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
Tag: Top 33
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #2
2. Mikko Koivu – C 11 Seasons, 763 Games, 161 Goals, 395 Assists, 556 Points Our Captain. Drafted 6th overall in 2001, he took the slow road to the NHL, spending five years with his hometown team, TPS Turku in the Finnish league, before coming stateside to play for the Wild’s AHL affiliate in Houston during the lost 2004-2005 NHL lockout season. From there, he joined the Wild, and despite getting off to a hot start, he struggled in his rookie campaign. He followed this up with a solid sophomore season, before he was taken down by a cheap shot from MattiasMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #3
3. Andrew Brunette – LW 6 Seasons, 489 Games, 119 Goals, 202 Assists, 321 Points Responsible for probably the most memorable moment in Wild history to date, the #3 player on the 3ITB Top 33 is Andrew Brunette. Brunette spent a total of 6 seasons with the Wild and currently has the 3rd most goals for the Wild in franchise history. Brunette was somewhat of a franchise starter you might say, spending time with young franchises like the Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers and our own Minnesota Wild during his long playing career in the NHL. If durability in a star isMore
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 – #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