Hockey School is in Session

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- It's like the first day of school at TRIA Rink in St. Paul.
Well, kind of.
"I never was excited for those days. The first day of school days and all that," said forward Ryan Hartman. "But the first day of hockey is fun."

Hockey bags are packed, workout clothes and jerseys laid out in each stall, and the players even got a little bit of power play and penalty kill homework as the Minnesota Wild opened up training camp on Thursday.
Fifty-eight players are taking part in three different group sessions, each one vying for a spot on the final 23-man roster named at the end of the preseason, which the Wild open against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday at 3 p.m. at Xcel Energy Center.
The Wild return many of the same faces from the 2021-22 season, with trade acquisition players Jake Middleton, Tyson Jost and Marc-Andre Fleury starting from Day 1 with their new team instead of at the midway point of the season.
Veteran or rookie, new or familiar, there are always things to be taught and learned at camp.
"It's certainly nice to have your core group, or a lot of your guys back," coach Dean Evason said. "They understand what we're trying to do, and they're teaching as much as we're teaching on the ice. So, yeah, it's real nice to have the majority of the team back."
"…We had a good year, but we didn't have the year we wanted, right? So, we're very conscious of that to really focus on the intensity part of it and starting (the season) the right way and not resting on anything. We did nothing last year except what we're supposed to do."
Kirill Kaprizov returns for his third season in Minnesota. A franchise record-setting 108 points and a team-leading 47 goals in 2021-22, what more could the 25-year-old learn and expound upon?
"Every season I want to be better and better all the time, like team results and myself and my partners or something related," said Kaprizov. "You want to be better all the time."
Linemate -- and clear best bud -- Mats Zuccarello jokingly predicted "200 points" for Kaprizov this season when asked what the next step is after 100-plus last year. Kaprizov is quick to humble him.
"(That) was in last year," Kaprizov responded in English. "Now, a new year. A new year, trying to build on that and just keep doing the same thing and being a team player."
And every player will tell you, the work starts on day one. The assignment: win the Stanley Cup.
"It's not good we lost in the fashion that we did (to St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs) but to see guys pissed off and holding onto that, and knowing that feeling, and letting it really sink in because we had the will to win and maybe we didn't have the will to prepare to win in those situations," said Matt Dumba. "I think that's what we're going to take into this year is just no matter what it is if it's little battles in practice or these preseason games it's finding that will to prepare to win because we believe that we have a squad here that can win every night."
MORE FROM CAMP
Goalie Filip Gustavsson is eager for the opportunity to learn under Marc-Andre Fleury in the crease.
"(Fleury is) such an experienced guy," said the 24-year-old. "Like he knows what it takes to be successful every game, and just to be able to watch and learn from him in practice and watch him in games and then try and get that to work with my game and let me be consistent in every game. That's going to help a lot."
Gustavsson played 18 games with the Ottawa Senators last year, including a November 2 loss that he still hasn't forgotten.
"Yep. Kaprizov scored in overtime," Gustavsson recalled of the 5-4 OT Senators loss. "It's going to be great (to be on the same team). There's so many good guys on this team that can score big goals. So it's going to be nice to have them on my side."
There's no doubt the athlete of today is incredibly different from the athletes of yesteryears. Equipment advancements, game technology and teaching tools, and the overall priority players put on their health and fitness has everyone competing and achieving their peak performance.
"Today's hockey player, today's athlete, it's not what it used to be," Evason joked. "I was on kind of the cusp, but you got into shape once you got here (to camp). But now, no, they are in top condition when they get here and they're ready to go. That's why I think you can play that (preseason) game three days in. I think a couple of years ago, it might've even been last year, we played a game two days in. We had two days of practice and then we played. It doesn't faze them at all. They're elite, elite athletes."
22-23 Becoming Wild Trailer