The Minnesota Wild likely won't have an easy decision to make in the first round when they make their pick at No. 21. The 2023 NHL Entry Draft is the opposite of scarce — in fact, it's one of the deepest talent-studded drafts in recent history.
Regardless of who the Wild draft, they're inevitably going to add another talented player to their elite prospect cupboard. We're assuming the Wild are staying put even though trading up in a draft like this would be nice. With that said, Dylan and I have compiled a list of our top five prospects we would like to see the Wild draft at No. 21.
Editor's Note: We used our best judgement to only consider prospects who realistically could fall or be available to pick No. 21
Aaron and Dylan's top 5 combined list:
Both: Riley Heidt (C) — A playmaking center with very good vision. Makes his line mates better. Good speed and projects to be a middle-six center.
Both: Mikhail Gulyayev (LHD) — A very confident puck carrier and mover. An offensive defender with very good edge work, which allows him to drive play in the offensive zone. He's the best skating defender in the draft.
Both: Gavin Brindley (C/RW) — A speedy winger with a wicked shot. Plays well in all three zones and is aggressive. Although his size isn’t intriguing at 5-foot-9, he plays hard and makes up for his size with every facet of his game.
Aaron's pick: Calum Ritchie (C) — A two-way 6-foot-2 center who wore an "A" on his sweater this past season with the Oshawa Generals and can be depended on in any situation (played on the penalty kill). A smart center who is difficult to contain both as a dangerous shooter and play driver. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic put it best: "He's a complete package."
Dylan's pick: Nate Danielson (C) — An intelligent center who moves the puck well enough to be called a playmaker rather than a shooter or sniper. He has a strong skating ability with speed, making him a dangerous center.
Aaron's pick: Daniil But (LW) — A Russian winger out of the KHL who has a big frame at 6-foot-5 and 203 pounds. He's a highly-skilled winger with a strong ability to protect the puck when it's on his stick. His offensive skill pops out, and he has a strong release — one of his most prevalent attributes.
Dylan's pick: Otto Stenberg (C/LW) — A well-rounded forward who has been overlooked a bit in this steep draft. Stenberg has a hard release with a high ceiling. Moves well to carry the puck out of the defensive zone and into transition with speed. He creates offense well and could become a middle-six forward.
Required reading: The Wild's prospect rankings — Part one, two and three
Analysis
We are definitely prioritizing centers for the Wild at pick No. 21 with the likes of Heidt, Ritchie and Danielson. Ritchie and Heidt especially are the kind of centers with skillsets and potential the Wild need. While Minnesota has talented centers in Marco Rossi and Marat Khusnutdinov with high potential already in their system, it's too early to tell how their development will play out. We believe it's a good idea for the Wild to add another center with top-six potential to the pipeline.
With that said, there's going to be other solid options at their disposal. If Gulyayev or Brindley are available, the Wild can't go wrong with either of them. Gulyayev is a high-upside defenseman, which is something Minnesota's system needs. The Wild have depth and talent in their defensive pipeline, but it lacks offensive skill — which is what Gulyayev brings to the table.
And Brindley is an underrated winger with a potent shot and two-way game. While the Wild took Liam Ohgren and Danila Yurov a year ago, there's not much wing depth outside of them and Adam Beckman. That's why another option for wing at the draft I have is But, who is offensively skilled with size and would be a perfect addition to the prospect pipeline. — Aaron Heckmann
Heidt could be what the Wild are missing. I'm not sure if his skills will translate enough to make him a future No. 1 center in the NHL, but he will provide you top-six scoring at center. The Wild should prioritize centers, but Brindley would be a nice pickup. Although he’s played some center in college, Brindley projects to be a speedy scoring winger with upside.
Same goes with Gulyayev, it would be hard to pass up on him considering his upside of being a No. 1 defenseman who could run your top power play. The Wild don’t currently have an offense first type defenseman other than Calen Addison whose future is in question. The safe pick would be Stenberg, who won’t blow you away with points at the NHL, but who wouldn’t want another Eriksson Ek type player? Lastly, Danielson would be a solid addition to the Wild’s deep prospect pool because he’d be the perfect center to join Khusnutdinov in the coming years.
The Wild took two scoring wingers in the first round last year, which has me to believe Brindley might not be on their radar, so look for either Stenberg, Heidt and Danielson as possibilities. But don’t count out Gulyayev because his offensive abilities could make him a guy that would be hard to pass up on, especially if he’s available at pick No. 21. — Dylan Loucks