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
Month: September 2016
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #5
5. Brent Burns – D/RW 7 Seasons, 453 Games, 55 Goals, 128 Assists, 183 Points Drafted 20th overall in 2003 out of the OHL, where he played as a right winger, Brent Burns was promptly converted into a defenseman by Jacque Lemaire and as an 18 year-old, spot started through most of his rookie season. With limited ice-time, he struggled and was likely not quite ready for the NHL. Luckily Gary Bettman decided to deprive all hockey fans in 2004-2005, and that gave Brent a chance to develop with the Houston Aeros. In the two years following the lockout, Burns would flash hints of the talentMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #6
6. Pierre-Marc Bouchard – LW/C 10 Seasons, 565 Games, 106 Goals, 241 Assists, 347 Points It’s easy to marginalize Pierre-Marc Bouchard’s career with the Wild, as it petered out after a series of debilitating concussions, but there’s no doubt on the impact he had on the Wild teams of the 2000’s. Drafted by the Wild with the 8th overall pick in the 2002 draft, PMB took the fast track to the NHL, getting to play as an 18 year-old right out of the draft. Primarily a playmaker, he had middling success in his first two pro seasons, but after the lost seasonMore
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 – #8
8. Wes Walz – C 7 Seasons, 438 Games, 82 Goals, 100 Assists, 182 Points Eighth on the 3ITB Top 33 is Wes Walz. One of the hardest working guys in hockey, Walz came to the Wild from the Swiss League where he played after being bounced around NHL teams and the AHL for years. Always giving everything that he had as a member of the inaugural Wild team, he helped the Wild advance all the way to the conference finals in that magical 2003 playoff run. An original iron man for the Wild Walz played in 438 games over the 7 seasons that heMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #9
9. Ryan Suter – D 4 Seasons, 289 Games, 22 Goals, 142 Assists, 164 Points Mastering the art of calmness and gliding into the #9 spot on the 3ITB Top 33 is none other than Ryan Suter. Suter’s signing with the Wild was announced on a warm July 4th in 2012 shocking Wild Nation, much to the dismay of Nashville fans. Every visit the Wild had to Nashville saw the boo birds come out for Suter. Defensively the Wild count on Suter to be the backbone. Since joining the Wild, Suter has been a top line defenseman and king of time on ice.More
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 – #11
11. Manny Fernandez – G 6 Seasons, 260 Games, 113 W, 102 L, 2.47 GAA, .914 SV% While it’s easy to discount Manny Fernandez’s Wild career as nepotism gone wild (he’s the nephew of former Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire), there’s no doubt that he played a pivotal role in many of the formative years of the Wild. He consistently battled Dwayne Roloson for playing time, despite arguably being the better player. Maybe it was that fear of looking preferential, but Lemaire didn’t consistently play the better goalie, and Fernandez’s numbers were hurt because of this. Regardless, he still hasMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #12
12. Jared Spurgeon- D 6 Seasons, 372 Games, 37 Goals, 93 Assists, 130 Points A lucky break is what the Wild received in 2010, when Spurgeon couldn’t come to terms with the New York Islanders and came to training camp for the Wild and signed an entry-level contract. Year over year Spurgeon continues to impress and improve his game. With consistent and solid play in the defensive zone, he has also become a force in the offensive zone as well. With the Wild, Spurgeon has kept himself positive in +/- column making himself a invaluable asset to the team. In 2015 the Wild rewarded him withMore
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