Skip to main content

Hockey Wilderness

https://www.hockeywilderness.com/ | 167 entries published

A Minnesota Wild Blog that WON'T make you sick and kill you!

Latest Entries

Aron Kiviharju’s Outlook Becoming Clearer After Strong World Juniors

Aron Kiviharju, a 2024 fourth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild, was in the Twin Cities for the past few weeks as he captained Team Finland to a third consecutive appearance in the medal round. It was Kiviharju’s second year as captain of the Finnish squad. While they were disappointed wi...

NHL

about 10 hours ago | 0 reads

The Wild Shouldn't Move Charlie Stramel At the Deadline

The Minnesota Wild should be extremely careful about moving on from Charlie Stramel, because big, right-shot centers with his blend of size, physical edge, and growing offensive game are exactly the kind of premium asset this organization has struggled to find and develop. The Wild could move on fro...

1 day ago | 0 reads

What Is Going On With David Jiricek?

David Jiricek has turned from an exciting prospect into what Midwesterners politely call “interesting.” Well, that's not quite fair. Minnesota-"interesting" usually translates to awful, I hate it, never show me this again, please. Jiricek is more of a mix of confusing and polarizing. That's le...

1 day ago | 0 reads

One Game Left In Arduous Wild Road Trip

That's Wild Because of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championships taking place in Minnesota, the Wild have been on a very long road trip and still are on the very same road trip that started 12 days ago in Winnipeg. It has been a difficult trip -- maybe not for the actual record, since the Wi...

1 day ago | 0 reads

Big Game Benak Helps Lead Czechia To Silver At World Juniors

The 50th edition of the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships concluded at Grand Casino Arena on Monday, with Sweden taking home the gold medal with a 4-2 victory over Czechia. The game capped off a remarkable 11-day tournament that featured ten teams, 29 games, and some of the world’s best hockey p...

NHL

3 days ago | 0 reads

Trading For Nazem Kadri Would Address Multiple Wild Needs

Nazem Kadri’s play-driving, edge, and center depth would fit exactly what the Minnesota Wild need. His current production and faceoff workload in Calgary also underline that he can still handle tough minutes down the middle. Danila Yurov has shored up some of the issues down the middle, but his play...

3 days ago | 0 reads

Do The Wild Still Want David Jiricek?

David Jiricek has been caught in the middle a little bit. When the Minnesota Wild traded a boatload of draft picks and a defenseman (that they eventually got back, in Daemon Hunt) for the former sixth-overall pick, he was seen as more of an instant answer for some offense from the blue line for the...

4 days ago | 0 reads

What Have We Learned From the First 11 Games of the Quinn Hughes Era?

The Minnesota Wild have played 11 games with Quinn Hughes in the lineup, and they have to be loving what they see. The team has used the boost to go 7-1-3 in that span, which has allowed them to draw even with the Dallas Stars in the Central Division standings. They may be 11 points behind the super...

NHL

4 days ago | 0 reads

Wild Get Do-Over In Rematch Against Kings

It's not often that you're facing the same team in the same arena for back-to-back games but the way the schedule has been laid out for the Minnesota Wild has them hanging around Los Angeles and facing the Kings once again on Monday night. The first game ended up being a 5-4 shootout loss for the Wi...

5 days ago | 0 reads

The Crowd Made A Fashion Statement At World Juniors

At least once a season, a discourse on wearing hockey jerseys emerges on social media. Who “can” or “should” wear jerseys? Where are they appropriate to wear? Is there a rhyme or reason to it? Without getting into the specifics, some people have very specific and annoying ideas on who is “allo...

NHL

5 days ago | 0 reads

Nobody Breaks Out the Puck Better Than Quinn Hughes

The NHL has the best players in the world, so what gives Quinn Hughes the ability to break out so much better and rank in the top 10? At any level of hockey, you need time and space to make plays, and players have almost none of that in the NHL. Hughes stands out for both his ability to create time...

NHL

7 days ago | 0 reads

The Olympic Break Could Be A Second-Half Catalyst For Kaprizov

As the calendar flips to 2026, the hockey world is eagerly awaiting the rosters for next month's Olympic Games. While fans in Minnesota are getting a taste of international hockey with the World Juniors, that's nothing compared to what's on deck. With the NHL finally back in the Games after a 12-yea...

