Wild add four prospects on second day of draft

Minnesota began Wednesday by acquiring forward Nick Bonino, a second round (No. 37) and fourth round (No. 70) selections in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft from the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Luke Kunin and the 101st overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

The Wild selected center Marat Khusnutdinov with the 37th overall selection. The 5-foot-11, 176-pound native of Moscow, Russia, recorded 38 points (13-25=38) in 44 games with SKA St. Petersburgh (Russia-Jr.) during the 2019-20 season. The left-shot is playing for St. Petersburg SKA of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for the 2020-21 season.

"Marat is an elite skater, two-way center with speed and has creative offensive vision," said Wild draft boss Judd Brackett.

The Wild selected defenseman Ryan O’Rourke in the second round with the 39th overall selection. The 6-foot, 178-pound native of Pickering, Ontario, was named captain of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) prior to the 2019-20 season and recorded 37 points (7-30=37) in 54 games. The 18-year-old (5/16/02) led the team with a plus-16 rating and 79 PIM and ranked fifth in assists. He led team defensemen in GWG (2) and ranked third in scoring. The left-shot helped Team Canada earn a silver medal at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

"Ryan is another strong skater, two-way defender with great character and grit," said Brackett.

Minnesota acquired a third round (No. 65) selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for the 70th and 132nd selections in this year’s draft. The Wild selected defenseman Daemon Hunt in the third round with the 65th overall selection. The 6-foot, 198-pound native of Brandon, Manitoba, tallied 15 assists in 28 games with Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League (WHL) during the 2019-20 campaign.

"Daemon is a hard-nosed, two-way defender with excellent mobility and has strong leadership skills," said Brackett.

The Wild acquired a fifth round (No. 146) pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for the 163rd and 194th selections in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Minnesota selected center Pavel Novak in the fifth round with the 146th overall selection. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound native of Tabor, Czech Republic, spent the 2019-20 season with Kelowna (WHL) and recorded 58 points (25-33=58) in 55 games.

"Pavel is a smart possession center with good vision and great puck distribution skill," said Brackett.