The popular hockey farm report hockeysfuture.com has released their prospect rankings for the 2010-11 season and, unsurprisingly, 2010 Wild first-rounder Mikael Granlund tops the team’s list.
Granlund, whom the Wild selected ninth overall, replaces Tyler Cuma on last year’s list, with Cuma slipping to third this season behind fellow defenseman Marco Scandella. Both Cuma and Scandella will be in training camp with the Wild in a few weeks with an outside shot at a final roster place.
Granlund put up star numbers in the Finnish Elite league as a 17 year-old last season, scoring 13 goals and 40 points in 43 games with a below average HIFK Helsinki team. He will remain in Finland for the 2010-11 campaign.
Hockeysfuture gives prospects a rating on a 10-point scale, with 10’s being considered once-in-a-generation type players (Gretzky, Lemieux, Crosby, etc.). Granlund has been handed an 8.0 rating, along with it the description of a “First line forward / No. 2 defenseman / No. 1 goaltender -- players with definite skill that might be just a cut below elite status, but still possessing All-Star potential.”
He was the only player in the Wild’s rebuilding system to be given that high a grade.
Seemingly forgotten prospect Colton Gillies checked in at 4th on the list, with goaltender Matt Hackett at number 5. Cody Almond, recent draftee Johan Larsson, Casey Wellman, newcomer Joel Broda (more on him tomorrow) and Gopher freshman Erik Haula rounded out the top 10.
Seven of the 20 players have played at least one game for the big club. Eight of the names are new to the franchise since the start of last season; a testament to the much-needed front office commitment towards rebuilding the farm system which was ranked 30th in the league by the site last season.
Follow the Minnesota Wild Examiner on Facebook.
Comments