ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild have a group of young forwards ready to break into the NHL next season, with a young defensive corps already on the NHL roster.
With so many skilled forwards leading its group of highly regarded prospects, Minnesota went with defense in the Friday's first round of the NHL draft by selecting Mathew Dumba with the seventh overall pick.
Three intriguing forwards — Filip Forsberg, Mikhail Grigorenko and Teuvo Teravainen — were available when the Wild were drafting, but they addressed the back end with one of the top defensive players in a draft heavily weighted toward the defensive side. Along with last year's first-round pick, Jonas Brodin, Dumba gives Minnesota two quality young defensive prospects to go with its stable of young forwards.
Minnesota had one pick in each of Day 2's six rounds, beginning with the 46th overall pick in the second round. Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher said history shows that teams do well to come out of one draft with three NHL players. Fletcher hoped to "hit" on each pick, but three NHL players is his goal each year, which means Saturday's Day 2 was still an important one for Minnesota as it tried to add to its impressive core of prospects.
A look at the Day 2 Wild picks:
Round 1, pick 7 -- Mathew Dumba, D, Red Deer (WHL): Dumba, 17, likes to hit big and also has a big shot as a two-way defenseman. Dumba, who will turn 18 in July, said he hopes to be able to transition to the NHL right away. The 6-foot, 183-pounder had 20 goals and 37 assists last season for Red Deer in the Western Hockey League. When he is ready to come to the NHL, Dumba should hold up well on both ends of the ice. He's regarded as a good defender and he comes with a heavy, booming shot from the blue line that will help the Wild's power play. Dumba, ranked as the 11th-best North American skater by the NHL's Central Scouting Service, also brings some intangibles. He captained Canada's Under-18 national team to the bronze medal in the 2012 world championships.
Round 2, pick 46 – Raphael Bussieres, LW, Baie-Comeau (QMJHL): Bussieres, 18, is coming off a strong season with Baie-Comeau in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, scoring 21 goals and passing out 23 assists in 56 games. The Canadian was No. 129 among North American Skaters in the CSS's final ranking, but he was No. 57 in the midterm rankings. A forward with good size (6-1, 195), he is probably at least a year away from challenging for a spot on the Wild. He's spent the past three seasons in the QMJHL.
Round 3, pick 68 – John Draeger, D, Shattuck-St. Mary's (Minn.) H.S.: The Wild stayed local by selecting Draeger, a 6-foot-2, 186-pound defenseman from the prep hockey factory. Draeger, 18, has played the past two seasons for Shattuck-St. Mary's and finished this past season with 11 goals and 30 assists in 57 games. He was ranked No. 106 among North American Skaters in the final CSS rankings, after being No. 71 in the midterm rankings.
Round 4, pick 98 – Adam Gilmour, C, Nobles (Mass.) H.S.: Minnesota went back to the high school well by selecting Gilmour, who had 26 goals and 30 assists last year. Gilmour, 18, is committed to play collegiately at Boston College next season. At 6-foot-2, 194 pounds, Gilmour is big and is considered to have good skill. He was 101st among North American skaters in the CSS final rankings.
Round 5, pick 128 – Daniel Gunnarsson, D, Lulea (Sweden): Gunnarsson, 19, adds another defenseman to the Wild's list. He split last season between Lulea's junior and senior teams and played most of the season with the senior team, scoring three goals and passing out four assists in 46 games. At 6-foot-4, 191 pounds, he's a big defender and strong in the defensive zone. Gunnarsson can add to the offense as well and has a good shot. He was ranked 46th among European skaters by the CSS.
Round 6, pick 158 – Christoph Bertschy, C, Bern (Switzerland): Bertschy, 18, slipped a bit -- he was the 35th-ranked European skater by the CSS, and the Wild gladly picked up the slight (5-10, 170) playmaker. Playing for Bern’s junior and senior teams, he combined for 48 points in 44 games. With the senior team, he played 31 games and had eight goals and eight assists.
Round 7, pick 188 – Louis Nanne, LW, Edina (High-MN): Nanne’s name is well-known in NHL circles given that his grandfather, Lou, was a former player, coach and general manager, including with the Minnesota North Stars. His father, Marty, is a current Wild scout, so Minnesota didn’t have to go far to get the scoop on Louis. Nanne, who turned 18 on Monday, is committed to play for the University of Minnesota after a senior season with Edina in which he scored 12 goals and had eight assists in 24 games for the Hornets. The 5-foot-10, 162-pound forward was ranked No. 188 among North American skaters by the CSS.
