We often break down teams by different numbers but not often by where they’re from. When you look at a full roster, it’s impressive to see where each player is from and how many are from the same country. Or, like in Kirill Kaprizov‘s case when he joined the Minnesota Wild, how few players are from the same country.
Where players are from can help the cohesiveness of a team, or in some cases, it can hinder them at least for a little while; things transition when a player is added. Luckily for the Wild, despite all the different backgrounds and language barriers, they’ve appeared to have excellent team chemistry and no real issues. For most teams, “hockey” is a universal language and can more or less be communicated in different ways.
First, we’ll break the team up into where they’re from and discuss the pros and cons of their specific roster homes. We’ll also talk about how the Wild will be visiting Sweden this season and how strong their team chemistry is. To clarify which players made the list and which didn’t, we’re going off of who’s expected to be on the opening night roster, plus one extra defenseman since they’ll likely be rotating nights. Of course, different players will join the roster, plus Mason Shaw could make a comeback, but again, the opening night roster is the focus.
Wild by the Countries
United States: Eight Players
It may surprise you as much as it did me to know the country with the most players on the Wild roster was the United States, but it won’t be shocking to see the state of Minnesota has the lead. There are currently two Minnesotans on the NHL roster and even more on the American Hockey League’s Iowa Wild. The two on the active roster are both defensemen, rookie Brock Faber and veteran Alex Goligoski.
They are from two very different parts of the state, with Faber from Maple Grove, a suburb of the St. Paul/Minneapolis area, and then Goligoski from the hockey hotbed of Grand Rapids in the northern part of the state. Following Minnesota, there’s another hockey stronghold in Massachusetts where Matt Boldy played his hockey before the NHL. He grew up in Milford, just over 30 minutes away from Wild general manager Bill Guerin’s hometown of Worcester.
Next up is Marcus Foligno, who isn’t from Massachusetts but just west in New York State, specifically Buffalo, where he spent the first six years of his career with the Buffalo Sabres before joining Minnesota. Following Foligno is the newest roster member in Pat Maroon, who calls St. Louis, Missouri, home, and he also spent a year of his career in his hometown, like Foligno. Going further southwest, you’ll find Jon Merrill’s home in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and, as of last season, the only NHL player to call it home.
That leaves the final two players from states that have worked to grow their hockey production, but it’s still surprising when you see their state names come up. The first is Brandon Duhaime’s hometown of Coral Springs, Florida, a state that is seeing a lot of growth in the sport, especially with the Tampa Bay Lightning winning back-to-back Stanley Cups. The final player on this list is Ryan Hartman, whose hometown is Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and once again, he’s the only NHL player from last season who hails from there.
Canada: Six
It’s not surprising the Wild have several Canadians on their roster; every single NHL roster has at least one. They have two players from the province of Quebec, the first of course being Marc-André Fleury from Sorel, known for his French-Canadian accent and winning personality. His teammate Frédérick Gaudreau is also from the province of Quebec, just an hour and a half south of Fleury in Bromont.
Next are two Wild players from Manitoba, with Connor Dewar being the first on this list, calling The Pas home. After Dewar is Calen Addison, whose hometown is Brandon, Manitoba, which is quite a distance from Dewar, nearly six hours away. It’s essential also to note at the time of this article, Addison has yet to sign a new contract, but it’s assumed he will soon.
Finally, the last province up is Alberta, where Jacob Middleton calls Wainwright his hometown, and just two hours west of him is the Wild’s captain Jared Spurgeon’s hometown in Edmonton. It’s somewhat surprising the Wild don’t have more Canadians on their NHL roster, but Sweden is right behind them.
Sweden: Four
The Wild’s roster used to be known for its Finnish players, but now that’s switched to Sweden. Several of the Wild’s most vital members call the country home, with two of them even from the same city. Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin, undoubtedly two of the Wild’s best, are both from Karlstad. It’s not completely surprising, given the size of the city, that two players would call it home, but it is a little surprising that they’re both on the same roster.
Related: Minnesota Wild’s Foligno & Zuccarello First in Line for Extensions
Next up is Marcus Johansson, who’s from Landskrona and is still a bit new to the Wild, but he fits right in with his Swedish teammates. Finally, we get to the newly signed goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who’s made a name for himself in just one season with the Wild and has made his hometown Skellefteå proud.
