#18 – Minnesota Wild
Apr 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo on his bench in the first period against the Colorado Avalanche during game two of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota got to the second round of the playoffs by virtue of a first round upset of the Colorado Avalanche but were ousted by the Chicago Blackhawks in round 2.
The Wild system has some top-end talent, but they are not really deep in any area. They cannot afford to go drafting for specific position and must take the best player available.
That player at this point is Jared McCann of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL. McCann is a solid 2 way center that needs to add size and strength, but the same could be said about most prospects at this age. His offense didn’t improve as much as you would hope from rookie year to sophomore in the OHL, but his rookie numbers were pretty solid. He was just under a point per game this season. He is smart, has good vision and nice hands.