7 days ago | 0 reads

The Quinn Hughes Trade Changed Everything

Quinn Hughes' arrival in Minnesota has been an injection of adrenaline into an already surging team. It has changed the entire team's feel. The move has signalled that the organization is done waiting around and is ready to chase something bigger right now. The Wild didn’t make a safe middle-of...

8 days ago | 1 read

Are Gus and Wallstedt the Wild's Best Goaltending Tandem Since 2003?

It feels like the Minnesota Wild’s goaltending duo of Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt is extremely special. The anchor of a team that looks poised to turn regular-season promise into a deep spring run reminiscent of the franchise’s magical 2003 run backstopped by Dwayne Roloson and Manny Ferna...

9 days ago | 0 reads

Could Marcus Johansson Make Sweden's Olympic Roster?

That's Wild Marcus Johansson is suddenly exploding offensively and is not looking out of place on the Minnesota Wild's second line right now. So, is he suddenly in the running for a potential wing spot on Team Sweden? His position on the team wasn't guaranteed but with the Olympic announceme...

10 days ago | 0 reads

The Wild Face Two Hurdles In Trying To Land Ryan O'Reilly

While the dust is still settling on the Quinn Hughes blockbuster trade, the Minnesota Wild likely still has business to conduct. The Central Division is an arms race this season, and the Wild has some deficiencies to shore up. The main area they can improve is at center. With the team still in...

10 days ago | 0 reads

Matt Boldy's Refined Approach Is Creating The Lost Consistency In His Game

For the past few seasons, Minnesota Wild fans have been anxious for Matt Boldy to take the leap. Boldy has played at an All-Star level over the past two years, but fans have been waiting for him to become a franchise-caliber player who can complement Kirill Kaprizov. Saturday’s game over the Wi...

10 days ago | 0 reads

Marcus Johansson Pushes Wild Past Golden Knights

That's Wild The Minnesota Wild returned from their holiday break to travel to Nevada and face the Vegas Golden Knights. While their familiar foe has not been having some perfect season, they are still a very good team and would provide a strong test for Minnesota. And thanks to Marcus Johans...

11 days ago | 1 read

One Number Will Tell Us Whether Quinn Hughes Stays Or Goes

Bill Guerin looked exhausted but delighted after trading for Quinn Hughes in mid-December. A call to his old boss, Jim Rutherford, had resulted in an opportunity to land the NHL’s second-best defenseman. It was nearly a perfect trade. The Minnesota Wild needed a scoring boost, and Hughes break...

11 days ago | 0 reads

Matt Boldy Is Closing the Gap Between Himself And Kirill Kaprizov

Back in October, Bill Guerin posed a simple question about Matt Boldy to The Athletic's Joe Smith: "You tell me. What wingers are better than him?" At the time, the list wasn't very long. The Minnesota Wild's "second star" was already in the top-20 wingers, according to NHL Network. Jack Freshe...

11 days ago | 0 reads

The Minnesota Wild Wish Everyone Happy Holidays In A Way Only They Can

The Minnesota Wild admin team is top-notch, obviously, and one of the best things they have released so far this year was the pre-Christmas caroling video. “But Christmas is over! Why are we still talking about it?” Well, without being pedantic, the Wild players sang their rendition of the 12 D...

NHL

12 days ago | 0 reads

The Hughes-Faber Pairing Might Be the Minnesota Wild's Superpower

When you look at the NHL's recent Stanley Cup winners, you can identify a superpower for each of them. That One Thing that elevates them above the pack, a unique attribute that the team leans on to great success. The Florida Panthers have boasted impossible forward depth in recent seasons. The...

13 days ago | 0 reads

Minnesota Wild Fans Shouldn't Fear the Playoff Format

There's one team in the NHL that is separating itself from the rest of the NHL, and it's obviously the Colorado Avalanche. Minnesota Wild fans are well aware of this, having gotten a taste of the buzzsaw known as the Avs in a 5-1 loss last Sunday. But Colorado's fearsome reputation has been built up...

14 days ago | 0 reads