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Hockey Wilderness

https://www.hockeywilderness.com/ | 231 entries published

A Minnesota Wild Blog that WON'T make you sick and kill you!

Latest Entries

The Crowd Made A Fashion Statement At World Juniors

At least once a season, a discourse on wearing hockey jerseys emerges on social media. Who “can” or “should” wear jerseys? Where are they appropriate to wear? Is there a rhyme or reason to it? Without getting into the specifics, some people have very specific and annoying ideas on who is “allo...

NHL

about 1 month ago | 2 reads

Nobody Breaks Out the Puck Better Than Quinn Hughes

The NHL has the best players in the world, so what gives Quinn Hughes the ability to break out so much better and rank in the top 10? At any level of hockey, you need time and space to make plays, and players have almost none of that in the NHL. Hughes stands out for both his ability to create time...

NHL

about 1 month ago | 3 reads

The Olympic Break Could Be A Second-Half Catalyst For Kaprizov

As the calendar flips to 2026, the hockey world is eagerly awaiting the rosters for next month's Olympic Games. While fans in Minnesota are getting a taste of international hockey with the World Juniors, that's nothing compared to what's on deck. With the NHL finally back in the Games after a 12-yea...

about 1 month ago | 2 reads

The Quinn Hughes Trade Changed Everything

Quinn Hughes' arrival in Minnesota has been an injection of adrenaline into an already surging team. It has changed the entire team's feel. The move has signalled that the organization is done waiting around and is ready to chase something bigger right now. The Wild didn’t make a safe middle-of...

about 1 month ago | 5 reads

Are Gus and Wallstedt the Wild's Best Goaltending Tandem Since 2003?

It feels like the Minnesota Wild’s goaltending duo of Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt is extremely special. The anchor of a team that looks poised to turn regular-season promise into a deep spring run reminiscent of the franchise’s magical 2003 run backstopped by Dwayne Roloson and Manny Ferna...

about 1 month ago | 2 reads

Could Marcus Johansson Make Sweden's Olympic Roster?

That's Wild Marcus Johansson is suddenly exploding offensively and is not looking out of place on the Minnesota Wild's second line right now. So, is he suddenly in the running for a potential wing spot on Team Sweden? His position on the team wasn't guaranteed but with the Olympic announceme...

about 1 month ago | 3 reads

The Wild Face Two Hurdles In Trying To Land Ryan O'Reilly

While the dust is still settling on the Quinn Hughes blockbuster trade, the Minnesota Wild likely still has business to conduct. The Central Division is an arms race this season, and the Wild has some deficiencies to shore up. The main area they can improve is at center. With the team still in...

about 1 month ago | 2 reads

Matt Boldy's Refined Approach Is Creating The Lost Consistency In His Game

For the past few seasons, Minnesota Wild fans have been anxious for Matt Boldy to take the leap. Boldy has played at an All-Star level over the past two years, but fans have been waiting for him to become a franchise-caliber player who can complement Kirill Kaprizov. Saturday’s game over the Wi...

about 1 month ago | 2 reads

Marcus Johansson Pushes Wild Past Golden Knights

That's Wild The Minnesota Wild returned from their holiday break to travel to Nevada and face the Vegas Golden Knights. While their familiar foe has not been having some perfect season, they are still a very good team and would provide a strong test for Minnesota. And thanks to Marcus Johans...

about 1 month ago | 5 reads

One Number Will Tell Us Whether Quinn Hughes Stays Or Goes

Bill Guerin looked exhausted but delighted after trading for Quinn Hughes in mid-December. A call to his old boss, Jim Rutherford, had resulted in an opportunity to land the NHL’s second-best defenseman. It was nearly a perfect trade. The Minnesota Wild needed a scoring boost, and Hughes break...

about 1 month ago | 4 reads

Matt Boldy Is Closing the Gap Between Himself And Kirill Kaprizov

Back in October, Bill Guerin posed a simple question about Matt Boldy to The Athletic's Joe Smith: "You tell me. What wingers are better than him?" At the time, the list wasn't very long. The Minnesota Wild's "second star" was already in the top-20 wingers, according to NHL Network. Jack Freshe...

about 1 month ago | 3 reads

The Minnesota Wild Wish Everyone Happy Holidays In A Way Only They Can

The Minnesota Wild admin team is top-notch, obviously, and one of the best things they have released so far this year was the pre-Christmas caroling video. “But Christmas is over! Why are we still talking about it?” Well, without being pedantic, the Wild players sang their rendition of the 12 D...

