Crossroads of Destiny - Minnesota Wild Mock Draft v3.0

 Goddamn. 

The Colorado Avalanche are Stanley Cup Champions. Frankly, I'm getting lightheaded just having to type that out - the fact that this is the world we now live in is purely disgusting. I don't ever wanna hear the words "Nathan" or "Mackinnon" again, to be quite honest. 

Anyway, on to the real thing of import - the NHL Entry Draft, slated to start on July 7th. I originally planned to release this a little bit closer to the day at hand, but I'm gonna be out of town this weekend. Figured I might as well knock this out and give you fine folks something to read on your 4th of July roadtrips (and if you happen to be beach bumming on Lake Melissa this weekend, look me up.)

There's an intense wrinkle added to the Minnesota Wild's draft this year - the status of Kevin Fiala. He's on his way out, all the indicators say, and that has some real potent implications for the draft possibilities coming to the Wild. But we just don't know yet. And so, instead of just mocking a draft where the Wild pick at where they currently pick at, I'm going to offer my views for each of the likely avenues the Wild go down, in terms of a Fiala deal. Now I'm not saying any of these are going to happen, I'm just saying they're on the table.

The New Jersey Devils select very high, at number 2 overall, and by all accounts are considering the possibility of moving that pick. It makes sense - and the Devils might be a unique team that picks high that might be better off moving it in favor of someone who's NHL-ready. The Devils have had their dreadful seasons, their tanks. They've picked high for years - they're thinking they're ready to take the next step, and Kevin Fiala helps them do that now. So perhaps they'd be willing to send 2OA Minnesota's way in order to enlist his services. 

And if that were the case, I'd like the Minnesota Wild to draft:

2nd overall: Logan Cooley - C - USNTDP

Despite the fact that I think Slafkovsky could one day be considered the best player to come out of this draft, I go with Cooley here. First of all, he plays the most important position - and plays it well. He's quick and intelligent in all areas of the ice, especially the offensive zone, where it doesn't seem to matter who he plays with - he's going to get the job done. Second of all - he's gonna be ready soon. Cooley is considered one of the more NHL-ready prospects available in this draft, with many scouts figuring that he'll only spend a year in college before being ready to go pro. For a team that's strapped for cash and needing to be pinching pennies the next few years, having young and dynamic talent that comes cheap and contributes is going to be vital. Cooley brings all that. And come on, if Cooley and Rossi are as good as we think they're going to be, the Wild's center woes are going to feel like ancient history really soon. Committed to the University of Minnesota.

The scuttlebutt says that Pierre Dorion has salivated over Kevin Fiala all year, so it stands to reason that the Ottawa Senators could be willing to part with their top pick to get him to Canada's capital. 

If that came to pass, I'd prefer the Minnesota Wild go with:

7th overall: Cutter Gauthier - C/W - USNTDP

In addition to having one of the coolest names in the draft, Cutter Gauthier can come in and immediately be the heir-apparent to what Fiala brought to the table. Cutter's a dynamic, intelligent, and responsible forward that I think has the potential to be even better than Fiala. We obviously don't know what the future holds - but on paper, this kid has all the tools you want in your top six. Size, skill, speed, brains, and an absolutely wicked shot that can be dangerous from all areas. You can put this kid on the ice in all situations, and on defense his massive frame becomes invaluable when it comes to making counterattacks, or simply clearing the zone. If the Wild end up picking here, they should take this kid and run.

24th overall: Ivan Miroshnichenko - LW - Omskie Krylia / VHL

Ivan Miroschnichenko is another high-skill type guy that could be found in the back set of picks in round one. In case it's not apparent, what I'm looking for with the draft this year is to eventually replace the goals we're losing by shipping Kevin Fiala out - and all of my choices so far reflect that. Wild fans don't need to be told how important having dynamic scoring is to bringing a championship home. 

