Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase, Game 2: What to watch for

ST. PAUL -- After a come-from-behind 3-2 win against Chicago on Friday night in game one of the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase at TRIA Rink, the two Central Division rivals' prospects will tangle for a final time on Sunday afternoon.
The game marks the unofficial end of the inaugural event, which will shift to the Windy City next fall before coming back to St. Paul in 2023.
Minnesota scored twice on the power play on Friday night, getting a first-period goal by Mitchell Chaffee before needing a pair of tallies in the third period to erase a one-goal deficit.

Marco Rossi tied the contest at 2-2 midway through the third before defenseman Ryan O'Rourke blasted a power-play goal through traffic for the final tally.
Goaltender Hunter Jones earned the victory between the posts.
Puck drop on Sunday will be at 1 p.m., and like Friday night, in person attendance will be limited to season ticket members. Fans are requested to wear a face covering at TRIA Rink.
The game will be streamed live on the Wild's YouTube channel. New Iowa Wild play-by-play man Ben Gislason and Kevin Falness of the Minnesota Wild Radio Network will be on the call.
Here are three things to watch for in Sunday's game:

1. Don't forget about me

While this space made note of a couple of Wild forwards who will look to make roster pushes at NHL camp, which begins its on-ice work on Thursday, defenseman Calen Addison is another one to keep an eye on once the big boys take center stage later this week.
Addison, who made his NHL debut last season and played in three Stanley Cup Playoff games against the Vegas Golden Knights, is another one who could be in a position to make the big roster once the regular season commences in just under a month.

It's no lock, for sure, as Addison will have to really outplay a number of veteran additions to the roster, but it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility for a guy who is widely considered to be the club's top defensive prospect.
The 21-year-old Addison, acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Jason Zucker trade a couple of seasons ago, had six goals and 16 assists in 31 games with Iowa last season, and if he doesn't make the NHL club, will likely play big minutes in Des Moines to start this year.
"Coming in years before, you're a little more timid and you don't know guys so well, you don't have that same experience as I do now," Addison said. "Now the expectations are at a new level for myself. I came in years before kind of expecting to go back or get sent down, and now the expectations are high for myself and I come in trying to make this [NHL] team. That's what I'm here for, to try and make it and show them what I've got."

2. He's the (Beck)man

Adam Beckman is another player poised to enter training camp next week as a full-time professional for the first time, after lighting up the Western Hockey League the past three years with the Spokane Chiefs.
In 153 games in the WHL, Beckman scored 97 goals and assisted on 99 others, averaging 1.28 points per game during that stretch.
Through camp so far, and in the game on Friday night, it's easy to see why: Beckman ain't afraid to shoot the puck.

A third-round selection by Minnesota in the 2019 NHL Draft, the 20-year-old Beckman skated in nine games with Iowa last season while COVID uncertainty delayed the start of his junior season. At 19 years old, Beckman scored three goals and had two assists in his cup of coffee with the Baby Wild, an impressive line that he'll look to build on this season as he continues his ascent towards the NHL.
"I think, obviously, I like to shoot the puck. That's something that I've spent a lot of time working on," Beckman said. "I think especially in games like this, when it's a little bit sloppy and it's a little bit different hockey than you're used to because there's not that chemistry, it's important that you try and shoot the puck. It opens things up and on the power play, I think it helped a little bit [on Friday]."

3. Who's in goal?

Jones was solid on Friday night, giving Minnesota-based Wild fans their first look at the young netminder since development camp two years ago.
Last season in Iowa, Jones had 19 starts and went 9-9-1 with a 3.50 goals-against average and an .886 save percentage - numbers that were heavily skewed by a couple of rough outings early in the season. He got better as the season went along, and at one point mid-year, was named the AHL's Goaltender of the Week.
Jones is expected to see plenty of action in Iowa again this upcoming season, likely splitting time with veteran Andrew Hammond, who helped backstop the Wild's AHL affiliate to the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs a couple of seasons ago.
On Sunday, Wild fans may catch a glimpse of another young goalie in the system. If Dereck Baribeau gets the nod, and that certainly seems like a strong possibility, it'll be an opportunity for the 6-foot-6 netminder to build on what was a rock solid campaign a year ago.
Baribeau played in 10 games with Iowa, posting a 2.54 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage, but also got his first taste of the NHL, getting called up to the taxi squad a couple of times, and even serving as a backup to Kaapo Kahkonen when both Cam Talbot and Hammond were out of the lineup.
The 22-year-old Baribeau hasn't played a ton of hockey the past couple of years, but has seen his numbers get better each and every year since turning pro in 2019-20, and with 2021 first-round pick Jesper Wallstedt waiting in the wings at some point down the line, the upcoming campaign is a big one for Baribeau to stake his claim as an up-and-comer in the Wild system.
Photo by Erin Loughrey