NHL Prospect Watch: Minnesota Wild
Ahead of the 2024-25 hockey season, we’re diving into the WHL prospect pool for each of the NHL’s 32 teams. Throughout the series, we’ll highlight WHLers who have been signed to an NHL contract, were recently drafted, or are included in the NHL’s definition of a rookie.
Today, we journey to the State of Hockey to check in on a troupe of Minnesota Wild hopefuls.
Caedan Bankier
Former Kamloops Blazers alternate captain Caeden Bankier had a solid first outing in the AHL with the Iowa Wild, potting 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points in 51 games. The 21-year-old centreman finished fourth on the Wild in goals, tied for third in powerplay goals (five) and seventh in points. Selected 86th overall in the third round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Bankier scored his first professional goal in his third game with the Wild, netting the game-opening goal in an eventual 2-1 win over the Rockford Ice Hogs on December 15. In the junior ranks, Bankier suited up for four seasons with the Blazers, culminating in a breakout final season with 37 goals and 48 assists for 85 regular season points, back-to-back runs to the Western Conference Championship and chipping in a goal and three assists at the 2023 Memorial Cup. He also added an assist in seven games as a member of Canada’s gold medal-winning squad at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.
caedan “i can read” bankier on the power play!!!
🚨: Caedan Bankier
🍎: Daemon Hunt#ItStartsInDSM | #IAvsMB pic.twitter.com/8zPbSRE6cZ— Iowa Wild (@IAWild) April 13, 2024
Riley Heidt
The Prince George Cougars alternate captain continued his run of dominance in the Northern Capital with his most productive season yet, burying 37 goals and 80 assists for 117 points and a +34 rating in 66 matches. Heidt ranked third among all WHL skaters in points and second in assists. The 5-foot-11, 182-pound centreman kicked off the season with a monster 16-game point streak that saw him rack up 33 points (eight goals, 25 assists). The Wild drafted Heidt with the 64th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and signed the 19-year-old to an entry-level deal on March 23, 2024. Heidt potted a hat trick on the same night. The Saskatoon, Sask. product had four or more points on six occasions this season, highlighted by a pair of two-goa, three-assist efforts. He finished second in playoff scoring for the Cats with three goals (two game-winners) and 16 assists for 19 points in 15 games in a dramatic run to the Western Conference Championship. Internationally, Heidt is a two-time medalist for Canada- winning gold at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and a bronze medal at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship. Now, he’s set his sights on the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship as he attends Canada’s National Junior Team Summer Showcase.
On the day he signs his three-year, entry-level contract with the @mnwild, Riley Heidt scores three.
A Heidt-trick, if you will.@PGCougars | #mnwild pic.twitter.com/SMnSyazhIq
— The WHL (@TheWHL) March 24, 2024
Daemon Hunt
Rugged blueliner Daemon Hunt got his first taste of NHL action in 2023-24, making his debut with the Minnesota Wild on October 27 and tallying his first NHL assist against the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 18. All told, the 21-year-old suited up for 12 NHL games with ice time increasingly significantly with each showing. The 6-foot-1, 199-pound defenceman spent the bulk of the season with the Iowa Wild, where he added three goals and 26 assists for 29 points in 51 games. As the 65th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Hunt now has two professional seasons under his belt and has cracked the 100-game mark. Hunt spent his entire WHL career with the Moose Jaw Warriors, wearing the ‘C’ for his final two seasons and amassing 33 goals and 61 assists for 94 points in 163 games- highlighted by his final season, which saw him net 39 points in 46 games.
the pass. the shot. incredible.
🚨: Daemon Hunt
🍎: Sammy Walker, Vladislav Firstov#ItStartsInDSM | #MILvsIA pic.twitter.com/1cpv2ak9Ym— Iowa Wild (@IAWild) March 27, 2024
Carson Lambos
Highly touted defensive prospect Carson Lambos made the jump to the AHL in 2023-24, scoring four times and adding ten assists for 14 points in 69 games with Iowa while filling a third-pairing role. The 2021 26th overall pick snagged his first AHL assist in his second game against the Henderson Silver Knights and buried his first goal against the Chicago Wolves in November. The 6-foot-1, 193-pound blueliner is coming off a five-season career with the Kootenay/Winnipeg ICE, culminating in a push to the 2023 WHL Championship Series. The Winnipeg, Man. product combined for 22 goals and 73 assists for 95 points in his final two seasons, earning WHL East Division First Team All-Star honours in 2022. Lambos, now 21, also helped Canada win gold at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship.
