For the 2014-15 Wild, It's Now or Never

[OccamsRazor]

Graovac a good find for Minnesota Wild

 

http://theahl.com/graovac-a-good-find-for-minnesota-wild-p196783

 

At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Tyler Graovac is hard to miss.

But all 30 NHL teams did just that, bypassing Graovac 190 times until the Minnesota Wild finally selected him No. 191 overall with their last pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

 

“I knew when it came down to [draft weekend], I wasn’t really expected to go high,” Graovac recalled. “Getting picked seventh round by Minnesota was a little bit of a shock because I had had a lot of interviews with teams that year and Minnesota was the only one who didn’t interview me. But it’s been going great. They’ve been very patient with me.”

 

That patience has paid dividends, as the 21-year-old center has excelled in his second season with the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Iowa Wild. Fifty-eight games into the 2014-15 campaign, Graovac has nearly doubled his offensive output from last year, leading Iowa in goals (19), points (40), power-play goals (8), and shots on goal (163). To go along with that, he’s recorded 10 multiple-point efforts on the season.

 

Graovac made his NHL debut with Minnesota on Dec. 29, 2014, and the three games he would spend with them became the only AHL time he’s missed with Iowa, lending credence to the workhorse ethic lauded by the Iowa coaching staff.

 

“Tyler’s going to be one of the leaders here if he doesn’t make the big team [next year],” said Iowa head coach John Torchetti, whose resume includes a Stanley

 

Cup title as an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. “It’s something that comes with his film work, his off-ice work in the training room, his work habits. He’s putting the time in after practice with our skating and skill coach and our assistant coaches, and those are all the little things that are going to help him be a pro and that’s what he wants to be.”

 

A native of Brampton, Ont., Graovac played his first game in the NHL on Canadian soil, logging more than nine minutes of ice time as the Wild edged the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 inside MTS Centre.

 

“You always ask guys, ‘What’s it like?’ and everyone kind of says it’s a dream. I’ve said this before, but it felt like a video game,” Graovac said. “I made it from [being] at prom on draft weekend to playing in front of thousands of people. It was very, very exciting, and a really fun time for me and for my family. Hopefully it will happen again soon.”

 

Graovac’s gratitude for his family’s support may not be a revelatory thought in hockey, a world of 5 a.m. practices and long car rides and 100 percent focus on that end goal. But his absolute awareness of what may have been given up in order for him to give it all jumps right off the page.

 

“I owe so much to my family,” he said. “My parents sacrificed a lot of their life the last 20 years to get me in the right direction. They put so much time and money into my life, and not only just my immediate family, but my grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles – they all put me almost number one and ahead of their lives.

 

“That says a lot to me. I had my dad there in Winnipeg, and my cousin came down, and I remember saying to them after the game, almost like a ‘We made it’ type of thing. That was the best feeling for me. Even better than the game, to be honest.”

 

Graovac played junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League, amassing 58 goals and 130 points in 228 games between Ottawa and Belleville (2009-13). He capped his final season with an impressive playoff performance for Belleville, posting 22 points in 16 playoff games, and he earned the Canadian Hockey

 

League’s Sportsman of the Year award for 2012-13.

 

“He’s a quiet kid. He takes a lot of pride in his game. I think he’s starting to come out of his shell,” Torchetti said. “People expect him to be this physical, dominating player, but he’s a puck possession guy. He’s a smart guy, and he knows what to do without the puck and [how to get] into open spots. He really wants to be a consummate pro, and that’s one thing that he’s really improved upon, being consistent.”

 

Iowa has struggled on the ice this season, and Torchetti has leaned on first- and second-year players to step up and produce each night. For Graovac, no longer a rookie on paper, the adversity has helped his game grow even more.

 

“I try to go into every game thinking that I’m going to be a game-changer and do everything I can to help the team win. I want to be that guy,” he said. “Compared to last year, I was just kind of getting into the league and being a sponge and trying to adjust as quick as I can. This year, I’m just saying I’m going to take this and run with it.”

 

Of the 30 players drafted in 2011’s seventh round, eight have played in the NHL, with Tampa Bay’s Ondrej Palat leading the way with 159 games. Six, including Graovac, have made their debuts this season.

 

“Maybe on paper, I’m a seventh-rounder,” he said, “but in my mind, I know I’m more capable than that and I think I’ve proved that.”

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

@OccamsRazor

 

I honestly was not aware of Tyler Graovac till you posted this about him.

