Minnesota Wild Draft Riley Heidt With Pick No. 64

Riley Heidt was taken second overall in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft by the Prince George Cougars. He was taken after Connor Bedard, who is the consensus No. 1 overall pick in this year's NHL draft, and before Brayden Yager who is a projected top 15 pick.

To me, Heidt brings the perfect package. I think he can improve a little more defensively, but the offense is there for sure. He also was the Cougars number one man when it came to winning a faceoff.

Heres how he is currently ranked,

Ranked #17 by DobberProspects

Ranked #21 by The Hockey News

Ranked #21 by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters)

Ranked #23 by The Athletic

Ranked #27 by EliteProspects.com

“Heidt is a pure playmaker who elevates the danger level of anyone on his line with his passing ability. Riley is a silky-smooth passer who uses deception as a playmaker to enhance his offensive game. It’s not often a player can make passes cross-body or with the puck pulled into his feet the way Heidt does, but that ability to contort his body position and make a pass from irregular positions has been noticeable in Heidt’s game.” - Tony Ferrari (The Hockey News)

The thing that jumped out to me is his offensive ability but also his aggressive nature. As a 5-foot-11 center in the WHL, Heidt showed us he wasn't afraid to make a big hit or stand up for himself, which is a good thing to translate to the NHL.

He won’t blow you away with his physical play, but it is something worth talking about. According to Byron Bader’s model on HockeyProspecting, Heidt had a D-1 and a D0 almost identical to Dylan Cozens. D-1 means a players draft year minus one, so the season before his draft year and D0 means his draft year.

Bader’s model also has Heidt compared to Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who was almost a Wild prospect until Wild GM Chuck Fletcher traded pick No. 79 to Steve Yzerman, who was the Lightning GM at the time, for pick No. 80 and a seventh round pick in the 2014 draft.

Anyway, that can be a different story for another time. But you can’t blame Fletcher that much for passing on Point, but let’s hope the Wild don’t make a similar mistake.

I would expect Heidt to be a productive second line center in the NHL someday. It may take a couple of seasons for Heidt to reach the NHL and blossom, but that is usually the path that many current young stars take.

In Cozens first season in the NHL he put up four goals and 13 points in 41 games. Some people were worried that the former seventh overall pick had only scored four goals in 41 NHL games but didn’t realize it takes time with prospects, even with guys taken in the top ten of their respective draft.

I know a certain guy in the Wild’s organization that needs more time before you can project what kind of player he will be.

But after three seasons in the NHL after his draft year, Cozens put up 31 goals and 68 points in 81 games.

I do see a little bit of Cozens in Heidt’s game. Now Cozens is about four inches taller than Heidt, so maybe Point and his 5-foot-10 frame maybe is a better comparable, but Cozens and Heidt play the same type of game as an offensive playmaking center with flashes of physicality.

In my opinion, I see tangibles in Heidt’s game that offers a top ten pick slogan next to his name. But most draft sites have Heidt going in the early 20’s like I listed above. His playmaking ability is off the charts, which could make him an underrated player in this year's loaded draft class.

It’s hard to compare draft classes and maybe come back to this in five years, but this draft class reminds me of the 2015 draft. The first two picks in the 2015 draft where Connor McDavid, who needs no introduction, and Jack Eichel who just won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Bedard is the generational talent that McDavid is and Adam Fantilli is the first forward to have an outstanding freshman season in the NCAA since Eichel with Boston University.

It isn't just the top two guys, though, there is tons of depth in this draft with guys ranked in the 20’s and 30's that could be taken in the top ten based on their talent.

Heidt is coming off a 72-assist season in the WHL, which was tied for first with Bedard. He also finished tied with Logan Stankoven for fourth in WHL scoring with his 97 points in 68 games finishing one point behind potential top-5 pick Zach Benson’s 98 points.

Adding Heidt to the Wild’s deep prospect pool would only prove why they are ranked as the best in the NHL. Plus, Heidt could become the No. 1 center the Wild have yet to have since arguably Mikko Koivu.

All data via Hockeydb, EliteProspects, and HockeyProspecting.