Homegrown players, recent high draft picks look to impress at Wild Prospect Showcase
Many of the Wild’s top prospects and recent draftees are in St. Paul this week preparing for this weekend’s 4th annual Tom Kurvers Developmental Showcase.
Click the video box on this page to hear from Wild prospects Jack Peart, Hunter Haight and Ryder Ritchie, who are all participating in this weekend’s Kurvers Showcase
Among the prospects at this year’s Showcase are a trio of Minnesota-natives: Minnetonka-grad Luke Loheit (Minnesota-Duluth) and Grand Rapids-natives Jack Peart (St. Cloud State) and Gavin Hain (N. Dakota).
They are skating along with a couple dozen other invitees and recent draft picks during the Showcase.
Kody Dupuis, the son of former Wild player Pascal Dupuis is an undrafted invitee to the Showcase with a chance to someday become the first second-generation player in franchise history.
Among the recent draftees present are 2024 second-rounder Ryder Ritchie, 2023 Riley Heidt and 2022 second-rounder Hunter Haight.
Ritchie, who just turned 18 this month, was traded in the offseason from Prince Albert of Canada’s Western Hockey League to Medicine Hat. He skated for Canada in last year’s U18 World Championship.
Heidt had a high scoring season with Prince George in the WHL last season scoring 37 goals, 80 assists for 117 points. He was also on the Canadian U-18 WJC team.
Haight was the leading postseason scorer for Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League. He was an assistant captain on the Spirit team that became the first American team since 1983 to win the Memorial Cup as the champions of Canadian junior hockey.
This year’s Showcase event is in suburban St. Louis after being played in St. Paul last year.
The Wild’s prospects will play one game each against the Blues and Blackhawks prospect teams.
Event Schedule | Centene Community Ice Center (Maryland Heights, M
Friday, Sept. 13
10:30 a.m. – Blues prospects practice (NHL Rink)
11:30 a.m. – Blackhawks prospects practice (USA Rink)
7 p.m. – Blackhawks vs. Blues (USA Rink)
Saturday, Sept. 14
10:30 a.m. – Blues prospects practice (NHL Rink)
10:30 a.m. – Blackhawks prospects practice (USA Rink)
6 p.m. – Blackhawks vs. Wild (USA Rink)
Sunday, Sept. 15
8:30 a.m. – Wild prospects practice (USA Rink)
9:30 a.m. – Blues prospects practice (NHL Rink)
3 p.m. – Blues vs. Wild (USA Rink)
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