Wild Have Had Luck in Past Drafts With Later Picks

The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is upon us as it’s finally Friday, June 26, and the draft will begin this evening at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Unless there is a trade, Minnesota Wild fans won’t have anything to cheer until the third round and beyond, apart from seeing who goes in the top 10. 

We already looked at why the Wild are without their first and second round picks this season and what positions they can focus on with the picks they do have. What we haven’t looked at is how the Wild have had some success later in the draft past, and we’ll take a look at a few players whom they’ve found with later picks, starting with their third-rounder. 

Wild Snatch Hunt 

The Wild found a strong young defenseman in Daemon Hunt when they drafted him back in 2020 with the 65th overall pick in the third round. Now the Wild won’t be picking that high in the third round this season as they have the 89th pick, but that doesn’t mean they can’t find another solid player. 

Unfortunately, the later in the draft a team selects, the less likely that player is to make it to the NHL, but some make it through, like Hunt and others. Some may not consider Hunt a strong player, but he did make his way into the lineup this season and did quite well. He fit in with the other defensemen, and although he bounced between the Wild and the Columbus Blue Jackets for a little bit, it looks like he’s going to stay with the Wild. 

Their defense is a good mix of veteran and younger players, and with a little more time, Hunt could be a reliable piece of that mix. If not, he could also be a possible trade piece for a second time. 

Wild Find Benák & Kiviharju in Fourth 

The Wild found quite the steals in their fourth-round picks over the last couple of seasons. In 2025, they drafted Adam Benák with the 102nd pick and then Aron Kiviharju in 2024 with the 122nd pick. This season, the Wild have the 121st overall, and if they can find a player like these two, they’ll be in good shape for the future. 

Seeing Benák at the Wild’s 2025 training camp and the 2026 World Junior Championship, he was easy to spot as he was one of the smallest players out there at 5-foot-8, but he was also one of the fastest. He plays with his head up and a lot of speed, so although he’s small, he can handle himself and doesn’t shy away when he takes a hit. 

Getting to see Kiviharju in the 2026 World Junior Championship was quite the treat as he was one of Finland’s best players. He was their captain at the tournament, and although he’s a defenseman, he found a way to earn points. He is another smaller player, but he stands up against the best of them, and once he’s had a little more time to develop, he has a chance to be a great addition to the Wild’s roster. 

Wild Pick Up Kaprizov, Špaček in Fifth 

It’s been said many times, but many don’t realize that Kirill Kaprizov was drafted by the Wild back in 2015, in the fifth round, 135th overall. It’s a bit of a surprise after seeing what kind of player Kaprizov has become, but he also had a contract in Russia at the time, and the Wild weren’t 100 percent sure he was going to come to the NHL. Luckily, he did make that choice, and the Wild have one of the best players they’ve ever had in their franchise. 

David Špaček is another player the Wild found in the fifth round, and although he has yet to crack the lineup fully, he did get two games in last season, which will likely mean more this coming season. He was selected with the 153rd overall pick in 2022, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can find a way into more games. The Wild have two selections in the fifth round, with the 137th overall from the San Jose Sharks, they received in exchange for Calen Addison, and their second pick will be at 153rd overall.

While the Wild do have some players from the sixth and seventh rounds, they aren’t players they specifically drafted. However, it’s interesting to mention that Jared Spurgeon was a sixth-round pick, and Jake Middleton was a seventh-round pick. Plus, both Nico Sturm and Mats Zuccarello were undrafted players who’ve made quite the NHL careers for themselves. 

The draft holds a lot of unknowns when it comes to how well a player will transition to the NHL, but outside of the first round, it becomes harder to project, and even first-round players don’t always pan out. Hopefully, the Wild can find some stars in the later rounds of this draft and secure some of their future.