ST. PAUL, Minn. — Every rookie has goals when they come to training camp.
Liam Ohgren and Jesper Wallstedt were all smiles Monday when after checking off the box on one of them. Both got word that they’re here to stay … for now, and will land on the Wild’s opening-night roster.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that either player will be in the lineup Thursday night, when the Wild kick off the 2024-25 season against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but both had strong training camps and earned the right to stay. Wallstedt came into camp confident but wasn’t sure if he’d stick off the bat. It’ll be a season-long challenge with the Wild carrying three goalies, including Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury.
“This was my goal coming in,” said Wallstedt, the 21-year-old goalie who also signed a two-year, $4.4 million extension ($2.2 million average annual value) starting next season that will keep him from becoming a restricted free agent. “I’ve just been loving every day to show up here and compete, and being around these guys has been awesome.
“I want to be here every day. So this is definitely a goal that I wanted to do. But keep on working, take it day by day and continue to develop. I want to play games. So there’s always going to be new goals, too. When you get to the goals you want to get to, there are always new goals coming up. So now it’s time for the next one.”
Ohgren, 20, had a tough first week of his training camp, but after meeting with coach John Hynes, he has ascended. Hynes basically told him to stop thinking, worrying about the systems and trying to be somebody he’s not.
“His speed is noticeable. His competitiveness on the puck is noticeable,” Hynes said. “Because he has those things, I think he’s been an offensive-chance generator. His attention to detail without the puck has been very good. He’s really grasping some of the adjustments made in the D-zone — some of our rush defense.
“Right now, he looks like he’s just playing. He’s Liam Ohgren. He’s influencing the game with speed.”
It’ll be interesting to see if Ohgren plays opening night or if he’s healthy-scratched.
Marcus Johansson looks like he’ll start the season on the second line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy. Johansson scored in his final exhibition game and was more engaged and physical during his past two preseason games than last season. That was something the coaching staff had been talking about with him.
The third line of Marcus Foligno, Ryan Hartman and Yakov Trenin is likely cemented, because Marco Rossi appears to have earned a spot between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello on the first line. That leaves only a spot on one of Marat Khusnutdinov’s wings. Newcomer Jakub Lauko had a terrific camp, so if Ohgren is to play against Columbus, it would have to be for Freddy Gaudreau.
Ohgren did get fourth-line shifts Monday, and Hynes and general manager Bill Guerin have often said that they don’t think the 20-year-old needs to play top-six minutes to learn or be effective. If Oghren is going to be the 13th forward regularly, AHL Iowa would be the most sensible place for him to develop, but if he’s going to get games in Minnesota, the Wild are fine with this being his development path.
Remember, Mikko Koivu is the all-time leading scorer in franchise history and was a fourth-line center in his rookie year. Eriksson Ek scored 30 goals last season and started his NHL career in the bottom six, too.
“Coming into camp, I had a goal to make the team and to be up here for the whole season,” Ohgren said. “I feel like I’m on the right path. … I feel like I was thinking a lot, especially the first week and the first game. About systems and making the team or not — just too many thoughts. Then I had to talk with Hynes and I feel like that was a great talk.
“He just said, ‘I need to go out, play my game and be myself.’ After that, I feel like I played better and better every practice and every game.”
Ohgren does understand there could be times he is out of the lineup or even sent to Iowa for a stint.
“But I feel like if I’m up here it’s gonna be a great experience for me to be around all those guys, all the staff and learn everything,” Ohgren said. “So I don’t think that’s a bad thing, just to be up here and learn a bunch of stuff. But of course, you always want to play.”
Ohgren is still living in a hotel. Wallstedt was told earlier this camp to find a place to live in Minnesota. That does seem to indicate that Ohgren’s status is more fluid.
Wallstedt joked that as much as he loves Des Moines, “Minneapolis is a different business, and it’ll be fun being here, and especially the girlfriend is a little extra happy now with a couple more stuff to do here (than Des Moines).”
But he, too, understands he probably hasn’t seen the last of Iowa.
“That’s nothing I can do anything about,” he said. “I control what I can control, and I focus on what I can do. I put in the effort that makes their job harder. For sure, I want to be here and hopefully make a case that I’m not the guy they’re sending down if that situation would happen. Hopefully, I could put in the effort and put up the results that they feel that they want to keep me instead of someone else.”
As Hynes pointed out, Gustavsson and Fleury are going nowhere, so this is just a fact of life for Wallstedt right now. But if Wallstedt wins and is the best of the three goalies, it’s a win-loss business, and the Wild expect to get back to the playoffs.
Carrying three goalies is complicated — mapping out who’s starting, backing up and not dressing on a nightly basis. If one assumes Gustavsson is starting opening night, Fleury the second game on Saturday and Gustavsson the second of a back-to-back on Sunday, Wallstedt’s season debut could come next Tuesday in St. Louis.
There are also only two nets in practices, so getting each goalie the right number of practice reps will be a day-to-day challenge, as well.
“Communication will be key with (goalie coach) Freddy (Chabot),” Fleury said. “We’ve already talked about going on early, some guys stay later, after right? So finding ways to still get a good workload, even though there’s three of us. And we all get along good — me, Gus and Wally — so I think we’ll be able to talk and make sure everybody gets what they need.”
Added Wallstedt, “When you’re in the net, it’s extra important to put in the 110 percent effort and really, really compete for every puck, because every single rep you get is getting even more important now. And then obviously, do what you need to do in the gym after.”
One thing that isn’t a coincidence? In the Wild’s locker room at their TRIA practice facility, Wallstedt’s stall is right next to Fleury’s.
Part of the design of Wallstedt being in Minnesota this early in his career, besides the fact he’s considered the Wild’s future No. 1, is to have him around Fleury as much as possible during the final year of the 39-year-old’s career.
“He’s so funny,” Wallstedt said. “We have so many fun conversations, and he always has a smile. Like it’s hard to sit here and be mad or be sad when he comes in — just laughing, joking with everyone.
“Definitely makes you even happier to be here and makes you want to compete. And also continue to be here and around him — and Gus, as well, obviously. We connect really well. I’ve been playing a lot of golf (with Gustavsson), and obviously we’re both Swedish, so it makes the conversations easy, too. So I think we’re a great group of goalies.”
Chisholm may be on outside looking in
Despite being a constant on the Wild’s third defensive pair all of training camp, Declan Chisholm rotated in and out of the pairs Monday, with Jon Merrill skating consistently with third-pair right defenseman Zach Bogosian.
Hynes said early in camp that with Jared Spurgeon back, the Wild wouldn’t play Chisholm simply as a power-play specialist.
With Brock Faber running the first unit and Spurgeon the second, the Wild are looking for a more reliable Chisholm than he’s been in his past couple of exhibition games. He had a great preseason debut, but the Wild haven’t loved his cross-ice turnovers that have led to rush chances, such as Connor Bedard’s late in Friday’s exhibition finale.
Hynes also thought Merrill had a solid camp and can play the penalty kill.
Hynes said the Wild haven’t decided who the 13th forward, seventh defensemen and third goalie will be on opening night. But regardless, with three games in the first four nights, four in the first six and a seven-game road trip early, the extras on opening night will soon get opportunities to play.
“Just because a player isn’t in the lineup Game 1 doesn’t mean he might not be in Game 2 or in the back-to-back,” Hynes said. “We feel like we have 13 (forwards), seven (defensemen) and three (goalies). Everyone’s probably deserving of being in the lineup. We can’t do that, but we’re probably going to try to shift around to see if we can get some people some games based on performance, results, back-to-back, those type of situations.”
(Top photo of Jesper Wallstedt: Nick Wosika / USA Today)
