Wild Draft Recap: Minnesotans, Centers & A Draft Steal Headline Picks

The Minnesota Wild left the 2023 NHL Entry Draft in Nashville with plenty of storylines: hometown talent, centers and a sneaky draft steal.

The Wild took center Charlie Stramel (Rosemount) in the first round at pick No. 21, defender Aaron Pionk (Hermantown) in round five at No. 149 and winger Jimmy Clark (Edina) in the seventh round at No. 213 for their final pick — all three of whom are Minnesota natives.

Then there's the fact that the Wild added three more centers — Stramel, Rasmus Kumpulainen and Riley Heidt — to their prospect pipeline that has the likes of Marco Rossi, Marat Khusnutdinov, Caedan Bankier, Hunter Haight and Servac Petrovsky for more depth.

"This might be the year where we can pick position specific," Wild GM Bill Guerin told the media prior to the draft.

The Wild did just that, bringing in more center talent to the organization with an emphasis on size, in addition to two blue liners in Pionk and Kalem Parker and a winger in Clark.

The Wild used their second pick in round two (the final pick of the second round) to draft Heidt at No. 64 — which some consider a sneaky draft steal. In fact, The Athletic's Scott Wheeler has Heidt ranked as the 23rd best prospect in the draft. So, it's a great value pick to get him at the end of the second round when most had him landing in the first round — some as high as No. 17.

Heidt tied first overall pick Connor Bedard with 72 assists and finished tied for fifth in WHL scoring with 97 points in 68 games last season. Corey Pronman of The Athletic rates Heidt's hockey sense and puck skills as above average in his draft ranking. Heidt is a talented and smart playmaker with a dynamic offensive game.

Before that, the Wild drafted Kumpulainen at No. 53. The 6-foot-3, 192-pound center registered 34 points in 41 games on the Pelicans Finland team in the U20 SM-Sarja league last season. He also played 20 games with Finland's U18 team, scoring eight goals and 17 points while playing in all situations. 

Pronman mentioned his skating and ability to be a playmaker as a question mark, but noted his skill and ability to be a factor in front of the net as positives.

The Wild used their first-round pick at 21st overall to draft Stramel, who is a big 6-foot-3, 222-pound center who plays a heavy, physical game.

“Charlie is physically. To be honest, he’s a freak,” Brackett told the media. “This is someone who finished in the top five in five different categories at the combine. Measured 6-3, 222 pounds already, and it’s not all power with him. He was top five in some categories that were jumping in athleticism. When you watch him move, he’s truly an athlete.”

Stramel posted a 5-7-12 stat line as a freshman last season with the struggling University of Wisconsin Badgers, who will have a new head coach in Mike Hastings in the fall. The blend of size and impact Stramel brings is a big addition to the Wild's prospect pool.

Stramel had been ranked as second-round worthy by many rankings. A stark contrast from a year ago where rankings had him as a first-round pick around the top 10. Take The Athletic's Scott Wheeler's early rankings that had him as high as a top-5 frontrunner in February of 2022 for example. Although with a year of college under his belt and a new coach in place, it wouldn't be surprising to see him rebound.

The Wild drafted Pionk, 20, in the fifth round at pick No. 149 after he had been passed over in his first two years of eligibility. Pionk, the brother of Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk, is a 6-foot-1, 172-pound left-shot defender who is committed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth. 

Pionk saw success in his first and only season with the Waterloo Black Hawks in the United States Hockey League (USHL) this past season, totaling 12 goals and 36 points to go along with a +21 rating. Pronman wrote "his skill and vision stood out often to go with his point shot being a threat," but his skating is a question mark.

The Wild drafted a right-shot defenseman in Parker in the sixth round at pick No. 181. Parker, who has a 6-foot, 192-pound frame, notched six goals and 38 points with the Victoria Royals in the Western Hockey League — ranking 27th in points among WHL defenseman. His skating ability is his strength, but his "hockey sense and puck play leave some to be desired," Pronman wrote.

The Wild didn't draft a winger until the seventh round when they used their final pick to draft Clark, a 6-foot, 179-pound left winger who is committed to the University of Minnesota Gophers this fall. Clark recorded 19 goals and 47 points with a +11 rating in 62 games with the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL last season after scoring 38 points in 31 games as a junior at Edina High in 2021-22. 

Clark appears to be a pretty good value pick in the final round. Pronman wrote that he's an "intriguing" prospect because of his skating and pro attributes. Even though he thinks Clark lacks a high-level offensive game, he "can buy him having a chance to make it."

The Wild will likely be pretty quiet when free agency opens on July 1 due to their financial situation. But there's still important business left this summer with RFAs Filip Gustavsson, Brandon Duhaime and Calen Addison still unsigned as Minnesota begins to finish filling out their 2023-24 roster. Minnesota also needs to examine what their options are with a recovering Mason Shaw, who also is a RFA and is recovering from his fourth ACL surgery.