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The Wild selected a total of 12 players in Raleigh in the 2004 Entry Draft, the most in franchise history. The late addition of a seventh round compensation pick for the loss of Group III Free Agent Cliff Ronning had bumped the number to be taken up from 11 a few weeks before the draft. Of the 12 who were picked, five were out of the CHL, four were from Europe, two were from the US college system and one was from Ontario’s Junior B league.

 

The two they selected from the college ranks equaled the total number of college players drafted in the previous four drafts; but as the Wild is maturing as an organization it can now afford to wait the two or three years required before a college player is needed to join the team.

 

 

A.J. Thelen, D (1986-3-11)

1^st round, 12^th overall – Michigan State (CCHA)

6’3”, 205 lbs

 

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2002-03	Nat. U-17(USA)	61	6	8	14	80
2003-04	Michigan St. (CCHA)	42	11	18	29	46

 

With top-three defensive prospects their primary need heading into the draft, A.J. (Anthony James) Thelen showed too much promise to resist taking him over big Drew Stafford or goaltender Marek Schwarz. So, as expected, the Wild took the big defensemen who displayed real talent as a power play quarterback with Michigan State in 2003-04, but who also showed he was so much more than just an offensive specialist.

 

At the mid-point of the season the Central Scouting Service had Thelen ranked at 17^th for North American skaters, and by the end of the season his strong run as a freshman with Michigan State had brought him up to 11^th after he finished 11^th nationally in points per game for defensemen and 20^th for rookies.

 

Thelen is focusing on getting a little stronger in the offseason as well as working to improve upon his already good skating and, even though he was the second youngest player in Division I college hockey this year, he said that he could be ready for the call of the Wild. “To be honest, if they wanted me to play this upcoming season, I think I could prepare myself to do that,” he said at the draft.

 

It seems very unlikely that that would happen, although the Wild do have a need for a true power play quarterback in the lineup and Thelen led Michigan State in power play goals and was second in the CCHA in points for defensemen, but foregoing his years of development in the CCHA would seem counter-productive. Still, the Wild did it with first round selection Brent Burns last season, so it is possible. Either way, Thelen is confident that he can meet the challenge. “Physically and mentally I think I could be ready (to play in the NHL). There are things I need to work on, but if they needed me, I could give it a shot.”

 

When asked which NHL player he aspired to play like he named Rob Blake of the Colorado Avalanche. “I definitely pattern my game after him. I definitely try and play like he does. My goal is to become as good as he has, or better.”

 

Happy to be drafted by the Wild, the Savage, Minnesota native is aware of the pressure that he and others will apply to succeed with the team. “Definitely there is pressure, but I’ve been through a lot of pressure situations and living away from home with people I didn’t know. I’ve been through situations and I think that this is something I can handle,” Thelen said.

 

He’s had a whirlwind year and was the talk of the NHL leading up to the draft after he won the CCHA Best Offensive Defenseman award as well as making the CCHA All-Rookie and All-Conference teams. He was also named to the Second-Team All-American Team, the only freshman to receive the All-American honors in 2003-04. Many organizations expressed interest in Thelen leading up to the draft including the host Carolina Hurricanes, a team that has traditionally shown a strong inclination to drafting defensemen in the early rounds. When they traded up in the first round Thelen didn’t know what to think. “My heart was pounding too there. I mean being in front of the home town and everything and people going crazy. I just kept an open mind.”

 

Along with his skating and overall skill, he’s shown that he has an extremely hard and accurate shot and scouts feel that Thelen is good in his own end as well (he finished among the leaders in the CCHA in plus/minus with a rating of +16). Although this is one of the areas he will need to focus on as he develops if he wants to make it to the top defensive pairing on the Wild one day, and that seems like a challenge that Thelen is looking forward to mastering on his way to the NHL.

 

Roman Voloshenko, LW (1986-5-12)

Round 2, 42^nd overall – Krylja (RUS-1)

6’1”, 189 lbs

 

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2002-03	Krylja (RUS-1)	5	0	1	1	2
2003-04	Krylja (RUS-1)	42	6	8	14	28
2003-04	Russia (U-18 WJC)	6	5	6	11	18

 

Despite the fact that Voloshenko’s CSS final ranking dropped four spots from the midterm mark of 14^th for European skaters, 2003-04 was a fantastic development year for the winger from Brest, Belarus. He played with the Krylja Sovetov (Soviet Wings), and played well enough to stick in Division 1. When Krylja was eliminated from the playoffs, Voloshenko was able to appear with the Russian team at the World Under-18 Championships in Minsk, Belarus. There he finished in a tie for the overall tournament scoring lead with 11 points in 6 games, while his primary linemates Alexander Radulov and Mikhail Yunkov notched 7 and 8 points respectively.