I mean, I've heard the name, but just wasn't aware of the improvements he had been making in Iowa.

 

Barring major injury though, I doubt he has an impact on this year's Minnesota Wild should they get into the playoffs, but he is a big power type forward with skill?

Sure...the Wild certainly can use that.

 

Minnesota brought in Chris Stewart to fill in just that type of role, however, while Stewart has been 'ok', I am not overly impressed by his skating and wonder about his ability to keep up with the other Wild forwards when the team decides to really crank it up and skate end to end.

 

Unless Chris Stewart becomes a major force for the Wild in the post season, I don't see him staying on for next year (he is a UFA making $4.2M), that would certainly leave the door open for a young 22 yr old like Tyler Graovac to make (and stay with) the team for the 2015-16 campaign.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Ok, ok...haven't updated this thread in a while.

 

Minnesota Wild continue their amazing run and now, not only have they firmly entrenched themselves in a playoff position, but are now, with games dwindling fast, at the doorstep of teams ahead of them (Chicago, St. Louis) for an outside shot at a home ice slot of all things!

 

Alright, so home ice, given the amount of games left and the teams needed to be caught is not as realistic as simply getting in, but still, gives this team something to continue to play for as Devan Dubnyk and his Wild continue to defy odds.

 

I lost track, but with tonight's start, Dubnyk, 33rd, 34th, 35th consecutive start?

I have been waiting for the wheels to fall off, they haven't, and now, I am starting to believe that maybe the wheels DON'T need to fall off and that Dubnyk made a deal with the devil somewhere and got some superhuman powers for this run!

 

I've been touting this Minnesota team for a few seasons now.

Even during those two seasons just prior to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter signing on.

Had been saying "They are a contender, they are a contender!"....got laughed at (with good reason...looking back now, those teams before Zach and Ryan signed on were FAR from any sort of contender), and I have seen them slowly round into a very good, solid all around, fast, puck possession full blown contender.

 

And despite their issues earlier this year, you know, before Superhero Dubnyk rode into town, the talent on the team was ALWAYS THERE!

But the team now has things going in such a way, that I can't help but think....if the Minnesota Wild are going to win, THIS season could be as good as any to do it in!

 

It's no longer about "the future" for the Wild.

Parise, Suter, Koivu, Pomminville, Vanek, Dubnyk...those are all good players who are in their prime NOW...not two, three years down the road...NOW.

Granlund, Coyle, Niedderreiter, Brodin, Spurgeon, Scandella, Dumba....those are young guys whose best days are still ahead of them, yet they are good enough to help win NOW as well.

 

So why can't a diehard Minnesota Wild fan believe this team's time is now as well?

 

That all said, the Wild face down a very good NY Rangers team tonight.

A Rangers team that has seen their fair share of adversity, have made a good run themselves with their backup Cam Talbot, are now getting Henrik Lundquist back and into top form and who currently sit as the number one team in the Eastern Conference with a real shot at returning to the Cup Finals.

 

Oh, and, this was the same NY Rangers team (nay, a BETTER NY Rangers team) that had made that big comeback against the Wild at MSG earlier this season when it looked like the Wild had that game lock, stock and barrel.

 

This matchup may not be Conference rival quality, but make not mistake....East - West matchup, two teams that most aren't thinking "Finals Preview"....it should be a very good game with two teams looking to put their stamp on the NHL as the team to beat.

Wild have had some unusual extended time off late in the season...hopefully it doesn't mess with their 'mojo'.

 

Rangers....Wild....at Xcel.....Let's Get WILD!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Wild hit a snag against a very good NY Rangers team last night.
Slow start doomed the team as New York jumped them early, not 5 min into the game, got a 1-0 lead against Minnesota and it would turn out to be the difference in the game as NY takes it 3-2.

I am not that worried though.
Not to make excuses for the Wild, but they did have an unusual amount of days off between games (4 I believe), and THAT is unusual as the season winds down.

I will attribute the slow start to just not being as sharp as the team could have been, meanwhile, the Rangers have been in dogfight games and have been battle hardened all week...and indeed all season.
Plus the Rangers are NO gimmee...they are the flippin Eastern Conference Champs, are looking to win the President's Trophy and want to get BACK to the Finals.

So the Wild will regroup and face a reeling Detroit Red Wings team on Saturday at Xcel for their final home game of the season.
Minny finishes the season on the road, but if all stays the way it should, the Wild will have home playoff games to play shortly after that!

