Minnesota Wild's prospect pool boasts top-end talent and character
The Wild is still in the midst of a controlled rebuilding process. While the team has added immediate help at the NHL level for some areas of deficiency, most notably an elite top-pairing defenseman in Ryan Suter, an underrated top-four defenseman in Tom Gilbert, and an all-star scoring winger in Zach Parise, a few barren years at the draft kept the team from contention recently. Very strong drafts in 2010 and 2011, punctuated by the trade for Charlie Coyle, have put the team in excellent shape to be contenders soon. The core might be able to take advantage of the NHL lockout to grow together at the AHL level.… read more
does anybody else think that Brodin and Dumba are a future pairing?
Their styles will compliment eachother very well... Brodin being the stay at home disciplined type, and Dumba the more aggressive type that would benefit from a stay at home on his pairing.
Brodin is lefty, Dumba is righty...
This seems like a great match if they both pan out at the NHL level (obviously no guarantee at this point)
If they become what we think they can, then of course. In five years, they will be 24-25 years old and in their prime, Suter will be 33 and holding down the 2nd pairing.
Thus far, teams keep insisting upon playing Brodin on the right side. That could always change, but he did that last year in Sweden and has been doing it so far in Houston.
In theory, Brodin and Dumba is a sexy pairing. However, the chemistry that Scandella and Brodin showed before their respective injuries was evident and I would like to see how they do at the NHL level together.
i think Brodin can play with anyone and be effective, but Dumba is going to need a steady guy to be at his most effective. I like the Brodin/Scandella pairing because while neither one is great offensively, both can contribute. Both will probably be more likely to take a chance now and then having confidence the other can cover for them where they'd play it safe for the most part paired up with a loose canon guy like Dumba. Scandella in particular I see playing lower more often and challenging for loose pucks which with his monkey arms and reach would be great instead of immediately backpedaling. Just take a stride forward and try to poke the puck deeper before the forward can reach it on a breakout.
Kyle Rau definitely does. Argument could be made for Chad too. Chad showed off some great skills in High school and college, just hasn't exactly translated to the NHL. Haula is very skilled too but I wouldn't consider him dynamic or anything.
Down the road I can certainly see him being a useful player for the Gophers, but the idea of Louie Nanne filling a top-six role next year - ahead of, just to start with, Rau, Cammarata, Fasching, Guertler, Kloos, Boyd, Ambroz, Warning, Isackson, and Condon - is, as a professor I once had said, the kind of assertion that makes people resolve all future doubts against you.
Kyle Rau definitely does. Argument could be made for Chad too. Chad showed off some great skills in High school and college, just hasn't exactly translated to the NHL. Haula is very skilled too but I wouldn't consider him dynamic or anything.
Can't speak for Chad, but the only thing Kyle Rau has on Haula is heart and drive. Rau doesn't make skilled plays like Haula does- not saying he can't, but Rau's game is hustle, bang, and go to the net.
Can't speak for Chad, but the only thing Kyle Rau has on Haula is heart and drive. Rau doesn't make skilled plays like Haula does- not saying he can't, but Rau's game is hustle, bang, and go to the net.
Kyle Rau has always been known as the more skilled offensive player. Thats just how the gophers utilize him, his size is by far the biggest thing holding him back in a physical league. His hands are very very good, better than most people give him credit for and he's always been considered a dynamic player with his speed and ability to burn defenders from anywhere on the ice.
Haula's game is far more based on his positioning and hustle to make good plays. His shot and hands are pretty good but not elite in my opinion.
Ya, I don't see Rau as a player that excels based on higher end tools. He produces at the collegiate level, in my opinion, because he's got an above average skill set for the level combined with the will that not many have. If he does have an NHL career, it will be because of the latter. I don't see him having the pure tools to ever slate in the top 6 of an NHL team.
As far as Haula, I think he's the most creative offensive player on that Gopher team. However, he doesn't have enough in other aspects of his game to ever see NHL ice on any sort of consistent basis.
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Ya, I don't see Rau as a player that excels based on higher end tools. He produces at the collegiate level, in my opinion, because he's got an above average skill set for the level combined with the will that not many have. If he does have an NHL career, it will be because of the latter. I don't see him having the pure tools to ever slate in the top 6 of an NHL team.
As far as Haula, I think he's the most creative offensive player on that Gopher team. However, he doesn't have enough in other aspects of his game to ever see NHL ice on any sort of consistent basis.
I see Haula as a lot of Erik Christensen. Good hands, decent vision, but I really think he'll wilt against stronger, more physical competition.
