The Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase officially started on Wednesday with a practice at Tria Rink in St. Paul. The Wild will welcome the St. Louis Blues to Tria Rink on Friday at 7:00 PM for a scrimmage.
They then will welcome the Chicago Blackhawks rookie team to Tria on Sunday at 3:00 pm for a scrimmage. Sunday's game sold out very quickly which could be because highly coveted prospect Connor Bedard will be playing for the Blackhawks.
The Wild have a few prospects on their rookie team that should draw some attention.
Sammy Walker
We saw a bit of Sammy Walker last year when he played nine games for the Wild. He recorded one goal and one assist in that span but had tons of success down in Iowa with the Wild's AHL Affiliate.
Walker had 27 goals and 48 points in 56 AHL games and played in the AHL All-Star game. Walker also was elected to the AHL Top Prospects team after the season concluded.
His speed and shot are some of his best assets which we saw a bit of in nine NHL games. But Walker knows he still has something to prove. The former seventh-round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning played four years at the University of Minnesota then elected free agency where he signed with the Wild.
No one predicted Walker would have that much success at the professional stage. But the biggest jump for him was moving from center to right wing. This allowed Walker to use his explosive speed more which resulted in a 27 goal season in his rookie year.
Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, Bill Guerin wants to see guys make a big impression and Walker is certainly a guy who could benefit from that.
"Expectations in the organization are high," Guerin said to the media following the Wild's practice on Wednesday. "I want to see who's willing to give a great first impression. If you made one last year, do it again."
Walker showcased his speed last year in camp and will likely have to display his same game again. If he does, he could fight for an NHL spot out of camp.
Carson Lambos
Another veteran when it comes to playing in the rookie showcase last season, Lambos also got some time with the Wild in pre-season. The former 2021 first-round draft pick was thought to be one of the best two-way defenders in his draft class.
The 2021 draft class featured defensemen Owen Power, Luke Hughes, Simon Edvinsson, Brandt Clarke, and Corson Ceulemans being taken ahead of Lambos. Other than Ceulemans who is still in college, Lambos is the only defenseman who hasn't appeared in an NHL game.
Lambos is set to play in his first professional season in America and will likely start the year in Iowa with Brett McLean. Lambos was highly talked about at the Draft as he projects to be a top-pairing defenseman or at least a top-four defenseman.
The 20-year-old will quarterback the Iowa Wild's power play and has the potential to quarterback the Wild's power play in the upcoming years. Look for him to impress in camp again and in the AHL this season.
Rasmus Kumpulainen
The only first year player on this list, Kumpulainen enters the Tom Kurvers Rookie Showcase with a lot of eyes on him. Kumpulainen was the Wild's 53rd overall pick in the 2023 draft and has spent the last couple of years playing professional hockey in Finland.
The 6-foot-3 center will make the jump to the OHL this year where he will play for the Oshawa Generals. Kumpulainen skated in rookie camp a month ago and stuck out a lot.
His big frame presents concerns on skating ability but Kumpulainen showed us it is not an issue. He skates smoothly and has the tools to be a good two-way center that you can plug on your third line with power play time and penalty kill time.
He has a good shot mixed with hands but will beat defenders by powering through them or around. He will be a very interesting prospect to follow this year and years after.
Jesper Wallstedt
We all know the name Jesper Wallstedt, he is the Wild's No. 1 overall prospect in basically every prospect rankings out there. The former 20th overall pick in the 2021 draft played his first professional season last year in Iowa.
Wallstedt went 18-15-5 with a 2.68 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in his first season in 38 AHL games. The 20-year-old goaltender made the AHL Top Prospects team along with Walker and was known as one of the best goalies in the AHL.
But the 20-year-old should still be given two to three more years before he enters the NHL as we have seen time and time again, teams rushing top goalie prospects to the NHL only to find out they aren't ready.
Goaltending is so different in terms of developing. Although Wallstedt caught on quick with the transition from professional hockey in Sweden to AHL hockey, he struggled early but eventually was the team's starting goalie in the Iowa Wild's playoffs.
Wallstedt isn't a flashy goaltender by any means but his 6-foot-3 frame makes him an interesting prospect. He is so calm in net and rarely gets beat on the ice. Positionally he is always in the right spot it seems and doesn't cough up a lot of rebounds.
It will be interesting to see him play in his second rookie showcase tournament and also compete against Connor Bedard.
David Spacek
There isn't very many instances where you talk about keeping an eye on a former fifth round pick but this is one of them. Spacek has flown up the Wild's prospect rankings from when he was originally taken 153rd overall in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Spacek has played 115 games in the QMJHL with Sherbrooke Phoenix where he has notched 25 goals and 107 points as a defenseman. He also has notched five goals and 21 points in 25 QMJHL Playoff games.
The defender out of Czechia is a borderline dominant two-way defenseman with an absolute rocket of a shot. He is the only right shot defenseman prospect in the organization other than Brock Faber.
Spacek will make the jump from the QMJHL to the AHL this season where he will play for the Iowa Wild. My guess is he will receive big minutes on both the power play and penalty kill.
He has the chance to be a big impact two-way defender for the Wild in only a couple of years. Definitely worth keeping an eye on.