 

Voloshenko is offensively gifted, owning a very good wrist shot. He’s aggressive around the opposition net, but scouts and the Wild alike say that his skating is his biggest weakness and that he will need to improve it to break into the NHL. His acceleration is considered the biggest problem area.

 

Perhaps the Wild were also attracted to Voloshenko because he is a defensively responsible winger who possesses real offensive talent. Given some more years to develop, Voloshenko has a chance to begin filling the need for scoring from the wings within the Wild system.

 

Peter Olvecky, W (1985-10-11)

Round 3, 78^th overall – Trencin Jr. (SLOVAK JR.)

6’2” 185 lbs

 

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2003-04	Trencin (SLOVAK)	16	0	0	0	18
2003-04	Trencin Jr. (SVK JR)	42	16	20	36	86

 

Olvecky made the jump from the Slovakian Junior league, where he was almost a point per game, to the senior squad where he failed to register a single point, but still impressed scouts enough with his play that he went from 109^th on the CSS midterm report all the way up to 67^th with their final list. Incidentally, that Trencin club is the same one that Marian Gaborik played nine games for in 2003-04 during his holdout, and it was recently announced that Olvecky’s agent Allan Walsh is one of the two agents who are suing Gaborik. Gaborik’s brother Brano is a scout for the Wild and also lives in Trencin, and he tipped the Wild off to Olvecky this year and they made a point of seeing him play in an under-18 tournament in Russia.

Olvecky is a hard working grinder who digs up pucks in the offensive zone and creates opportunities for his linemates. He is also responsible in his own end, something the Wild obviously like to see in their prospects.

 

It’s been said that Olvecky has the potential to be a second line winger, and with the third pick of the first day the Wild jumped at the chance to take him and add another winger to the system, one they have very high hopes for down the road.

 

Clayton Stoner, D (1985-2-19)

Round 3, 79^th overall – Tri-City (WHL)

6’3”, 225 lbs

 

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2002-03	Tri-City (WHL)	58	4	12	16	85
2003-04	Tri-City (WHL)	71	7	24	31	109

 

Heading into the draft, defense was one of the Wild’s biggest deficiencies at all levels of the organization. They signed the physical two-way defenseman Ryan Stokes before the draft, took the offensive and potential top-three blueliner Thelen in the first round, and with their last pick of day one of the Entry Draft the Wild added another physical two-way rearguard in Clayton Stoner.

 

Stoner showed a little offense in his game this past season with the Tri-City Americans, finishing sixth in team scoring, but his real value is as an all-around defenseman. He’s got great hockey sense and played so well for the Americans that he and his defensive partner Shawn Belle, first round pick of the St. Louis Blues in 2003, were named as co-MVPs of the Americans for the 2004 playoffs in recognition of their strong play at both ends of the ice. At 225 lbs Stoner is a tough customer, but his skating is keeping up with his big frame after he lost some weight following his WHL rookie year, elevating him above being nothing more than a bruiser.

 

Sure to be an fan favorite one day, Stoner is a competitor and team player, often blocking shots and risking his health to help the team, and scouts took notice of him this year, with his CSS ranking jumping from 193 at the mid-term to 111^th at season’s end.

 

Ryan Jones, RW (1984-6-14)

Round 4, 111^th overall – Chatham (WJRB)

6’1”, 200 lbs

 

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2002-03	Chatham (WJRB)	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
2003-04	Chatham (WJRB)	46	39	30	69	57

 

Ryan Jones could be considered a surprising pick, especially for the fourth round. An “off the board” selection for the Wild, Jones had a very good year in the Ontario Hockey Association’s Western Junior B league, leading the league in scoring with 69 points (39 goals, 30 assists) in 46 games, and he was also second in playoff scoring with 26 points in 17 games (17 goals, 9 assists).

 

The Wild’s Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel, Tom Thompson, has said in the past that the team values players who can play the game at a high rate of speed and react well in high-tempo, high-pressure situations. That is perhaps what made them take the overage player so early as the OHA Jr. B league is known as a rough and physical league and for Jones to lead in scoring while being physically abused by opponents throughout the season is a testament to his abilities in an area the Wild value. It was also rumored that three other teams besides Minnesota were interested in Jones and that fact, if discovered through the interview process, combined with having 12 draft picks, might have forced their hand early.