Miroschnichenko provides that. He's got an absolute rocket of a shot and a playstyle that harkens to Alex Ovechkin - and I'm not just saying that because of the Russian connection. If you watch him play, you can tell he's deft at grabbing loose pucks and venturing into space, so he can shoot. You could envision him playing with guys like Boldy and Rossi who are strong on the puck and can get it loose for a shooter to come in and bury it. 

But here's the thing - Miroshnichenko is a risky pick. He missed a ton of time this year, and will miss more next year due to a Hodgkin's Lymphona diagnosis. Put that on top of the fact that certain parts of his game - namely, defense and consistency, need plenty of work, who knows if & when he'll be ready to step onto the ice in St. Paul. But the things about his game that are good, are so good that they're considered NHL ready right now - despite the cancer and despite his youth. His shot, skating, and frame make him appetizing despite the question marks regarding his future. It's hard not to look at that and not want to take a chance on him, especially in the back part of the first round. 

47th overall: Alexander Perevalov - LW - Loko Yaroslavl / MHL

Alexander Perevalov is a guy who on paper and on the stat sheet looks like an early second rounder. However, for a multitude of reasons, he's likely going to slip a bit, hopefully right into Minnesota's lap. This kid combines a very well-rounded two-way game with an impressive shot. I think there's a great chance he makes it to the middle six on an NHL team, and I'd certainly like it to be the Minnesota Wild. Absolute machine on the forecheck. 

89th overall: Kasper Kulonummi - RHD - Tappara / Liiga

Kasper Kulonummi could be available here at 89, and if he is, you'd be hard pressed to find too many more appetizing defenseman than he. Kasper's a staunch defender who makes the right decision with great positioning. He knows how to pick the right time and place to disrupt the offense when he's in the defensive zone. 

His shot isn't very good, but he skates well and makes intelligent passes in the offensive zone - in that regard, he reminds me a little of Ryan Suter. Obviously, I'm not projecting him to reach Suter's apex by any means, that's just to give you an idea of this kid's style of play. I don't know how many solid mid-range prospects the Wild need in their system, and things are about to get crowded, but...hey, the cream rises to the top. Right?

121st overall: Mason Beaupit - G - Spokane Chiefs / WHL

There's goaltenders that I like more than Mason Beaupit in this draft - several, as a matter of fact. But with it being so challenging to predict where a goalie will be drafted in the NHL, I wanted to list someone who sat at the crossroads of being A. available with this pick, and B. having enough upside to be worth taking in the first place.

Beupit has the size but needs to improve if he wants a shot at the NHL. Luckily, he's been improving - and his underwhelming stats this year don't really give you the full picture, as his best hockey was being played down the stretch. He's expected to have a big workload with Spokane next year, so we'll have to wait and see if he's going to shake his consistency issues.

153rd overall: Brennan Ali - C - Lincoln Stars / USHL

It's been very hard to place where Ali is going to go, because his sample size has been small but there still seems to be a lot of upside to his game. He's got a pretty raw game, but I think as he continues his career into college, we'll start to see some of his potential become apparent. He's very intelligent and can be utilized in all phases of the game. Committed to the University of Notre Dame.

185th overall: Garrett Brown - RHD - Sioux City Musketeers / USHL

There's a good chance Brown could be taken before this - he's mocked all over the place right now. But if he's available deep in the draft, I'd like the Minnesota Wild to give this kid a look. Brown plays with intense physicality, but not at the expense of sound positioning. He's a stay-at-home defender and energizer that I think the Wild would absolutely love to have suiting up for them. Give this guy a look and let him contend for favor.

218th overall: Ryan Abraham - C - Windsor Spitfires / OHL

Deep into the draft, I like to gravitate toward volatile high-reward types where you can find them, as well as guys who can grind out special teams minutes. Abraham here is someone who's been flying under the radar of many scouting firms from what I can see - he's ranked toward the back of the draft despite being pretty productive. He's a shoot-first center who's managed to get on the score sheet on a regular basis with Windsor, and I'd like to see how long he can keep things up.