WHAT A SHOT
🚨: Carson Lambos
🍎: Mikey Milne, David Spacek#ItStartsInDSM | #GRvsIA pic.twitter.com/xv4dE2hWCr— Iowa Wild (@IAWild) April 20, 2024
Kyle Masters
Edmonton product Kyle Masters kicked off his first season of pro hockey in the AHL, registering his first point against the Rockford Ice Hogs on October 27. He ended up splitting his time between the Iowa Wild and the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders, stringing together four goals and 15 assists in 32 ECHL games and three assists and a +3 rating in 19 AHL contests. The 6-foot, 176-pound defenceman was drafted by Minnesota in the fourth round, 118th overall, in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Masters played for the Red Deer Rebels at the time of the draft, but saw his offensive output skyrocket when he was deal to the Kamloops Blazers in a blockbuster trade in 2022-23. He nailed 11 goals and 54 assists for 65 points in 66 games and put forward another seven points in Kamloops’ run to the Western Conference Championship. He was named a B.C. Division Second Team All-Star for his efforts.
🗣️ FIRST PRO GOAL
🚨: Kyle Masters
🍎: Nic Petan, Steven Fogarty#ItStartsInDSM | #IAvsRFD pic.twitter.com/bKaJ3YVAFV— Iowa Wild (@IAWild) October 28, 2023
Mikey Milne
Forward Mikey Milne missed a significant portion of the season with an injury but showed promise when he made his season debut in January. The Abbotsford, B.C. product grew in all major statistical categories in his sophomore season with the Iowa Wild, lighting the lamp eight times and tacking on 13 assists for 21 points in 40 games. Milne ended up with six multipoint outings, highlighted by a two-goal effort against the Chicago Wolves on March 23. Another graduate of the ICE franchise, Milne impressed with an 81-point (38 goals, 43 assists) campaign with Winnipeg in 2021-22- a strong performance that led to Minnesota choosing him with the 89th pick in the third round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 5-foot-10, 187-pound forward jumped right to the pro ranks the following season, making 57 appearances with Iowa in 2022-23.
on the board
🚨: Mikey Milne#ItStartsInDSM | #IAvsHSK pic.twitter.com/kxtRMVnluy
— Iowa Wild (@IAWild) February 3, 2024
Pavel Novak
Czech winger Pavel Novak’s long road back to hockey gave fans of all teams a reason to cheer when he stepped back on the ice in 2023-24. The 22-year-old has returned after 16 months away from the game as he battled Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Now cancer-free and chasing his dream, Novak put up two goals and two assists in his first three professional games with the ECHL’s Heartlanders, earning one of several call-ups to the AHL. The 2020 fifth-round pick closed out the campaign with two goals and an assist in Iowa, plus 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points in 44 ECHL contests. The former Rocket spent two seasons with Kelowna, scoring more than 20 goals in both campaigns and breaking out for 72 points (29 goals, 43 assists) in 62 games in 2021-22.
Pavel Novak has his first goal in an Iowa Wild sweater 🥹
🚨: Pavel Novak
🍎: Mike O'Leary, Joël Teasdale#ItStartsInDSM | #IAvsRFD pic.twitter.com/fwS2mchNmx— Iowa Wild (@IAWild) November 11, 2023
Kalem Parker
Defenceman Kalem Parker is leaving 2023-24 with a new jersey and some new hardware. The 19-year-old was traded from the Victoria Royals to the Moose Jaw Warriors just two games into the season and delivered a career-best season with six goals, 36 assists and a +21 rating through 63 regular-season games with the Warriors. Parker’s 42 points were second only to Captain Denton Mateychuk. The 6-foot, 192-pound blueliner boasted nine multipoint regular-season games and tacked on another two goals and seven assists in his first-ever trip to the WHL Playoffs, ultimately capturing the Ed Chynoweth Cup. Parker, who grew up in Clavet, Sask., was drafted by Minnesota in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. He has piled up 14 goals and 92 assists for 106 points in 220 WHL games over parts of four major junior seasons.