 

In 2003-04 Jones helped lead the Chatham Maroons to the Western Jr. B Championship, but they fell short in the three team round robin that determined which two teams would play for the Sutherland Cup (the championship for OHA Junior B’s three leagues). He ended up MVP for the Western Jr. B league and was named a Veteran All-Star for right wing.

 

Jones accepted a scholarship to play for the University of Miami in Ohio next season where the Wild hope the late-blooming 20-year-old will continue to develop into a hard nosed forward who can grind out some goals at the pro level.

 

Patrick Bordeleau, LW (1986-3-23)

Round 4, 114^th overall – Val D’Or (QMJHL)

6’5”, 195 lbs

 

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2002-03	Gatineau (M.AAA)	39	8	13	21	50
2003-04	Val D’Or (QMJHL)	68	7	11	18	97

 

Regarded as a developing power forward, most of Bordeleau’s time last season with Val D’Or was spent on the fourth line. However, he still managed to collect 18 points despite the limited ice time, often producing scoring chances by imposing his will on the opposing defense and setting up shop on the edge of their crease for the screen. He has a good shot as well as some play making ability. As with most 18-year-olds he still needs to fill out, especially considering he is 6’5” tall, but he’s already becoming a force in the QMJHL and he likes to mix it up, fighting 13 times in 2003-04.

 

Bordeleau feels that he has much more to offer than what was asked of him in his first season in the Q. “(I) forecheck a lot, can hit, can score, can drop the gloves,” he said at the draft. He’s hoping to earn a promotion next season, saying, “This year I didn’t get a lot of ice time. Next year I’m probably going to play on the second line. Hopefully I’ll get a lot of points.” But for that to happen he knows he needs to work on some aspects of my game. “Certainly my acceleration, when I receive the puck (needs work). My defensive game too.”

 

With the Wild having three fourth round picks they had the luxury of taking a chance on Bordeleau at this stage of the draft, and the system could use the infusion of size on the wing if and when Bordeleau can crack the AHL Houston Aeros lineup. Even if he should fail as a power forward, many teams could use a guy in their system who relishes chances to drop the gloves. “I like it. When I get punches, I want to punch too.”

 

Julien Sprunger, RW (1986-1-4)

Round 4, 117^th overall – Fribourg (SUI)

6’4”, 194 lbs

 

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2002-03	Fribourg (SUI)	2	0	0	0	0
2003-04	Fribourg (SUI)	42	2	3	5	14
2003-04	Switzerland (U-18/1A)	5	7	2	9	0

 

Sprunger has had an encouraging year. He spent the season with the Fribourg senior team in the Swiss league and even though he only had 5 points in 42 games of limited usage, it was a learning experience for him, the benefits of which should show next season.

 

The real highlight for the Swiss phenom came at the World Under-18 championship starting in late March of this year. Team Switzerland had been demoted after their 2003 showing when they finished ninth out of ten teams and they were assigned to Division 1A for 2004. Enter Julien Sprunger who led the team and was second overall in tournament scoring for that division with 9 points (7 goals, 2 assists) in 5 games while helping the Swiss to first in the division, thereby promoting them back to full IIHF Under-18 status for 2005.

 

An anonymous NHL scout told Hockey’s Future before the draft that Sprunger, “is a technical and smart player with goal scoring instincts. To make the next step, Julien Sprunger must get stronger as he is not yet taking full advantage of his size and weight.” CSS ranked him 27^th among European skaters.

 

With their third pick of the fourth round the Wild selected someone who many feel might be the most talented Swiss born players ever, and one whose potential offensive upside is quite large.

 

Jean-Claude Sawyer, D (1986-8-12)

Round 5, 161^st overall – Cape Breton (QMJHL)

6’2”, 194 lbs

 

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2002-03	Cape Breton (QMJHL)	31	3	2	5	44
2003-04	Cape Breton (QMJHL)	56	5	13	18	48

 

Sawyer isn’t really a player that stands out from the others on the ice, but a closer look shows that the native of Saint John, New Brunswick is quietly developing into a decent two-way defenseman. Sawyer doesn’t have remarkable size at 6’2”, 194 lbs, but he gets the job done and is a smart player, and he still has a lot of growing to do.

