Matt Boldy is a bona fide NHLer.
Brock Faber aced the entrance exam, making a seamless switch from college to the pros, and Marco Rossi is in the on-deck circle.
All three stoked the praise the Wild have received for the prospect pool they've assembled in recent years, mostly from the draft but also via trade in Faber's case. But these headliners aren't the only ones behind the hype.
Percolating in the pipeline is another wave of talented players with potential to impact the Wild in the next year or two, some of whom were on the ice over the weekend at Tria Rink in St. Paul for the team's development camp.
"There's plenty of work and runway ahead of these guys to make it to the National Hockey League," Wild director of player development Brad Bombardir said. "The National Hockey League, it is a gauntlet. It's tough to get there.
"But we are seeing guys that are continuing to do the work, and we're excited about them."
Daemon Hunt, defense, Iowa (American Hockey League)
Hunt could be a call-up option for the Wild after an encouraging kickoff to his pro career last season in the minors with Iowa.
For starters, he logged 50-plus games after injury had limited him previously, including before the 2020 draft when the Wild selected him 65th overall in the third round out of Moose Jaw in the Western Hockey League. He also had a steady helping of minutes as a shutdown defender who moves well, and eventually Hunt, 21, graduated to the second power-play unit and took up residence on the flank (a position that's usually assigned to a forward).