Austria: One
We’re down to the part of the roster where just one player represents their respective country, and the first is Austria. The Wild’s hopeful future number one center is Marco Rossi, who calls Feldkirch home. Obviously, Austria is another country that isn’t exactly known for its hockey players, but Rossi is working to change that, as well as fellow NHLer Marco Kasper, a member of the Detroit Red Wings. They are the only NHL players from last season from Austria, and so far, they’ve been entertaining to watch.
Norway: One
Being a fellow Norwegian, it’s fun to see Mats Zuccarello make a name for himself as he’s partners with one of the best in the NHL right now, Kaprizov. Zuccarello’s hometown is Oslo, the capital city of Norway, and as someone who’s been there in person, I can say I’m genuinely jealous of how beautiful that area is.
While a lot of hockey is played in Norway, Zuccarello is currently the only NHL player. As we discussed earlier, Norway’s neighbor, Sweden, is dominating the Scandinavian countries in NHL players, even overtaking Finland in terms of players who played in the 2022-23 season.
Russia: One
We’ve made it to the end of our roster, and Russia is the final country to make the list. Everyone who’s a Wild fan knows which of their players calls Russia home: Kirill “The Thrill” Kaprizov. He’s from the city of Novokuznetsk, and while there are a substantial number of players from Russia, only one other is from Novokuznetsk, the Carolina Hurricanes Dmitry Orlov. Kaprizov has exceeded expectations so far, and it’s only expected he’ll continue to as his career progresses.
Wild’s Roster Pros & Cons
Obviously, with so many different countries, there’s no way an NHL team or any professional team can expect to have their entire roster from the same location, and that’s not a bad thing. Being from different areas is a great conversation starter; teammates can bond by learning about each other’s cultures and traditions. It can also bring different perspectives on how hockey is played, as there can be differences in styles that can be brought into a team’s game plan.
Conversely, having several players from the same area also creates bonds in the locker room since people are typically drawn to others similar to them. It’s a comfort to know you’re not the only one from your home country on a team of 20 or more players. Speaking the same language, cooking the same food, and dressing similarly are all things that can make adjusting to a new home easier.
However, it can also be a drawback. On the opposite end of the spectrum, being the only player from your respective country can make you feel like an outsider, and being homesick could eventually lead to distraction. It’s normal to miss home, but it can become difficult if a player can’t adjust. Language barriers can also be complex, as playing the game will be more challenging if you can’t understand coaches and teammates.
Thankfully, the pros outweigh the cons, and the cons are typically short-lived. Most teams, especially the Wild, work hard to make their entire team feel at home no matter where they’re from, and that has been shown especially with Kaprizov. Zuccarello, in particular, took it upon himself to help Kaprizov adjust to living in the States, as he had to do the same many years prior. Kaprizov has also taken it upon himself to further his English and be able to speak at press conferences with little help from a translator, and he seems to have adapted well over the early years of his career.
Wild Head to Sweden
The pros of having several players from the same country will be displayed this season for the Wild as they’ll head to Sweden to play a couple of games in the Global Series. This means Eriksson Ek, Brodin, Johansson, and Gustavsson will all be watched a little closer as they lead their team in their home country. However, it’s also an excellent opportunity for their teammates to learn more about Swedish culture and even try some foods native to that country. It’ll be a good team bonding opportunity and showcase their talent outside North America.
This is the first time in over a decade that the Wild have had the chance to travel outside North America to play. They’ll join the Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, and Hurricanes in Sweden. Although the timing of the games will be pretty early in the States, it’ll be fun for all the Swedish players to play in front of family and friends who possibly have only seen them play on television. Hopefully, they’ll use that as an advantage and bring home some wins.
Wild’s Chemistry Stands Out
Despite following the Wild for years, I learned even more fun facts while researching this article. While they are, first and foremost, a hockey team, they are also individuals who bring different personalities and backgrounds together to make a strong team. Their chemistry has been noted over the last few seasons, and it will only get stronger with each passing season.
This season looks no different, and it will be fun to see it continue to grow in the Global Series. The players typically in the background, like Eriksson Ek and Brodin, will be in the limelight alongside Kaprizov and Boldy. Sweden may still be a few months away; everyone’s counting down the days, but thankfully, the start of training camp is under a month away, and the season not long after. Hopefully, every player will step up this season and make their hometowns proud.
