Wild Training Camp Preview

Fresh off a new multi-year contract extension and coming off the heels of leading the Minnesota Wild past the first round for the first time in 11 years, Head Coach John Hynes is ready to get the season going.

“I really like the group. I’m really excited to get started this year and hopefully we can continue to push each other and push ourselves to a new level,” said Hynes on Tuesday afternoon.

As training camp began today, it comes with a bit of adjustment for coaches and players as it is a week and half shorter and contains two less preseason games than previous years. The good news for Minnesota is that it begins the year with an almost completely healthy roster. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson is the only significant injury as he is recovering from off-season hip surgery. Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin has a timeline for Gustavsson’s return but was hush about it when speaking to media on Tuesday.

The top story coming into camp, outside of contract talks, is the fact that Minnesota will get a full season of Quinn Hughes. In just 48 games with the Wild last season, Hughes posted 53 points (5-48=53), leading the Wild in assists and ranking fourth in points. He also ranked T-1st among the Wild with 15 points (4-11=15) in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games. Hughes, alongside Boldy, Faber and Kaprizov, gives Minnesota one of the strongest cores in the league. “I’m just excited to start the season and I think we’ll pick up where we left off, honestly,” said Hughes after the first day of camp.

Another key storyline this season will be Kaprizov’s first NHL season without his running mate and best friend, Mats Zuccarello, who departed for Los Angeles in free agency this summer. Of his 230 career goals, 93 were assisted by Zuccarello. The chemistry they had on the ice was undeniable, but now it’s time for Kaprizov to branch out. In the first day of camp, he was playing alongside Ryan Hartman and newly signed winger, Max Shabanov. When asked if he thinks he’ll be fine without Zuccarello, he laughed and said, “Oh yeah, of course.” Entering the first year of his eight-year, $136 million contract, Kaprizov will look to pick up where he left off last season, ranking T-4th in the NHL with 45 goals.

Other storylines:

Center Depth: Minnesota opens camp with Ryan Hartman, Joel Eriksson Ek, Danila Yurov, Blake Coleman and Michael McCarron all set to be mainstays in the lineup this season. One intriguing story to keep an eye on is rookie Charlie Stramel. Stramel signed his entry-level contract and was expected to make his NHL debut last year until he fractured his ankle in a game with Michigan State. The 6-foot-3 native of Rosemount, Minn. could provide another solid depth piece if he makes the team out of camp. He is strong in the face-off circle, winning 53.7% of face-offs taken last season with the Spartans, and has scoring potential as he finished with 44 points (19-25=44) in 37 games.

Goaltending: Minnesota will start the season with a tandem of Jesper Wallstedt and Calvin Pickard while Gustavsson continues to rehab his aforementioned hip injury. Wallstedt solidified himself as a No. 1 goaltender last season, finishing with a 18-9-6 record, a 2.61 GAA, a .916 SV% and four shutouts. He also shined in the postseason, posting a 5-5-0 record with a 2.77 GAA and a .909 SV%, starting 10 of the Wild’s 11 playoff games.