The Minnesota Wild have officially added another young, skilled defenseman to their core. On March 26, they signed Minnesota native Jack Peart to a three-year entry-level deal, just days after his college team, the St. Cloud State Huskies (SCSU), season came to an end. The Huskies made it to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Frozen Faceoff but fell to the Denver Pioneers in a difficult overtime loss.
Winning that tournament was their last chance at making it to the NCAA tournament, but losing in the first game dropped their overall ranking enough that they couldn’t qualify. In this article, we’ll look at where Peart has been and what he can bring to the Wild now that he’s signed.
Peart’s High School & College Days
Prior to his college days, Peart played for his local high school, Grand Rapids, and was also a member of the Fargo Force in the United States Hockey League (USHL). In his senior year, he won Mr. Hockey, which is given to the best boy’s high school hockey player in the state, and he also won the award for best high school defenseman.
Peart just finished his junior season at SCSU and contributed quite a few points for a defenseman. In his three seasons, he played 109 games and put up 55 points, with the majority of those being assists. He’s a heads-up defender who knows how to anticipate the play rather than waiting for the puck to get to his stick. He may have ended his college days slightly early, but he’s just getting started on his professional days.
Peart Has Time to Develop
Peart will likely spend time with the Iowa Wild in the American Hockey League (AHL) to develop his skills more, and they need to figure out where exactly he’ll fit into the lineup. The Wild are a team known to let their young players take their time in the AHL, and they try very hard not to rush anyone. Take Marco Rossi, for example; when he wasn’t performing quite to what the team was expecting, they sent him back to the AHL, and he had a strong showing, enough to earn him a permanent roster spot this season.
The Wild have quite a few defensemen under contract at the moment and over the next few seasons, but that doesn’t mean Peart can’t find a spot if he proves himself. While he’s already a strong defenseman, he hasn’t played at the NHL level yet and will need to adapt his game to the speed and intensity of the league.
At the college level, he was able to thwart breakaways, and while he is a quick skater, he’ll have to become faster to keep up with the NHL, something he’ll learn in the AHL. Peart is a very intelligent player, and he’ll likely do just fine at the AHL level and move on to the NHL after that.
Peart Brings All-Around Defense
While the Wild have some capable stay-at-home defensemen, they also have all-around defensemen who aren’t afraid to play some offense, and Peart would fit into the latter category. Having both types is great, but obviously, having defensemen who can score is always a bonus, and he has the shot to do that.
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However, while Peart can score goals, he doesn’t forget his defensive duties, keeping players to the outside and blocking shots. He has good breakout skills and makes sure opposing players aren’t able to get in behind him. He knows how to find the open player, whether playing on the point or working his way down the offensive zone. It may take a season or two, but he’ll find a way to get to the Wild.
Peart’s Future
Again, it may take some time for Peart to crack the Wild lineup due to space and adjusting his game to the NHL level. Some players take longer to adapt, but even if he jumps in ready to go, there has to be space for him. Hopefully, it’ll be a seamless transition, and he’ll be helping the Wild on the blue line soon enough.
