FIRST DAY OF CAMP IN IOWA
Sep 25, 2015By Josh Fisher | Follow @iowawildfish
The first day of training camp was rather lite on Saturday for the Iowa Wild. With a large contingency of cuts expected soon in St. Paul as the NHL club looks to trim it’s training camp roster, only 16 players took the ice in Iowa’s first official training camp practice of 2015.
With a slew of new players out on the ice, fans got their first look at some of the players that will don the Wild crest starting on Oct. 10 at Wells Fargo Arena with the home opener versus Charlotte. There are numerous hopefuls on tryouts in Des Moines, here is a look at who’s in Iowa’s camp on day one.
GOALIES
Brody Hoffman, Steven Michalek and Andy Morrison are here for a spot in Iowa’s crease and they all could compete for a spot. Hoffman is a big goalie entering his first year pro. He had solid numbers over his career at Vermont University, earning an NHL contract from Minnesota in March of 2015. Michalek is also turning pro from the college ranks after putting up some decent numbers at Harvard. Morrison had a good season in South Carolina (ECHL) and saw some time in Providence (AHL).
Forwards -
There were six forwards on the ice, led by notables Raphael Bussieres and Olivier Archambault. Bussieres enters his third year and looks to bounce back from a rough injury-plagued season in 2014-15. Archambault was impactful during his stint with Iowa and had excellent numbers in Alaska (ECHL). Zach Budish is a former second round pick of Nashville in 2009 (#41 overall). He has spent the last few years in Milwaukee. Tanner Eberle is a rookie who played in Moose Jaw (WHL) last season, scoring 33 goals. Mike Hoeffel is also in camp, bringing a solid AHL resume. He played in Albany (AHL) from 2010-2014 and also in Springfield (AHL) in 2014-15. He was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the 2nd round (#57 overall) in 2007. Fellow rookie Matt Neal played the last four years at RPI.
Defensemen -
There were seven defensemen on the ice, including returnees Guillaume Gelinas and Alex Gudbranson. Both defensemen were limited in game action in 2014-15 due to injuries. It’s hard to miss Joe Finley, a former first round pick of Washington (#27 overall) in 2005. The 6-foot-7, 252-pounder is the tallest player to don the Wild sweater. Jake Baker is listed at 6-foot-5 and recently wrapped up his career at Northern Michigan University. Kevin Gibson turns pro after playing at Wisconsin Stevens Point over the last four years. The son of former major leaguer Kirk Gibson brings some offense to the table with 32 points in 31 games last season in college. Brian O’Rourke isn’t far from where he completed his college career at the University of Nebraska-Omaha last spring. Blueliner Mike Monfredo brings a little bit of everything – size, some offense and some toughness. He spent the 2014-15 year in Quad City.