It was all about getting back to the basics and focusing on the team for the Minnesota Wild’s first day of training camp. From general manager Bill Guerin all the way down to the final player on the roster, everyone was getting used to each other and figuring things out. There were a lot of storylines to follow on opening day, from Kirill Kaprizov’s contract, Marc-André Fleury in attendance, Jonas Brodin on the ice, Mats Zuccarello was out, etc.
While there were plenty of storylines surrounding the veterans of the team, the young players couldn’t be looked over. Danila Yurov was doing the best he could to make a good impression, as were Zeev Buium, Liam Öhgren, Hunter Haight, Jesper Wallstedt, etc. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the key takeaways surrounding the first day of training camp, starting with how the Wild were focusing on the basics.
Wild Work on Basics
Just like last season, the Wild’s training camp started out back to the basics. A lot of puck-moving drills that focused on both offense and defense allowed the players to get back into the groove of things. However, it wasn’t an easy-going skate; head coach John Hynes pushed hard and clearly was trying to get the most out of his players.
While the players kept up with all of the drills, it was clear that he was working them hard and trying to get them back in game shape. There was no standing around, but rather a quick lap around the rink in between drills, and getting that endurance back that may have gone a little dormant during the offseason.
“…Today really is about kicking off a new season, it’s about the team, it’s about establishing ourself early in the season. Getting off to a good start and making a push for the playoffs, and our ultimate goal is to win the Stanley Cup. This is the year that we’ve all been waiting for, it was kind of a tricky summer with the rise in the salary cap, and a lot of players signing with their own teams which kind of limited the free agent pool…..but we do remain pretty flush with cap space and gives us some flexibility which is always a good thing when we’re going into the season,…” said Bill Guerin on what the first day of training camp really was about before addressing Kaprizov’s contract.
Brodin In & Zuccarello Out
Before everyone gets too excited, yes, Jonas Brodin surprised most by taking part in the early part of the first practice of training camp, but it was in a no-contact capacity. It was originally expected that he’d have to miss the start of training camp, but it appears he is progressing somewhat, which is great news. He still has a ways to go, according to both Guerin and Hynes, but getting him on the ice this early is hopefully a good sign.
“I think with Brods right now… we kind of have the same schedule for him. He’ll skate about 40 minutes prior to that first group with Andy Ness, and then come in for the meeting, and then he’ll do the drills. Right now, we just don’t have him doing contact, but any of the drills we do in practice, he can do, particularly system stuff,” said Hynes about getting Brodin back on the ice, but not completely healthy yet.
While the Wild have Brodin back, they lost Mats Zuccarello to an injury confirmed later in the day by Hynes. It was an injury that popped up before camp while he was in the United States, but outside of that, nothing else was confirmed, except that he could miss a bit of time.
“It’s unfortunate because obviously Zuccy’s a big part of the team. I was excited to have him back and look at some different combos with that, but unfortunately, he’s out right now, so we’ll have to figure out maybe some different combos and how we’ll have to start the year,” said Hynes about making due without Zuccarello.
Tarasenko Joins Wild Lineup
Vladimir Tarasenko was one of the Wild’s only acquisitions this offseason and the most notable by far. No one really expected to see his name on a Wild jersey, but after seeing his performance the first day of camp, it looks like it could turn out to be a great signing, especially since he feels so comfortable already in just his first day of training camp.
“I wouldn’t expect this for my career before maybe five, six years ago, but I can’t complain, like I said, it’s a new chapter for us. It’s a very, very good group of people here, and so far we’ve been helped almost like never before…I’ll say it one more time, it’s a good group of guys that makes things very easy,” Tarasenko said about joining the Wild, who used to be a rival when he played for the St. Louis Blues.
“He’s a good hockey player and he knows how to score goals. Hey, look I don’t care if it’s an intersquad scrimmage on day one or game 45 or first round of the playoffs, it just feels nice to score goals,” Guerin said in response to Tarasenko getting a hat trick in their training camp scrimamge.
Yurov Under the Microscope
Just like Kaprizov, Danila Yurov has been a highly anticipated player, and everyone is keenly watching how he transitions to the NHL. While he’s expected to do great things, it’s important to remember he’s still only 21 years old and quite a bit younger than when Kaprizov came over. He still needs time to mature and grow his game, which means there will be some bumps along the way.
“He had a smile on his face coming off the ice today. He’s still very young; this is his first experience with North American hockey. I think he had a bit of a deer in headlight look in the rookie tournament, but it’s different. It’s a different brand of hockey, there’s a lot of different things going on….” Guerin said about his impressions of Yurov on his first day of camp and added, “As we go along, I just want to see him keep pushing himself to be as good as he can be. Not dip his toe in, just go out and play. Play as well as he can without worrying about too much,” Guerin said about what he hopes of Yurov.
While on the subject of young players, the Wild have developed quite a few over the years, and they’ve seen some thrive while others haven’t. Many fans argue that the only way a young player will learn to hone their skills is by playing in the NHL, and accuse teams of blocking their younger talent by not bringing them up from the minors right away. However, that can also be detrimental to a player’s development, and when talking about Yurov and some of the other young talent the Wild have, Guerin was asked about what the most important thing he has learned about developing players especially the last few years.
“If they’re not ready, we’re not going to force them. That’s it. That’s the biggest thing through my playing career and then through working in player development and over the years, you’ve seen it time and time again, if a player’s not ready, he’s not ready, that’s okay. The worst thing we can do is force-feed a kid into the league because this league is unforgiving, and young players can lose confidence in an instant, and it can take months to get it back, or they might not ever. So you have to be really careful, and as much as we want them to be ready and impactful, if they’re not, we have to make sure that we’re doing the right thing for them,” Guerin responded to developing young talent.
Gustavsson & Wallstedt Tandem
The final storyline of the day, of course, revolves around the goaltending. While Fleury was in attendance, he was not on the ice, but rather watching from the stands. Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt were part of the first group on the ice, and they got some reps in together, which is something they’ll be doing a lot of this season. It’s a bit of a transition going from the younger goaltender in a tandem to the leader, and Guerin praised Gustavsson for how he’s matured over the seasons.
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“I think this has been a good progression for Gus, you know, sharing the net with Flower, then taking over a little bit more, and then last year he was the clear-cut one. I think this is gonna be another step. Now he’s the veteran, now he’s going to have to help Wally (Wallstedt), now they’re going to have to create their own relationship, their own chemistry, but I think it puts Gus in a position of leadership…, said Guerin about how he’s confident Gustavsson can fulfill the veteran leadership role.
Wild’s Camp Just Begun
This was just the first day of camp, so while there were a lot of storylines unfolding, there will be even more as camp progresses and the team starts to take shape. In just a few days, cuts will start to happen, and it’ll become clearer as to who’s staying and who’s going. After seeing how hard these players work, it’ll be interesting to see who makes that final cut in the next couple of weeks.
