Drafts, acquisitions, trades, and loses. We got em all from pre-expansion draft to now. The Wild have made 21 moves in the last 2 weeks and we touch on them all. Plus, lot’s of questions from you, our fans.
Author: Kenney
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #1
1. Marian Gaborik – RW 8 Seasons, 502 Games, 219 Goals, 218 Assists, 437 Points Our number 1 pick in the MN Wild top 33 was the number 1 draft pick by the MN Wild in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He was drafted number 3 overall with only Rick DiPietro and Dany Heatley ahead of him. As a rookie, Gaborik netted 18 goals and 36 points in the Wild’s very first season. His second year, saw his first 30 goal season leading the defense minded MN Wild in goals and second in points behind Andrew Brunette. Although missing games dueMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #4
4. Zach Parise – LW 4 Seasons, 259 Games, 105 Goals, 104 Assists, 209 Points Zach Parise signed a 13 year contract with the Wild as an unrestricted free agent on July 4th, 2012. For some it was a great Independence Day, for others, looking at you NJ, it was not. With the exception of playing college hockey for the University North Dakota, Zach is strongly rooted in Minnesota. His father, JP, captained the Minnesota North Stars, which led to Zach being born and raised in Minneapolis, and he played for the prestigious Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, MN. Nicknamed “Captain America”,More
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #7
7. Brian Rolston – C 3 Seasons, 241 Games, 96 Goals, 106 Assists, 202 Points Brian Rolston singed with the Wild as a UFA in July of 2004. As a power forward, he averaged over 20 minutes of TOI under the Lemaire regime and had .84 points per game. Under Lemaire’s alternating captaincy, Rolston wore the C multiple times, which include the unheard of of, back to back months. With his bomb of a slapshot, Rolston made Anaheim goalie Giguere duck and cover for a goal as well as dazing Vancouver goalie Robert Luongo, firing a shot that hit him inMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #10
10. Niklas Backstrom – G 9 Seasons, 409 Games, 194 W, 142 L, 2.48 GAA, .915 SV% On June 1st, 2006 Niklas Backstrom signed a one year deal with the MN Wild at the spry age of 28. He came in as Manny Fernandez’s backup but quickly showed his talents as a number one goalie. October 7, 2006 was his first NHL game and first NHL win, 6 starts later, he recorded his first NHL shutout. In the middle of that same season, Fernandez suffered a knee injury which put Backstrom in the number one spot. He tied the MN Wild record,More
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #13
13. Jason Pominville – RW 4 Seasons, 249 Games, 63 Goals, 96 Assists, 159 Points During the shortened 2012-13 NHL season, the Wild were looking to add some scoring and a top line winger to help with their playoff push. The Wild landed Jason Pominville from Buffalo at the trade deadline. Along with Pommers came a 2014 4th round pick, in exchange for LW Johan Larsson, G Matt Hackett, a 1st round 2013 pick and a 2nd round 2014 pick. Although he only played in 2 post-season games that year, Pominville had a solid first full season the following year, leading the teamMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #16
16. Charlie Coyle – C/RW 4 Seasons, 271 Games, 52 Goals, 69 Assists, 121 Points Charlie Coyle was drafted in the first round, 28th overall, in the 2010 entry draft by the San Jose Sharks, but has only played in the NHL wearing a Wild sweater. He came to the Wild in a trade, along with Devin Setoguchi and a 2011 first round pick, for Brent Burns and a 2012 second round pick, on June 25, 2011. He is currently signed through the 2019-20 season. Over the past two seasons, Coyle has not missed one regular or post-season game, including playingMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #19
19. Jonas Brodin – D 4 Seasons, 263 Games, 15 Goals, 39 Assists, 54 Points Jonas Brodin, the Sweden native, was drafted by the Minnesota Wild 10th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. His rookie year, he lead all rookies in time on ice and came in 4th for the Calder Memorial Trophy. Since his NHL debut with the Wild, Brodin has consistently been one of the club’s top shot blockers. Currently he is signed with the Wild through 2020-21 season, and we’re hoping to see many additional blocked shots from him. Previously on our list: 20. Eric Belanger 21. CalMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #21
21. Cal Clutterbuck – RW 6 Seasons, 346 Games, 62 Goals, 48 Assists, 110 Points Clutterbuck was drafted by the Wild in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft in the 3rd round 72nd overall. Although he wasn’t known for his scoring, he quickly became a fan favorite do to his high amount of hits. During the 2008-09 season, he broke the NHL record for most hits in a season with 356 which held up until 2011-12. After 6 seasons, the Wild traded Clutterbuck to the New York Islanders along with a third round pick for #29 on our list Nino Niederreiter. Clutterbuck scoredMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #24
24. Filip Kuba – D 5 Seasons, 357 Games, 33 Goals, 99 Assists, 132 Points Filip Kuba came to the Wild from the Calgary Flames in the 2000 expansion draft. With the Wild, Kuba was named captain twice under Lemaire’s rotating captaincy and also joined Dwayne Roloson in the 2004 All-Star Game. As a Wild staple in the first 5 seasons, Kuba averaged just over a point every three games as a defenseman. Even though he never won a cup, he got a Gold in the 2001 World Championships and a Bronze in the 2006 Olympics. Previously on our list: 25. WillieMore