14. Derek Boogaard – LW 5 Seasons, 255 Games, 2 Goals, 12 Assists, 14 Points, 544 Penalty Minutes While the Wild have had several goons over their brief history (Matt Johnson, Brad Staubitz, Matt Kassian, John Scott), none of them had the hearts of the Minnesota fan quite like Derek Boogaard. Drafted in the 7th round of the 2001 draft, Derek took the slow route to the NHL, by blasting through opponents faces from the WHL, to the ECHL and to the AHL (with which the Houston Aeros honored him with a special “Bobble fists” doll). He made his debut with theMore
Tag: 3itb
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #15
15. Antti Miettinen – RW 3 Seasons, 234 Games, 51 Goals, 70 Assists, 121 Points 15th on the 3 in the Box Top 33 Wild Players of All Time is Antti Miettinen. Another Finn that played for the Wild and posted strong numbers. Miettinen was signed as a free agent by the Wild during the off-season in 2008. Off the ice Miettinen is a man after my own heart, playing the guitar in a rock band. This did not sway him at all from being a productive member of the top line for the Wild. He may not be in any Wild record books,More
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 – #17
17. Nick Schultz – D 10 Seasons, 743 Games, 26 Goals, 102 Assists, 128 Points Drafted in the 2nd round (33rd overall) by the Wild in 2000, Nick Schultz was a mainstay on the Minnesota Wild blue line for a decade. Well liked by both fans and teammates alike, he often wore the ‘A’ and ‘C’ in Jacques Lemaire’s rotating captaincy. While Schultz came to the Wild an offensive defenseman, he quickly settled into Lemaire’s defense-first mold and morphed into a true defensive defenseman (even having a stretch of 101 games without a goal). His defense was so highly rated that heMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #18
18. Pascal Dupuis – LW 6 Seasons, 334 Games, 67 Goals, 74 Assists, 141 Points Coming in 18th is the other #11, Pascal Dupuis. Dupuis’ run with the Wild from 2001 to 2007 during the Lemaire era was highlighted by the 2003 playoff run. Dupuis was an all around player. His defensive skill found him on the penalty kill, yet he was offensive enough to play the powerplay as well. His commitment to the team and hard work are hard to match. Reminds me of another #11 for the Wild. Plagued with lingering injuries during the 2003-2004 season, Dupuis production was down.More
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 – #20
20. Eric Belanger – C 3 Seasons, 214 Games, 39 Goals, 69 Assists, 108 Points Squeaking into the top 20 is Center Eric Belanger. Though not having an extremely long tenure with the Minnesota Wild, Belanger was an all around player with grit. One of the most memorable moments for Belanger came while he was not wearing a Wild uniform. Who can forget the scene of him pulling out a tooth while on the bench with just a piece of gauze. Belanger was a great 2-way player. Defensively he was solid and quite often showed his offensive skill when givenMore
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 – #22
22. Marco Scandella- D 6 Seasons, 302 Games, 23 Goals, 53 Assists, 76 Points Coming up through the Wild system and steadily improving his game is not the only achievements Marco Scandella has made. He also made it to #22 on the 3 in the Box Top 33 of all time list. Scandella was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the 2nd round of the 2008 draft. As a true product of the Wild’s system, spending his early years with the Houston Aeros, Scandella has become a top rated defenseman in the NHL. Scandella has been a cornerstone of the WildMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #23
23. Mikael Granlund – C 4 Seasons, 240 Games, 31 Goals, 101 Assists, 132 Points Mikael Granlund was the Wild’s first pick, 9th overall, in the 2010 Draft. He established himself as a top player in the Finnish League, earning Rookie of the Year and the Finnish version of the Lady Byng Trophy. In international play, he helped team Finland win Bronze at the 2010 U18 Championship, and Gold for the big team at the 2011 IIHF World Championship (the tournament where he scored the phenomenal LaCrosse-style goal against Russia). Granlund made his Wild debut in the lockout-shortened 2013 season. Despite hisMore