 

He also got to be a part of a strong defensive corps who played in front of burgeoning NHL goalie Marc-Andre Fleury in 31 games last season and 10 in 2003-04, a good situation for any young defenseman. The Screaming Eagles are a strong team on defense and next season Sawyer should have a good opportunity to mature with more ice time as some of the veterans on the blueline have moved on, thus giving the Wild a better look at their fifth round selection.

 

Aaron Boogaard, RW (1986-8-11)

Round 6, 175^th overall – Tri-City (WHL)

6’2”, 220 lbs

 

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2002-03	Calgary (WHL)	39	3	0	3	52
2003-04	Calgary/Tri-City (WHL)	35	3	2	5	57

 

Boogaard wasn’t ranked by CSS heading into the draft, and even he was not expecting his name to be called, especially by the team that had already selected his older and larger brother Derek in the 2001 Entry Draft 202^nd overall. The younger Boogaard has only appeared in 74 total WHL games over two seasons, and this season when Calgary stopped utilizing him he requested, and was granted, a trade to the Tri-City Americans for a second round pick in the 2004 WHL Bantam Draft.

 

Even though Boogaard has yet to prove himself, it seems probable that the Wild liked how brother Derek has developed within the organization and drafted Aaron with the hopes of a similar career trajectory, but the Wild claim that they simply needed an enforcer and Boogaard was the first available guy on their list.

 

Aaron is five inches shorter and about 30 lbs lighter than his older brother, who continues to inch ever closer to cracking the Wild’s lineup, but he is still a capable enforcer. He’s also a natural athlete, having once set a provincial swimming record in his home province of Saskatchewan.

 

Boogaard had just 5 points in 35 games in 2003-04, but is looking forward to proving that he was worth being selected in the first round by the Hitmen in the 2001 Bantam Draft, and then by the Wild in the 6^th round of the Entry Draft.

 

Jean-Michel Rizk, RW (1986-3-12)

Round 7, 195^th overall – Saginaw (OHL)

6’1”, 195 lbs

 

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2002-03	Saginaw (OHL)	63	9	24	33	71
2003-04	Saginaw (OHL)	68	10	18	28	81
2003-04	Canada (U-18 WJC)	7	2	1	3	8

 

The only team that Rizk interviewed with was the Wild, but that didn’t stop him and his family from making the trek to Raleigh for the draft. And he was quite pleased on Sunday, even if he was one of the final players in attendance to be drafted.

 

Rizk might not have caught the eye of other NHL teams, but the Wild had plenty of reason to take a chance on him late in the seventh round or later. He was the first ever draft pick of the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL two years ago and had a decent first season, earning his way onto the second team All-Rookie OHL team for right wing with his 33 points in 63 games.

 

Outside of the OHL it was a good year for Rizk as well as he was named to the Under-17 Ontario team, and he helped them to a bronze medal in the Canada Games in early 2003.

His just completed season in the OHL saw his point total drop a little instead of increasing as would be hoped with any sophomore, and that might be the main reason teams were not too interested in him at the Entry Draft.

However, internationally he began to show encouraging signs even before the 2003-04 OHL season began as he was one of the Canada Games alumni who were invited to compete in the Under-18 World Cup in the Czech Republic in August, 2003. Although the team missed out on its eighth consecutive Gold medal, finishing fourth, Rizk was next invited to play as an alternate captain for the Canadian Under-18 team competing at the World Junior Championships in late April. There he played a vital role on the checking line and impressed scouts with his play, and he also contributed 2 goals and 1 assist in 7 games. In both cases Marek Schwarz and the Czech Republic ended Rizk’s Canadian team’s tournaments with a loss.

 

Rizk prides himself on being a good defensive forward who adapts well to any team’s system, and he’s shown that he can chip in with some offense along the way. The Wild drafted the Montreal, Quebec native because of this, but also because he is a gritty, character player, and they hope to one day see the energetic winger on their third or fourth line.

 

Anton Khudobin, G (1986-5-7)

Round 7, 206^th overall – Magnitogorsk 2 (RPL)

5’11”, 176 lbs

 

YEAR	TEAM	GP	W	L	T	GAA	Sv%
2003-04	Mettalurg (RPL)	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
2003-04	Russia (U-18 WJC)	6	4	2	0	2.17	.915

 

Coming into the draft it was expected that along with defense and wingers, the Wild would pick up at least one, but most likely two goalies to fill out their system vacancies after Barry Brust and Frederic Cloutier were allowed to walk. Whether it’s because of their AHL Aeros now sharing one of the goaltending spots with the Dallas Stars after an affiliation agreement was inked back in April, the emergence of Josh Harding, or if none of their wish-list goalies were still available when they wanted to take them, Anton Khudobin was the only goaltender selection of the draft for the Wild.

