Wild CHL prospects update

Featured Article

Written by: Glen Jackson on 12/11/2005

Title

The Minnesota Wild have recently shown a preference for drafting from the WHL, with seven of their ten current CHL prospects residing in the West including the team’s 2004 first round pick, A.J. Thelen, who is in his first year of junior after almost two seasons with Michigan State. However, the team’s highest profile junior prospect is the OHL’s Benoit Pouliot, who continues to show great promise.

Both of the Wild’s CHL goaltenders are from the WHL, but both have stats that put them near the bottom of the league.

WHL

Kyle Bailey, C – Portland Winter Hawks – Drafted 2005, Round 4, 110^th overall

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2005-06	Portland	25	9	20	26	68

Although capable as a feisty, checking line center, Bailey’s 2005-06 season is shaping up to be a breakthrough year in his junior career. Scoring at a pace of just over a point per game, Bailey is fifth in Winter Hawks scoring and is on the verge of eclipsing his WHL-high point total of 33 in 2004-05, when he had 33 points in 67 games. Last season he saw time on the power play and that has continued in 2005-06, where four of his nine goals came with the man advantage. Bailey’s physical play and tendency to drop the gloves has him second in penalty minutes following team enforcer Garth Collins.

Aaron Boogaard, RW – Tri-City Americans – Drafted 2004, Round 6, 175^th overall

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2005-06	Tri-City	26	5	0	5	98

The Wild have shown that they aren’t adverse to drafting a one-dimensional junior player and, if they show enough promise, develop them in their system into a pro. That is what they did with Aaron Boogaard’s older brother Derek, who broke into the NHL this season with the Wild. Aaron has already surpassed his older brother’s most productive season in the WHL when he had 15 points for the Amerks last season compared to Derek’s nine points, which he reached twice. Aaron is also leading the Americans in penalty minutes in his enforcer role and has banged home a career-high five goals in 2005-06.

Riley Emmerson, D – Tri-City Americans – Drafted 2005, Round 7, 199^th overall

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2005-06	Tri-City	28	1	0	1	47

Emmerson has had quite a year. At the Wild training camp this summer Emmerson, the largest player to be drafted in 2005, skated with pros and nearly pros and cut Patrick O’Sullivan's camp short when he fell on and injured the Wild’s top prospect in practice. The 6’8, 230 lbs blueliner returned to the Amerks and, in his second year in the WHL, scored his first career goal (and point) on November 15^th. Picked by the Wild in the final round of the shortened 2005 Entry Draft, Emmerson has the type of size that is coveted in the NHL, but in only his first full season of junior, it remains to be seen if this Burnaby, BC native has a complete enough package to make it.

Matt Kassian, LW – Kamloops Blazers - Drafted 2005, Round 2, 57th overall

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2005-06	Kamloops	32	4	2	6	71

Offensively, Kassian began the season much better than expected, scoring a goal and adding two assists in the first three games for the Blazers. In the 28 games since he’s added three more goals giving him six points on the year, which tied him with his point total from all of 2004-05. Regardless, the Wild didn’t draft 6’4, 236 lbs Kassian in the second round for his scoring, but rather for his ability to intimidate opponents and create room for his team.

Anton Khudobin, G – Saskatoon Blades – Drafted 2004, Round 7, 206^th overall

YEAR	TEAM	GP	W	L	OTL	GAA	Sv%
2005-06	Saskatoon	21	10	8	0	3.24	.909

One of the better goalies out of Russia in recent history, Khudobin elected to join Saskatoon after the team drafted him 51^st overall in the 2005 CHL Import Draft so that he could enhance his development for the North American style of play. Khudobin’s first game of the year for the Blades was a shutout, and overall his play has been fairly good, however, he has been pulled a few times so far this season. His numbers are slightly off of those of the team’s other rookie goalie, Kevin Armstrong, but Khudobin has the edge in games played and overall he’s adjusting well to the WHL.

A.J. Thelen, D – Prince Albert Raiders – Drafted 2004, Round 1, 12^th overall

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2005-06	Prince Albert	32	5	10	15	30

After his dismissal from the Michigan State hockey team last year, many wondered about the future of this former first round pick. Thelen elected to join the Raiders, the team who held his WHL rights, for the 2005-06 season where he’s tied for fifth on the team in scoring, seventh in the league for rookies, and third for rookie defensemen. All but one of his goals has come on the power play. It’s unfortunate that his development was hampered in 2004-05, but Thelen appears to be back on track at this early point of the season.

Kristofer Westblom, G – Kelowna Rockets – Drafted 2005, Round 3, 65^th overall

YEAR	TEAM	GP	W	L	OTL	GAA	Sv%
2005-06	Kelowna	12	7	4	1	3.54	.864

In 2004-05, Westblom played in 25 percent of the Rockets’ games as a rookie backup to Derek Yeomans before an injury to Yeomans thrust Westblom into the spotlight in the WHL Playoffs and then the Memorial Cup. This season he again backs up, but in more of a platoon situation. Yeomans has put up great numbers while Westblom has been merely adequate and has the second worst goals against average in the league for goalies who have appeared in the equivalent of ten games.

OHL

Benoit Pouliot, LW – Sudbury Wolves – Drafted 2005, Round 1, 4^th overall

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2005-06	Sudbury	23	17	17	34	70

Pouliot was named the CHL and OHL 2004-05 Rookie of the Year after an excellent campaign in 2004-05 where Pouliot scored at exactly a point per game pace in Sudbury’s defensively oriented system. The Entry Draft lockout lottery allowed the Wild to draft fourth overall and snap up the talented winger who had a good first camp with the team, but was eventually sent back to Sudbury for one more year of junior development. Pouliot leads the team in scoring and is second in plus/minus with a rating of +13.

Jean-Michel Rizk, RW – Kitchener Rangers – Drafted 2004, Round 7, 195^th overall

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2005-06	Kitchener	18	3	5	8	49

Rizk attended the 2004 NHL Entry Draft on the strength of just one team’s interviews with him. The Wild had made it clear to the young forward that there was a good chance that they would select him in the late rounds of the draft, and they did. The organization liked his work ethic, heart, and feisty defensive play but it was clear that he would have a lot of work to do to turn pro with the Wild. Rizk continues to drop the gloves on occasion and lead by example, but he’s one of the rare cases in junior hockey where his point total has dropped in each of his seasons, never scoring more than the 33 points he collected in his 2002-03 rookie year. Still, he’s represented Canada in international play and helped the Rangers in their ultimately unsuccessful 2004-05 playoff run, but it seems doubtful the Wild will sign him after his final year of junior. Rizk missed a month this season due to injury, but only eight points in 18 games is still low for a veteran, albeit a defensive forward.

QMJHL

Patrick Bordeleau, LW – Val-d’Or Foreurs – Drafted 2004, Round 4, 114^th overall

YEAR	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2005-06	Val-d’Or	30	9	19	28	30

In his third season with Val-d’Or, Bordeleau has seen his role with the team increase each season and has responded well. Thus far this season he is fourth in team scoring and third for power play goals with six. Bordeleau is a 6’5 power forward with a good two-way game and the results of his development success are evident in 2005-06.

HF Quick Navigation

Minnesota Wild

» Message Board » Rankings (12)
» Dan Aronen (Writer)

Hockey's Future - The #1 Online Prospects Resource

Featured Article