SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Wild have long been the laughing stock of the NHL when it comes to the prospects in the system. Former General Manager Doug Risebrough would often use draft picks as trade bait and, in hind sight, made very little sense. One example was trading away a third round pick to move up one spot in the 2008 draft to select Tyler Cuma. However, new General Manager Chuck Fletcher is on the scene and he is on the record as placing a high value on draft picks, once calling them “worth their weight in gold.” With that in mind, we take a look at the Wild’s current crop of Left Wing prospects, a group made up mostly of Risebrough’s picks, with a handful of Fletcher’s. 1. 1) Colton Gilles – Houston Aeros, AHL Not just the team’s top Left Wing prospect, but one of the top prospects in the entire organization. Gilles played all of last season with the big club. He was under 20 years old, and per NHL rules, could not be sent to Houston, instead requiring him to be sent back to his junior team. Risebrough, and then coach Jacques Lemaire, thought it better for Gilles to stay and practice with the Wild rather than skate and get ice time with his junior team. How this decision will ultimately effect Gilles will take time to figure out, but as of right now, it looks to have been the wrong decision. Gilles’ free agent clock started up due to this decision, and he had yet to truly begin his development. Gilles played in just 45 games but spent most of his time in the press box. He earned just 7 points (2G, 5A) and was assigned to Houston to begin this season. With the Aeros, he has played in 46 games, missing a handful at the beginning of the year due to injury, and has earned 16 points (3G, 13A), has a +8 rating with 54 PIMs. Most recently, Gilles made the news for being suspended by the AHL for two games following a boarding incident in which Bryce Lampman of the Peoria Rivermen left the game on a stretcher. 2. 2) Kris Foucault – Calgary Hitmen, WHL The first of Fletcher’s picks to make the list. Foucault is a relative unknown to most people in Minnesota and is another in a long line of prospects the Wild drafted to be a power forward. However, he has shown to have the ability and work ethic needed to make the NHL. His name is fairly well known around the WHL and had 16 points (11G, 5A) in 18 playoff games to end the season. This season he has 27 points (14G, 13A) in 52 games to go alont with a -6 rating and 27 PIMs. Foucalt is only 19, and will not be 20 until December. Look for him to spend one more season with the Hitmen before making the move to the AHL. 3) 3) Eric Haula – Omaha Lancers, USHL If Haula follows the right development path, he could end up being Fletcher’s first low risk, high reward picks. Chosen in the seventh round, Haula is a poster boy for the new administration’s focus on US based, college level players. He played last season with storied Shattuck Saint Mary’s high school in Minnesota before using this season to grow his talents in the USHL before heading back to play for the University of Minnesota next season. Haula has swapped the top spot in USHL scoring with his teammate Matt White. Haula currently sits at 56 points (22G, 34A) with a +24 rating, and 40 PIMs. 4) 4) Petr Kalus – Houston Aeros, AHL Kalus should be ranked higher on this list, however, he has yet to show the work ethic needed to make the NHL. When he was sent back to Houston prior to last season by Risebrough, he instead did not report and went overseas to play. Kalus was not a fit for a Risebrough/Lemaire managed team, as he is not strong on the defensive aspect of the game. He is another power forward type that was brought into the organization via trade when the Wild sent Manny Fernandez to the Boston Bruins. Kalus has shown flashes of greatness surrounded by long stretches of mediocrity and frustration. With Houston this season, he has earned an unimpressive 14 points (10G, 4A) with a -2 and 52 PIMs. Despite several injuries to the Wild’s top forwards, Kalus has yet to get the call from Saint Paul. 5) 5) Eero Elo – Lukko Rauma, Finland The fact that Elo is the fifth best LW prospect in the Wild’s system is indicative of the problem currently facing Chuck Fletcher. When Elo was drafted by Doug Risebrough in the fifth round of the 2008 draft, there was not even a name placard for him to be put on the draft board. When it was announced, a Google search of his name returned only results for a Bed & Breakfast in Finland. With a bit of time between that draft day and today, Elo has turned out to be highly noticeable, if still not altogether too promising a pick. Elo was noticed by Wild scouts while they were scouting Finnish goaltenders and noticed Elo crashing the net with abandon. He also played on the Finnish national team in the IIHF World Junior Championships in which he had 3 points (2G, 1A) in six games. The author can be reached at bryan.reynolds@prohockeynews.com
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