Corey Pronman details what to expect from the Minnesota Wild’s new prospects and how they fit into the farm system.
2024 Draft Grade: B+
Minnesota didn’t make many picks in this class, but the picks they did make bring add a lot of talent to the prospect pipeline. Zeev Buium was one of my favorite players in this draft, and I think he has star potential. Ryder Ritchie and Aron Kiviharju have flaws and fell later than expected after being promising prospects earlier in their careers. They may miss, but they have the talent to score in the NHL if they add some elements to their game. Buium is the only sure thing in the class, but he’s a heck of a player.
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Draft Class
12. Zeev Buium, LHD, Univ. of Denver (NCAA)
December 7, 2005 | 6′ 0″ | 185 pounds
Tier: NHL All-Star
Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: High-end
Compete: NHL average
Player comparable: Morgan Rielly
Analysis: Buium was one of the top-scoring defensemen in college as a draft-eligible and one of the best draft-eligible defensemen I’ve ever seen at that level. He is an extremely intelligent puck-mover who can run a power play like a top NHL player. He makes high-end plays routinely and can break shifts open with his puckhandling and passes. Buium is a strong skater who can activate off the blue line and create off the rush. He has very good edge work and is proficient at making checkers miss. His defense is good enough at the amateur level, but he isn’t very physically imposing. He is smart and mobile and breaks up enough plays to go with his great offense to be a major positive at even strength. He has game-breaking potential and looks like a potential star No. 1 defenseman in the NHL who will put up big numbers.
Thoughts on the pick: Buium is exactly what the Wild need. He’s a dynamic defenseman who is one of the smartest players in the draft and carried Denver to a title. He has the potential to be a top pair/PP1 defender for the Wild and provides some star upside they don’t have a ton of in their organization.
45. Ryder Ritchie, RW, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
August 3, 2006 | 6′ 0″ | 176 pounds
Tier: Projected to play NHL games
Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Analysis: Ritchie was the best rookie in the WHL last season and a top player for Canada’s U18 team this summer, but his season in Prince Albert wasn’t as impressive. He is an average-sized winger, but he brings a ton of skill to the table. He is a very elusive forward due to his skating and hands and can make a lot of tough plays with pace. His effort is fine but his consistency could be better. I also don’t think he’s a dynamic playmaking winger but instead a very good one. He has NHL talent, but I don’t see a clear role for him and I think he could frustrate coaches as well.
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122. Aron Kiviharju, LHD, HIFK (Liiga)
January 25, 2006 | 5′ 10″ | 185 pounds
Tier: Projected to play NHL games
Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Analysis: Kiviharju has been on the prospect radar for several years after playing up age groups. That length of time watching him will be relevant as he missed almost his entire draft season due to a lower-body injury. He’s a very smart puck-mover. He sees the ice at a high level and always has his head up looking to make a play. He is a highly skilled puckhandler who can make the toughest passes seem routine. The big debates on Kiviharju will come down to his defensive play. As a junior, he defends well. As an NHL player, it will be a question. He’s notably undersized, and while he competes well he’s not physical. He skates well but doesn’t have the elite small-guy feet that make you think he will translate seamlessly to the NHL. I think he plays the game but he may need to be used in a very specific way by a coach to the point it will be tough to get him regular minutes.
140. Sebastian Soini, RHD, Ilves U20 (U20 SM-sarja)
June 10, 2006 | 6′ 2″ | 187 pounds
Analysis: Soini is a good-sized defenseman who skates well and has shown two-way value in Finland. He has decent hands and can make a first pass, although I wouldn’t call his puck play truly standout in any one way. He has good length and can make stops, but I wish he was a tad more physical. He certainly has some NHL traits but I’d like to see him carve out a more defined role for the pro game.
142. Chase Wutzke, G, Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
July 26, 2006 | 6′ 2″ | 161 pounds
174. Stevie Leskovar, LHD, Mississauga (OHL)
September 9, 2004 | 6’4″ | 207 pounds
Beat writer’s analysis
The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler listed the Wild as one of his winners, saying, “The Wild killed it.”
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They feel they got a steal in the first round when the University of Denver national champ and NCAA top-scoring defenseman Buium fell to them, then they added three defensemen, a goalie and a goal scorer in the second in Ritchie.
Ritchie and the fourth-round pick Kiviharju were highly touted players who were projected at points as first-round talent. Ritchie sustained a quad hematoma that sidelined him for 10 weeks during his draft year, and Kiviharju, who could be Finland’s No. 1 defenseman in the upcoming world juniors, dislocated his kneecap and then in his first game at the Under-18 Worlds took a skate to the throat.
“Thank God we’re alive,” he said.
Wild director of amateur scouting Judd Brackett was thrilled with the weekend.
“It starts with Buium (Friday), being patient and letting him get to us,” Brackett said. “I feel similarly with Ryder Ritchie and Kiviharju. Two guys that had some injuries in the season probably helped them get to us as a result but great pedigrees. We see high (up)side with both of them, and that was certainly what we were after.” — Michael Russo
(Photo of Zeev Buium: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
