2006 Minnesota Wild Preview

2006 Minnesota Wild Preview from Maddux Sports. With the NHL Hockey Season now is the time to get aquatinted with the 2006 teams and players. Remember if you are NHL hockey betting look no further, as we offer hockey picks and can help you turn a profit betting on the NHL this season.

2006 Minnesota Wild Hockey Season Preview

The Wild placed 11th in their conference and 22nd overall. The battle for the faceoff was more often lost than won by the team and the offense was one of the worst in the league (25th). The club has been building up its forces but have they done enough to get them to the next level?

Pavol Demitra (25 G, 37 A, 62 Pts), acquired from LA, is a first-rate center. Behind him are two other capable centers—Wes Walz (37 Pts) and Todd White (40 Pts). Wingers Marian Gaborik (38 G, 28 A, 66 Pts) and Brian Rolston (34 G, 45 A, 79 Pts) join Demitra. With the addition of free agent Mark Parrish (29 G, 20 A, 49 Pts), the team hopes to turn a majority of its 28 one-point loses from last year into points.

The defense was solid last season—fifth overall. They anchored a penalty kill that placed first (87.4%). But the D didn’t add much scoring, especially on the power play (ranked 21st). Kim Johnsson, a skilled free agent from Philadelphia, has been added to quarterback that effort. Bret Burns is big and fast enough to shut down charging teams and has offensive experience that can be utilized on the other end. Vancouver’s Keith Carney should be a solid stabilizing force.

In goal, Manny Fernandez (58 GP, 30 W, 18 L, 7 OT, 2.29 GAA, .919 SP) has matured into a true stopper. Athletic, seasoned and smart, he proved last year that he’s more than capable of surviving tough situations and keeping his club in the game. There’s no proven backup but the Wild are leaning towards rookie Josh Harding (38 GP, 29 W, 8 L, 0 OT, 2.68 GAA, .922 SP for Houston—AHL), who is sound but untested.

This is a team on the upswing. Upgrades in the defense and continued clutch goaltending will improve this team’s record will it be enough to get to the post season?

For more information on the 2006 Minnesota Hockey Club check out the Wild team website.