The Minnesota Wild bolstered the future of the farm system over this past weekend.
Minnesota traded up to the No. 12 pick in the first round to draft University of Denver freshman defenseman Zee Buium. The Pioneers blueliner totaled 50 points on 11 goals and 39 assists in 42 games. He became the NCAA freshman defenseman to record a 50-point season in over two decades.
In the second round (45th overall) the Wild took Ryder Ritchie, a right winger from the Prince Alberta Raiders of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Ritchie played in 47 games for the Raiders in the 2023-24 season racking up 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 total points.
Their next pick came in the fourth round (122nd overall), selecting Finnish defenseman Aron Kiviharju. The pick was acquired in a trade with the Boston Bruins. He missed most of the 2023-24 season, but did play seven games with HIFK in Finland’s top professional league.
Minnesota made two selections in the fifth round. They took another Finn at 140th in defenseman Sebastian Soini. At pick No. 142 they added goaltender Chase Wutzke from the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL. Soini played in 32 games with Koovee of the Mestis league in Finland, recording eight points, all of which were assists. Wutzke appeared in 36 games for the Rebels this past season posting a 19-10-2 record with a 2.82 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.
The Wild’s final pick in the draft came in the sixth round at No. 174. They took Cambridge, Ontario native, Stevie Leskovar, a defenseman who played for the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League this past season. In 61 games with the Steelheads during the 2023-24 season tallying 12 points on two goals and 10 assists.
