With less than 24 hours before the Minnesota Wild are on the clock, experts have weighed in with their picks to see who the Wild will take in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
Minnesota has the ninth overall pick on Tuesday night, so we took a look at seven mock drafts around the internet to see who could be the next member of the Wild.
Anton Lundell (C – HIFK-Liiga)
The WIld have built a pipeline of Finnish talent throughout their history. With four mock drafts (USA Today, two from NHL.com’s three-man panel and TSN) calling his name at the ninth pick, Lundell figures to be the next Finnish prospect to put on a Wild sweater.
Lundell is a two-way center that has been playing in the Liiga for two seasons. At 19, he’s one of the older prospects in the draft but has a knack for creating offensive opportunities and exhibits high hockey IQ.
The ceiling may not be as high as some of the other prospects in this draft, but he has enough talent to rise to the top of the Wild’s depth chart at center.
Cole Perfetti (C, Saginaw – OHL)
A majority of the writers also believe that the Wild will be going for a center with their top pick. One of the names mentioned by NHL.com’s Mike G. Morreale is Perfetti, who is one of the draft’s top centers.
Perfetti’s top asset is his offensive ability. The 18-year-old finished second in the OHL last season with 111 points and a wicked shot helped score 37 goals for Saginaw.
As a top offensive player, Perfetti would be a huge addition for the Wild. For a team looking to get the puck to Kevin Fiala and Kirill Kaprizov, a player of Perfetti’s skill set would be a shot in the arm for the Wild’s top line.
Marco Rossi (C, Ottawa – OHL)
A majority of mock drafts have Rossi going one pick ahead of the Wild to Buffalo. However, ESPN’s Chris Peters sees the chips falling Minnesota’s way to land another elite center.
“If he’s here, he fits an organizational need for the Wild both from a position standpoint and a skill-based standpoint,” Peters said. “Rossi makes plays and has tremendous tenacity. If he manages to slip this far – which is no guarantee, of course – he should make it easy on the Wild.”
As the OHL’s top scorer with 120 points (39 goals, 81 assists), Rossi would be another excellent threat to add to the Wild. If he winds up on the board, the Wild would be foolish to pass him up.
Lucas Raymond (LW, Frolunda – SHL)
While the Wild are expected to take a center, general manager Bill Guerin has also stated his desire to take the best player available. If the Wild want to add on the wing, Raymond would be an excellent choice.
Pro Hockey Talk’s Ryan Wagman believes the Wild would pounce on Raymond if he’s on the board and mimics the skill set of former Judd Brackett selection Elias Petterssen from his time in Vancouver.
“Raymond is more of a play creator than a finisher, but his dynamic overall offensive game has too many parallels to Petterssen to ignore,” Wagman said. “Putting Raymond on a line with right-winger Kevin Fiala, perhaps with a two-way center between them, will give the Wild a look they have rarely had since they were added to the NHL.”
Jack Quinn (RW – Ottawa, OHL)
If the Wild are looking for another goal scorer, Quinn would fit the bill. In his second season in the OHL, Quinn lit the lamp 52 times last season and is considered to be a multi-faceted prospect per NHL.com’s Bill Meltzer.
“He’s an all-situations player who plays high in the penalty killing rotation as well as being a power play regular,” Meltzer said. “While Quinn is not expected to score at a prolific rate at the NHL level, his completeness as a prospect makes him a viable top-10 candidate.”