Kalem Parker makes it rain teddy bears with a buzzer-beater!
Now isn't that WILD!@MJWARRIORS | @mnwild pic.twitter.com/lQWHwWyweB
— The WHL (@TheWHL) December 10, 2023
Ryder Ritchie
The 2023 WHL Rookie of the Year seemed primed to build on a tremendous 20-goal, 25-assist first season, but a lower-body injury forced Ritchie to miss significant time prior to playoffs. The 18-year-old still ended up with a successful campaign, with 19 goals (including two game-winners) and 25 assists for 44 points in 47 games. 13 of those points came in the final 13 regular-season tilts. The Prince Albert Raiders would fall to the regular-season champion Saskatoon Blades in Round One, but Ritchie found the scoresheet in all five matches with three goals and five assists. The Kelowna, B.C. product had another chance to impress scouts at the 2024 IIHF World U-18 Championship, where he tallied four goals and four assists in seven games en route to a gold medal for Canada. Ritchie’s best effort came in the title match, where he had a goal and an assist in a comeback victory against the United States. The Wild selected Ritchie with the 45th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas.
🎥RYDER RITCHIE – HIGHLIGHT REEL🎥
Ryder Ritchie is the name, lighting the lamp is the game.@PARaidersHockey | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/cwWoWhitlk
— The WHL (@TheWHL) June 28, 2024
Luke Toporowski
A twisting journey spanning North America has brought Luke Toporowski back to his home state! The 5-foot-11, 181-pound winger had signed a two-year AHL deal with the Providence Bruins after going undrafted in 2019 but found himself traded to the Iowa Wild at the trade deadline in March. He’s now the first Iowa-born player to suit up for the Iowa Wild. Toporowski snagged five goals and six assists for 11 points in 17 games with the Wild, on top of the 17 points (seven goals, ten assists) he earned with Providence to start the season. The 23-year-old played five seasons in the WHL with the Spokane Chiefs (just like his dad, former NHLer Kerry Toporowski) and the Kamloops Blazers, tallying 96 goals and 103 assists for 199 points in 245 matches. Toporowski was named a B.C. Division Second Team All-Star after averaging 1.55 points with the Blazers and adding 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in 16 playoff games.
a beauty from topper for his first goal in an iowa wild sweater!
🚨: Luke Toporowski
🍎: Daemon Hunt, Caedan Bankier#ItStartsInDSM | #MBvsIA pic.twitter.com/pKyRT2Ts7B— Iowa Wild (@IAWild) March 10, 2024
Chase Wutzke
Debden, Sask. product Chase Wutzke entered his rookie WHL season hoping to become a serviceable backup for the Red Deer Rebels. Instead, he seized every opportunity he was given and dazzled fans and NHL scouts alike. Wutzke won back-to-back WHL Goaltender of the Month honours for December and January after going 12-0-1-1 with a 1.88 goals-against average and .934 save percentage. Standing 6-foot-2, 158-pound, the 18-year-old closed out his first full season with a remarkable 19-10-2-2 record, a 2.82 goals-against average, a .904 save percentage and a shutout. In his first venture into the WHL Playoffs, Wutzke held down the fort against the higher-seeded Medicine Hat Tigers, going 4-1-0 (2.59GAA, .922 Sv%), including a dynamite 38-save performance in a double-overtime thriller in Game 1. The Wild snapped him up with the 142nd pick in the fifth round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
🎥CHASE WUTZKE – HIGHLIGHT REEL🎥
Cut to the Chase. Someone draft Wutzke!@Rebelshockey | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/K9daurpvZg
— The WHL (@TheWHL) June 22, 2024
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