NHL

about 1 month ago | 5 reads

The Hughes-Faber Pairing Might Be the Minnesota Wild's Superpower

When you look at the NHL's recent Stanley Cup winners, you can identify a superpower for each of them. That One Thing that elevates them above the pack, a unique attribute that the team leans on to great success. The Florida Panthers have boasted impossible forward depth in recent seasons. The...

about 1 month ago | 5 reads

Minnesota Wild Fans Shouldn't Fear the Playoff Format

There's one team in the NHL that is separating itself from the rest of the NHL, and it's obviously the Colorado Avalanche. Minnesota Wild fans are well aware of this, having gotten a taste of the buzzsaw known as the Avs in a 5-1 loss last Sunday. But Colorado's fearsome reputation has been built up...

about 2 months ago | 6 reads

Why Are the Wild Entering Such A Punishing Playoff Structure?

With their fourth game in six days on the second night of a back-to-back, against two of the NHL’s most talented teams, the Minnesota Wild got off to a bit of a sluggish start against the league-leading Colorado Avalanche, which isn’t much of a surprise considering they were on the second game of a...

about 2 months ago | 4 reads

There Are Plenty Of Minnesota Connections At the World Junior Championships

One of the world’s premier hockey events comes to the Twin Cities this week. The World Junior Ice Hockey Championships will take place at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul and 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, from Friday, December 26 to Monday, January 5. Ten teams, divided into two groups, wi...

NHL

about 2 months ago | 3 reads

Nico Sturm Has Addressed Two Of the Wild's Greatest Weaknesses

When the Minnesota Wild signed Nico Sturm over the offseason, it wasn’t quite the splash many had hoped for on the Wild’s proverbial Christmas Morning. While it wasn’t the most eye-catching acquisition, the Wild brought Sturm in to fit a particular role. The German forward has carved out a nic...

about 2 months ago | 1 read

Wild Have Opportunity For Another Win Streak

The Minnesota Wild might have had their seven-game win streak ended in a disheartening loss to the Colorado Avalanche, but there is a chance for them to pick up right where they left off. Facing the Avalanche on any night is difficult but it was even more of a hill to climb when the divisional...

about 2 months ago | 3 reads

The Wild's Loss To Colorado Highlighted the Risk Of the Hughes Trade

Mats Zuccarello regrets that the Minnesota Wild didn’t get off to a better start in their 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. “We showed them a little too much respect, I think,” Zuccarello said. “A good team like that, you gotta be on the front foot. But you gotta give them credit. I...

about 2 months ago | 5 reads

Game Night With the Minnesota Wild

It’s game night! No, not at the Grand Casino Arena. It’s team bonding game night, most likely hosted at the Spurgeon household, just like everything is. Don’t worry, there’s a large spread of snacks and drinks along with plenty of board game options. Let’s take a peek and see how everyone is doing....

NHL

about 2 months ago | 4 reads

The Tarasenko Time Machine Is Exactly What the Wild Need Right Now

Future considerations and a one-year, $5 million contract. That’s all it took to get former six-time 30-goal scorer and Minnesota Wild killer Vladimir Tarasenko from the Detroit Red Wings in the offseason. There was some optimism among pundits and management that, despite his goal totals dwind...

about 2 months ago | 3 reads

How Do the Wild Maximize Quinn Hughes?

Adding Quinn Hughes, arguably the best defender on the planet, does a lot for a team’s gameplan. So, how should the Minnesota Wild deploy their shiny new blueliner? Well, there are a few ways to look at this. Who should the Wild pair Hughes with? Hughes finished ninth in the league in ice...

about 2 months ago | 2 reads

Wild Remain Unbeaten In Quinn Hughes Era

That's Wild The Minnesota Wild have not lost a game since they acquired Quinn Hughes. The latest showing was a 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets -- earned by Joel Eriksson Ek scoring a game-winning goal on a scramble in front of the net in the third period. This team sure seems good. [S...

about 2 months ago | 2 reads

Quinn Hughes Already Has A Gamebreaking Playoff History

It's been just two games, but it's safe to call it now: Quinn Hughes in a Minnesota Wild sweater is something to behold. Showing up on the scoresheet is great, and Hughes has done it in each of his first two games in St. Paul. Beyond that, though, we see a Wild team that previously couldn't mo...

about 2 months ago | 2 reads

Tyler Pitlick, the Ultimate Journeyman, Has Come Home

Do a quick web search of the word “journeyman,” and you’ll find definitions like “a worker or sports player who is reliable but not outstanding” (Oxford Languages), or “an experienced reliable worker, athlete, or performer especially as distinguished from one who is brilliant or colorful” (Merriam-W...

about 2 months ago | 3 reads