give him credit because, for the second straight year, he dominated in Iowa while playing significant minutes in all situations and showcasing his 200-foot game. Rossi scored 16 goals and 51 points, ranking second in Iowa behind Nic Petan. And it's easy to forget that a player's development isn't always linear, so patience with him is required because he's still a highly-coveted prospect with immense potential.

Wheeler: "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 offence or defence)."

Heckmann: Yurov is another highly-anticipated prospect who has the potential to be a game changer and future top-six forward, which could be at wing or center. Like Ohgren, he hopes to come over after next season in Russia. So this will be an important year for his development to become a more polished player.

Wheeler: "His game has remarkable polish and maturity. There’s just a control to his game that is so 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. His game is impressively sound. Wallstedt’s a big 6-foot-3, 214-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 extremely 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."

Heckmann: There's a reason why we ranked Wallstedt as the Wild's best prospect in our prospect rankings. Wallstedt adjusted well to the AHL last season, posting a .908 save percentage and 2.68 goals against average in his rookie year, where he showcased his calm demeanor and polished game. He potentially could jump to the NHL for the 2024-25 season after another full year of marinating with the Iowa Wild. 

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