These days the Wild find themselves with some GOOD problems to have:
Namely, they have TOO MANY HEALTHY BODIES!

Imagine that.
Healthy bodies where the coach now has to have healthy scratches! Unheard of!
That should raise the level of competition for ice time, guys giving it their all on every shift because THEY want to be the ones out there for their fans and team......like I said, a GOOD problem to have.

And Mathew Dumba...QUICKLY becoming my favorite Wild D-man...growing up right before my eyes.
Guy is just 20 and plays like a 10 year vet out there sometimes! Effing awesome!

Red Wings @ Wild...Saturday......They gonna fix what went wrong against the Rangers...I can feel it! 

[JagerMeister]

And Mathew Dumba...QUICKLY becoming my favorite Wild D-man...growing up right before my eyes.

Guy is just 20 and plays like a 10 year vet out there sometimes! Effing awesome!

 

Are you forgetting someone.....

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

And thus, with a win at the Chicago Blackhawks, the Minnesota Wild do indeed, punch their ticket to the post season with 2 games remaining.

Three years in a row now in the playoffs and each of the previous two years, the team had made progress. Is this the year they take things to the next level?

Are we talking Western Conference Finals or, dare I dream, Stanley Cup Finals?

 

Won't be a cakewalk no matter how you slice it despite the Wild's very good run to get to this point.

Sure, there are teams out there probably thinking " I don't want to play Minnesota in an opening round", but the fact is, Minny is going in as a WC (either 1st or 2nd), which means they will be getting a division winner to start things off with, and if they get bracketed in the Central division as opposed to the Pacific division, they will see very stiff competition in the way of that Western Finals trip.

 

Hmm.

Two games left (@ Nashville, @ St. Louis....ironically, two possible first round matchups) and the team already clinched in.....do the Wild NOW give Devan Dubnyk one of these games off and play Darcy Kuemper just so Kuemper remembers what the ice feels like?

Or do the Wild just continue running Dubnyk out there?

 

Will be an interesting decision for Mike Yeo.

Wild are in Nashville tonight and I would think if Dubnyk is getting a game off, this would be it.

They'd probably like to play Dubes on the last day of the regular season so as not to have him sit out TOO long between games before the start of the playoffs.

 

Or maybe Mike Yeo gives both these last two games to Darcy Kuemper, giving Dubnyk extended rest till Game 1 of Round 1....and at the same time, not letting potential 1st round opponents Nsh and St.L see Dubnyk again until that first game.

Of course, this option has the side effect of Dubes not playing for almost a week before the start of the playoffs, and he COULD lose some mojo from now till then...NOT a good thing.

 

So we will see what Mike Yeo has in store for the team tonight and on Saturday at the Blues.

 

Glad to see Jason Zucker back in the lineup after being out with a broken collarbone.

The guy didn't seem to have missed a beat, he skated real well, is still as fast as ever, and even went to the 'hard areas' of the ice and picked up a goal against the Blackhawks.

 

Coach Yeo talked about 'easing' Zucker into the lineup, but one quick look at how that young man was doing out there and he ended up playing him more than he was going to.....good thing too.

With Vanek just NOW coming around as an actual goal scorer, the Wild sure could use another sniper type for the playoffs, and Mr. Jason Zucker certainly fits that bill.

 

Provided the Wild keep both long term, the duo of Mikael Granlund and Jason Zucker could really do some wonderful things in the coming seasons for Minnesota!

 

Over on D, Mathew Dumba, Marco Scandella, and Jonas Brodin continue to develop into top flight defenders and the playoffs will be their stage to show once again, why Minnesota's future on D is just as bright as its future on the forward lines.

Brodin and Scandella, have of course, tasted the spotlight of Stanley Cup playoff ice time, but for Mathew Dumba, this will be his first taste....and if he just stays to what he has been doing to this point, the entire NHL world will really take notice of this young defenseman.

 

Crazy to think that many of these young guys, as good as they have played for Minnesota, are just showing the tip of the iceberg with regards to their eventual completed talent development.

 

Of course, with all those positive accolades for those players comes added pressure to win.

I believe the Wild are no longer in the "underdog" or "future" category.

 

With the exceptional play of their young guys, the high priced players in their primes now, and a couple of playoff seasons under their belts already, I think the window for the Wild to win is NOW.

Perhaps not necessarily this year (although, sure, why not, eh?), but definitely in the near future.

 

Windows to win are open for only so long before they start to close...and Minny's is opened wide as we speak.

 

Let's get Wild in Nashville tonight!