The Minnesota Wild had to wait through the second round of the NHL Draft on Saturday before making three picks in the third round, including the top pick in round three they received from Buffalo in the trade that sent Marco Scandella to the Sabres.
With that pick, No. 63 overall, the Wild took 18-year-old Jack McBain, a 6-foot-3 center from Toronto, Canada.
Hockey Wilderness offered up a solid review of what McBain is all about: “Skilled passer, able to use his size to cycle, and active in the defensive zone, but not very speedy. If he maxes out his abilities, he can be a second-line center that contributes well on offense.”
McBain will play at Boston College later this year.
Twenty-three picks later the Wild used their third-round pick on a guy whom SportsNet figured would go in the second round, 18-year-old Russian center Alexander Khovanov.
Khovanov has been referred as to one of the draft’s biggest wild cards, according to The Hockey Writers.
“His lack of explosiveness is obvious, and there are times you want him to be more puck hungry like most top-line centers,” said Steve Kournianos of The Draft Analyst. “Still, he’s a lethal set-up man with the puck on his stick. The question is how hard he wants to work to get it there.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSyw8MPW4Lc
Lastly in the third round, the Wild took Manitoba-born center/wing Connor Dewar, whom Hockey Wilderness described as a player with speed, offensive talent and defensive grit.
In the fifth round the Wild took Swedish defenseman, Simon Johannson, no relation to the Johannson (Filip) the Wild drafted in the first round.
Related: Analyst says Wild’s 1st round pick Filip Johannson is great at nothing.
Here’s the scouting report on him from Elite Prospects: “Skilled offensive defenseman with a good scoring ability. Very valuable on the man advantage. Reads the game well and finds openings with ease. Has a pretty accurate release and good size.”
Minnesota then took center Damien Giroux later in the fifth round.
Minnesota has one pick in both the sixth and seventh rounds to go.
