In the past 20 years of Minnesota Wild hockey, I can’t recall a team more fun than this one right here and right now. Currently, the Wild are owners of a 17-6-1 record. That’s tops in the Central Division by a healthy margin. Those 33 points are also good for the top spot in the Western Conference (due to a tiebreaker with Calgary) and fourth in the NHL. Simply put, this team is special.
Kirill Kaprizov is fifth in the league in scoring with 28 points. Ryan Hartman has a team-leading 13 goals and leads the league with a +22 rating. The team ranks second in the NHL in goals scored (86) and already have TWELVE players with 10+ points on the season. The team also leads the league in comeback wins.Once thought of as a placeholder until GM Bill Guerin found “his guy”, Creed Bratton doppelgänger and Minnesota Wild head coach Dean Evason has taken complete control of this team and developed one hell of a leadership group in the process as well. Anointing Jared Spurgeon as the calm, lead-by-example captain and choosing vocal, emotional leaders Marcus Foligno and Matt Dumba as assistant captains has proved to be the the perfect formula this franchise needed.
Must Watch TV
A team often described as vanilla and boring and robotic throughout their history have suddenly become must watch TV. The top line of Kaprizov-Hartman-Zuccarello is a constant threat every single time they are on the ice. The run and gun style of hockey is something fans have been craving for years. It’s easy to see why, it’s so fun to watch! No longer are the days of cyclical cycle work and grinding opponents down. Gone are the days of 1-0 or 2-1 games. This team wants to score goals and do it consistently. No lead is big enough for the likes of Kaprizov and co.Party Atmosphere at Home Games
As many of you reading this probably know, 10K Takes is dedicated to making Wild games fun again. On Tuesday, Nov. 30th, the largest cup snake in sports history was made. As I was walking around the arena that night, it was the most electric atmosphere I’ve ever been a part of. Literally everyone in attendance was having fun. Young, old, new hockey fan, 21 year season ticket holder, it doesn’t matter. Wild games are buzzing and you no longer have to worry about upsetting Clyde or Betty sitting next to you by having some fun, deleting a couple of beers, and cheering on your favorite hockey team.
Top Minnesota Wild Prospects are Flourishing
As if it’s not enough for the main club to be playing like this, the Wild’s future is extremely bright. The window is just now opening. When you look at the Wild’s prospect pool these days, there is no shortage of talent. For the past two years, their system has been top-five in the league and will likely stay there due to the genius of Director of Amateur Scouting, Judd Brackett, and co.Currently, they have fifteen prospects with double-digit points on the season. Their top prospects are playing like top prospects and are getting the time they need to continue to get better and better. Minnesota Wild Prospect guru and elite Twitter follow Spoked Z joined The Minnesota Rundown AND Wild Takes recently to talk about these prospects (among other things).
The Wild’s past four first-round picks have been putting on a show in their respective leagues lately:
Marco Rossi (Iowa Wild, AHL): 13 GP, 3 G, 12 A, 15 P
Carson Lambos (Winnipeg Ice, WHL): 19 GP, 5 G, 13 A, 18 P
Jesper Wallstedt (Luleå HF, SHL): 15 GP, 9 W, 1.88 GAA, .918 SV%, 2 SO
The Wild are setting themselves up for years of Stanley Cup contention with the state of their current roster and prospect pool as well. With the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter over the summer, they made their bed financially. Having all these prospects on entry-level contracts will prove to be extremely beneficial in the years to come.
Enjoy the Ride
In a time where so many awful things are happening in the world, this Wild team and organization is giving Minnesotans something to look forward to and something to be proud of. Every single player on the team is going out there night after night and putting their best effort for you.
They have a superstar in Kirill Kaprizov. Dean Evason is a frontrunner for the Jack Adams. They have a GM of the Year candidate in Bill Guerin. This team and organization gives a shit and they are having fun while doing it. Let’s make sure to enjoy it while we can, okay?