 

It might seem like they neglected netminding, but Khudobin was a quality selection that late on Day 2, at least based on his Under-18 World Junior Championships.

 

There, the Mettalurg Magnitogorsk goalie of the Russian Division 2 league led Team Russia to the Gold Medal, capped by a 3-2 win over Team USA and Vancouver’s first round selection Cory Schneider. Fellow 2004 Wild draftee Voloshenko scored in the third period to help Khudobin to the win.

 

Khudobin kept up with all of the higher profile goalies in the tournament including Marek Schwarz and Devan Dubnyk, as well as Schneider. He even scored a goal in a win over Finland leading up to the playoff rounds.

 

Ranked 12^th for European goalies by the CSS, the Wild took yet another selection in Khudobin that seemed inspired in large part by a strong performance on the international stage, perhaps highlighting a scouting pattern or preference for the organization.

 

Kyle Wilson, C (1984-12-15)

Round 9, 272^nd overall – Colgate (ECAC)

6’0”, 200 lbs

 

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2002-03	Colgate (ECAC)	33	4	2	6	15
2003-04	Colgate (ECAC)	32	13	17	30	21

 

Wilson was about the smallest skater the Wild drafted on the second day, and he was also the second oldest.

 

Welcome to the ninth round of the Entry Draft, where the ultimate longshots are taken. Where getting a player who can at least perform in the AHL is often an admirable goal. Looking at Wilson with those expectations makes him appear like a better than average selection for the final round.

 

In 2002-03 he led Colgate rookies in goals with four, but two of those were game winners, which tied him for second overall on the team in that category. This season Wilson’s point production jumped from 6 to 30 with one fewer game played, good enough for third place on the team. He was also second on Colgate for power play goals with 7.

 

Wilson came to Colgate after leading his OHA Western Jr. B team in scoring, and he began to find that touch again in his sophomore season. He’s often utilized on all special teams predominantly because of his strong face-off ability, but also because of his all around offensive skills. The aggressive 19-year-old is a good skater, both agile and strong, and he possesses a decent shot as well. He put on some muscle between his first and second seasons with Colgate and he should continue to grow and mature as a two-way center, which may allow him to one day earn a spot in the AHL, or possibly even the Wild.

 

Final Analysis

 

A few of the Wild draft picks were surprising for how unknown they were, but then, the organization has shown itself to be independent thinkers on players many times before at previous drafts. Whether the Wild scouting team is ahead of the curve or whether they became so fixated on getting players such as Olvecky, Boogaard, and Jones that they took them earlier than their value warranted, fearing that another team might snatch them up before they could select them, will not be known for some time.

 

The eighth round saw the Wild take their only goalie of the draft, and the ninth, the only center. Obviously they focused on the two biggest organizational deficiencies in the form of wingers and defensemen, but in Thelen they arguably got the best player available at the time as well.

 

Thompson said before the draft that in addition to having players who react well under various situations, having guys with strong shooting ability is a newer philosophy for the team and most of the forwards selected have already proven themselves as good shooters with quick releases, and of course Thelen on defense has a slap shot that will challenge any goalie when even partially screened.

 

One of the trends currently seen in the NHL, and evident with the Wild this year, is focusing on getting the biggest players possible to do the job. Olvecky and Voloshenko were the only skaters taken by the Wild who weren’t a mere hair under 200 lbs, and outside of goalie Anton Khudobin, the shortest player taken was 6’0” Kyle Wilson, and these are all still kids who are going to grow some more. If you can have a 6’5” player who might develop into a good forward one day with the same skills as a 6’0” player who weighs a little less, why not have the bigger than average player on your team? That seems to be Bobby Clarke’s modus operandi for the Flyers, anyhow, and the Wild might have adopted that position as well.

 

The Wild attempted to trade up several times through the draft in an effort to give up several picks in exchange for a higher one, but no teams bit, leaving Thompson and his staff to proceed with Plan A: Fill out the system with as many of the players they had earmarked as possible.

 

 

Holly Gunning contributed to this article.

Copyright 2004 Hockey’s Future. Do not duplicate without written permission of the editorial staff.