St. Paul, Minn. — The Wild couldn't get much going in their prospect game against St. Louis as Blues goaltender Vadim Zherenko stood on his head, stopping 32 of the 33 shots he faced. Minnesota's goaltender Jesper Wallstedt, stopped 21 shots out of the 25 he faced.
Despite the 5-1 loss there were some positives to take out of this game beginning with the three players who stood out.
Sammy Walker
Coming into this showcase we knew a lot of the Wild's brass would keep an eye on Walker as he has a chance to earn himself a roster spot for the Wild out of camp, especially given how he played last year in the AHL.
But Walker had a great first game. He showcased his speed and tenacity on the puck. He racked up five shots and had two breakaway chances that where both stopped by Zherenko.
"He's just got such good speed," Iowa Wild head coach Brett McLean said after the game. "He's able to find space on the ice and get separation from defenders and he did that again tonight."
Hunter Haight
This is Haight's second prospect showcase he has been apart of and the second time he has made a noticeable impact out on the ice. The 5-foot-11 center showed he wasn't afraid to lay some big hits and battle hard along the boards, something he said he'd like to showcase to the Wild's front office.
"I think it's just about playing to your strengths and trusting in yourself," Haight told the media before the Wild's 5-1 loss. "It's leaning on those things that you are good at and just showcasing what you have and just being gritty, being relentless."
Being gritty and relentless was something Haight proved. Before he scored the Wild's only goal in the loss, Haight dropped the gloves with Blues forward Keean Washkurak halfway through the second period.
The former 2022 second-round draft pick finished the night with a goal, two shots, and seven penalty minutes.
Rasmus Kumpulainen
People are now beginning to realize what a good draft selection Kumpulainen was. The big Finish center was taken by the Wild in the second-round of the 2023 draft at pick No. 53.
Standing in at 6-foot-3, Kumpulainen showed he plays exactly how he was scouted to be, a big strong and physical forward. Kumpulainen finished with five shots which was tied with Walker for the team lead.
McLean said after the game he is looking for his guys to play hard and compete with a strong attitude and Kumpulainen definitely showed that.
"We always ask for our guys to battle and compete really hard," McLean said. "That's something we put a huge priority on and they certainly did."
Out of his five shots, three of them came after Kumpulainen powered his way around a defender. The other two were shots you didn't think would come from a prototypical power forward.
In the second period, Kumpulainen received the puck from Riley Heidt at the top of the circle and rushed in on the right side. Instead of powering his way to the net like we saw him do three other times, Kumpulainen decided to put a move on the defender and cut to his left at the hashmarks before ripping the shot off Zherenko's blocker.
Early at rookie camp in July, Kumpulainen told us he models some of his game after Aleksander Barkov who is also a 6-foot-3 Finish center. That move he put on the Blues' defender was something we have seen Barkov do many times in the NHL.
He also stated he grew up watching Barkov and enjoyed watching longtime Wild captain Mikko Koivu when he was playing for Team Finland.
Final Thoughts
Regardless of the loss, these three players showed us there is still something to be excited about in the future when it comes to Wild prospects. Look for them to make another big impact on Sunday when the Wild face the Chicago Blackhawks' prospect team.
Also worth noting, Connor Bedard will play against the Blues tonight and will likely sit out against the Wild on Sunday.
