The Wild started the second day of the NHL draft on Saturday by adding the reigning Mr. Hockey.
Wild drafts Grand Rapids' Jack Peart in second round of NHL draft
The St. Cloud State-bound defenseman was taken shortly before Gophers-bound Tristan Broz of Bloomington.
July 24, 2021 at 4:46PM
Grand Rapids defenseman Jack Peart was selected 54th overall in the second round, becoming the 15th Minnesota native the team has taken in the draft.
"It's always been a dream of mine to play for the Minnesota Wild, for sure," Peart said. "That's the NHL team I watched growing up. Just for me to get drafted by them and have a chance to play for them has been really special."
Peart led Grand Rapids in points, registering 11 goals and 24 assists for 35 points in 18 games last season, and was recognized as the top Minnesota high school player. He also skated in 24 games with Fargo in the USHL, chipping in a goal and 14 assists before scoring twice and finishing with seven points in nine playoff games during Fargo's run to the Clark Cup Final where it lost to Chicago.
The 18-year-old is committed to St. Cloud State.
At No.86 in the third round, the Wild selected center Caedan Bankier.
Last season with Kamloops in the Western Hockey League, Bankier recorded 11 goals and 12 assists in 22 games.
In the fourth round, at No.118, the Wild took defenseman Kyle Masters, who had 10 assists in 20 games with Red Deer in the WHL. The Wild acquired another fourth-round pick from Montreal in exchange for a fifth-rounder at 150 and a seventh-rounder at 214, and the team used to the pick to draft center Josh Pillar.
A teammate of Bankier's in Kamloops, Pillar recorded 11 goals and 18 assists in 22 games.
With its final pick of the day, the Wild landed defenseman Nate Benoit at 182 in the sixth round.
On the first night of the draft, the Wild nabbed Swedish goalie Jesper Wallstedt at 20 and defenseman Carson Lambos at 26. The team is scheduled to make five more picks on Saturday, one in each round.
Elsewhere around the league, Bloomington's Tristan Broz went 58th overall to Pittsburgh in the second round. The center is a Gophers commit.
Eden Prairie's Jackson Blake went 109th overall to Carolina.
Not everyone among the prized prospects, young professionals and depth veterans can make the final roster, but they are hoping to make the decisions tough on Wild management.
