MINNESOTA WILD DRAFTS EIGHT PLAYERS IN 2018 NHL ENTRY DRAFT

Jun 28, 2018

By Jacob Born (@Jacob_Born)

This past Friday and Saturday, a total of 217 players became members of NHL organizations.

The NHL held its annual entry draft in Dallas this year, where 31 organizations bolstered their respective systems with some players ready to contribute now and some who will take years to develop.

Of those 217 players selected, eight were selected by Minnesota. Of the eight selected, two were defensemen, four were centers and two were wingers. The complete Minnesota draft is below.

Round	Pick	Name	Position	Team (League)
1	24	Filip Johansson	D	Leksands IF (Allsvenskan)
3	63	Jack McBain	C	Toronto Jr. (OJHL)
3	86	Alexander Khovanov	C	Moncton (QMJHL)
3	92	Connor Dewar	C	Everett (WHL)
5	148	Simon Johansson	D	Djurgardens IF J20 (SuperElit)
5	155	Damien Giroux	LW	Saginaw (OHL)
6	179	Shawn Boudrias	RW	Gatineau (QMJHL)
7	210	Sam Hentges	C	Tri-City/Des Moines (USHL)

“It was exciting,” said Vice President of Hockey Operations Brent Flahr, who ran his ninth consecutive draft with Minnesota in 2018. “We had a first, three thirds and a total of eight picks, so we were excited to put some bodies into the pool of prospects. That should really help us moving forward.”

Minnesota’s first-round pick Filip Johansson is lauded by Flahr as a guy with a high hockey IQ and who is great on his skates.

“Johansson, he’s a smooth skater and really smart with the puck,” Flahr said. “He’s a type of guy we see translating into a quality NHL defenseman in a couple years once he gets stronger. He’s already playing pro hockey in Sweden and he just keeps getting better and better. He’s a guy we’re excited about.”

Without a second-round pick, Minnesota used its three third-round picks all on centers. Jack McBain, Alexander Khovanov and Connor Dewar all excite the Wild organization, especially McBain, who Flahr says he was ecstatic to be able to draft.

“McBain is a guy we had rated highly,” Flahr said. “He’s a guy we didn’t think we’d be able to get at 63, but we were able to get him there. He’s a big body, a big power forward. Always good around the net and has good hands. He’s in a good spot to grow his game and be an NHL player down the road.”

Taking another defenseman in Simon Johansson (not related to Filip) in the fifth round, Flahr and the rest of the Minnesota brass completed the draft by taking winger Damien Giroux in the fifth round, Shawn Boudrias in the sixth round and Sam Hentges in the seventh.

Flahr said the team wasn’t specifically looking for any one position or another, especially in the first round. Drafting at 24^th overall, it’s more about who the best available player is at the time rather than drafting for position.

“At 24, you’re a little bit at the mercy of the teams in front of you, as far as players you have access to,” Flahr said. “Where we were picking, you’re going for the best player. You go off your list and go after guys you feel strongly about.”

Those eight players will take some time before finding their way to Xcel Energy Center; there will be at least a year or two of development before they can get a crack at an NHL roster spot. But as for fans in Iowa, they’ll be able to see these prospects a bit sooner, especially players such as Dewar, who is in his last season of eligibility in juniors.

“You have to start in Iowa,” Flahr said. “You can probably see Dewar a year sooner than the other guys. All these guys, in a perfect world, you’d like to start them in the American Hockey League and have them learn how to play the pro game and live off the ice. It only helps their development.”

Up next for these draft picks is Minnesota’s development camp, which will take place in mid-July in St. Paul. There, more than 40 Minnesota prospects will hit the ice for the week, competing in scrimmages and drills.

But just a few days after Dallas, Flahr and the rest of the organization are quite pleased with how the 2018 NHL Entry Draft shook out.

“All these guys, we hope to see in a Wild uniform at some point,” Flahr said. “We’re happy to get the haul we did. Iowa fans should be excited because they’ll see a number of guys come through in the coming years. They’ll help the organization for sure.”