Other players drafted with Minnesota ties:
Round 1, pick 24 by the N.Y. Rangers – Brady Skjei, D, U.S. development program (USHL): Skjei, a Lakeville native, was picked by the Rangers, which lost in the Eastern Conference finals last season. The defenseman spent the past two years with the U.S. development program in Ann Arbor, Mich., after leading Lakeville North to the state tournament in 2010. A 6-foot-3, 200-pound defenseman, Skjei scored 22 points last season and likely will get at least another year of seasoning either with the U.S. national team or in juniors before getting a shot at the NHL.
Round 2, pick 52 by Pittsburg – Theodor Blueger, C, Shattuck-St. Mary's (Minn.) H.S.: Perhaps a slight surprise, Blueger jumped into the second round and will join the talented Pittsburgh Penguins. Blueger, who will turn 18 in August, was born in Riga, Latvia, and has played the past two years at the Minnesota prep school Shattuck-St. Mary's. Last season, the 6-foot, 171-pound center scored 24 goals and had 64 assists. He was the 116th-ranked North American skater by the CSS.
Round 4, pick 112 by Nashville – Zachary Stepan, C, Shattuck-St. Mary's (Minn.) H.S.: Stepan follows his cousin, Derek, as an NHL draftee by being the fourth Minnesotan selected. Zachary is another playmaker but maybe has a better shot than Derek, who was drafted in the second round in 2008. Zachary is a 6-feet tall but just 166 pounds and needs to develop an NHL-type body. He scored 22 goals and had 43 assists last season for Shattuck-St. Mary's and was ranked No. 53 among North American skaters by the CSS. Stepan is planning to play junior hockey with the Penticton Vees next season and is committed to Ohio State.
Round 5, pick 126 by Toronto – Dominic Toninato, C, Duluth East (Minn.) H.S.: He is committed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth after a senior season in which he had 27 goals and 34 assists. Toninato, 18, is 6-foot, 165 pounds and was drafted by Toronto, which already has fellow Minnesotan Jake Gardiner and former University of Minnesota forward Phil Kessel. Toninato was ranked No. 149 among North American skaters by the CSS.
Round 5, pick 133 by Buffalo – Logan Nelson, C, Victoria (WHL): Nelson, 18, has spent the past three seasons playing outside of the state. Born in Coon Rapids, he had 23 goals and 39 assists in 71 games for Victoria last season. He has good size (6-1, 180) and an all-around offensive game. He was ranked No. 73 by the CSS among North American skaters.
Round 6, pick 159 by Carolina – Collin Olson, G, USA U-18 (USHL): The first Minnesota goaltender selected, Olson has played for the U.S. national development program for the past two years. A Burnsville native, Olson played for Apple Valley High School in 2009-10. Last season, he played 34 games for the U.S. under-18 team and had a 2.50 goals-against-average and .898 save percentage. Olson, 18, is a big goaltender at (6-4, 197) and was the 21st-ranked North American goaltender by the CSS.
Round 6, pick 178 by Phoenix – Samuel Fejes, LW, Shattuck-St. Mary's (Minn.) H.S.: Fejes, who turned 18 in May, is 6-foot-1, 190 pounds and a natural goal scorer. The fourth Shattuck-St. Mary's product to be picked, he had 38 goals and 40 assists in 55 games last season. Fejes was ranked No. 91 among North American skaters by the CSS and is committed to Colorado College.
Round 6, pick 181 by Los Angeles – Paul Ladue, D, Lincoln (USHL): LaDue is 19 and snuck into this draft despite not being in CSS' rankings. LaDue, born in Bemidji, scored nine goals and had 25 assists in 56 games for Lincoln last season and is committed to play for the University of North Dakota. He's 6-foot-1, 186 pounds.
Round 7, pick 185 by N.Y. Islanders – Jake Bischoff, D, Grand Rapids (Minn.) H.S.: Bischoff, who will turn 18 next month, finished his final season with Grand Rapids and immediately went to play junior hockey in the United States Hockey League. He had 11 goals and 24 assists in 24 games for Grand Rapids and one assist in 10 games for Omaha in the USHL. A University of Minnesota recruit, Bischoff (6-0, 178) probably needs to gain some strength. He was ranked the 147th-best North American skater by the CSS.
Round 7, pick 204 by Buffalo – Judd Peterson, F, Duluth Marshall (Minn.) H.S.: The second Minnesota-born player drafted by Buffalo, Peterson can play center or wing and is coming off a season in which he scored 47 goals and had 36 assists in 30 games for Duluth Marshall. Peterson, 18, is a St. Cloud State recruit and is 6-foot, 194 pounds. He has a knack for scoring goals with 72 goals his final two seasons with Duluth Marshall, all coming in just 57 games.
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