The Minnesota Wild may be done making moves in the middle of the 2026 offseason, but training camp has a way of reshuffling the picture anyway. Injuries can change the math in a hurry, and camp always gives young players a chance to grab attention before anyone settles in. Last year, the Wild brought Brett Leason and Jack Johnson to camp on PTOs and played them in preseason games, but neither ended up signing.
That’s the opening for prospects to push their way into the conversation, and three names stand out as players worth tracking.
Charlie Stramel is the headliner. The 21-year-old center just signed his entry-level deal, and he’s also coming off a season-ending ankle injury suffered in a playoff game for Michigan State.
Minnesota took him 21st overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, and he put together a strong 2025-26 season for the Spartans with 19 goals, 25 assists and 44 points in 37 games. That production tied him for ninth in NCAA scoring.
The 6-foot-3 center is expected to begin the season with the Iowa Wild, but camp should still be a useful measuring stick, and there’s plenty of excitement inside the organization about seeing him up close.
Another prospect to watch is Liam Ohgren? Wait source says Haight.
Danila? No.
The 5-foot-10 forward made noise last year and even cracked the team out of camp, and he’ll be back trying to do it again. If a Wild player gets hurt or becomes unavailable, he looks like the nearest ready option.
Haight, 22, appeared in nine games for Minnesota last season and posted one goal and one assist. He also had a solid year in Iowa, putting up 18 goals, 14 assists and 32 points in 54 games.
Over 121 AHL games with Iowa, he has 38 goals, 28 assists and 66 points. Minnesota drafted him 47th overall in 2022, and he’s entering the final year of his entry-level contract.
Then there’s Viking Gustafsson Nyberg, the 6-foot-6 defenseman who came out of UConn. Minnesota signed him to an ATO and sent him to Iowa, where he played two games and picked up one assist before earning an NHL deal.
Before turning pro, the 22-year-old had 11 assists, 47 shots and 26 PIM in 37 games at UConn. He then got into Minnesota’s final two regular-season games and logged three blocks and two hits.
With Daemon Hunt set to start the season as the Wild’s seventh defenseman, the big Swede is expected to appear in some games this season and could turn heads in camp.
In Other News...
Brock Faber Now Faces The Biggest Test Of His Wild Rise
Brock Fabers rise has become one of the more important storylines in Minnesota, especially after the Wilds move for Quinn Hughes seemed to unlock another layer in his game. The defensemans expected goals percentage climbed, his point production jumped, and the early returns suggested a player who was not just keeping up, but taking on a bigger role with more confidence. For a Wild blue line that has needed reliable minutes and steady growth from its younger core, Faber has quickly become someone the team can count on.
Now comes the harder part. After a breakout stretch, the challenge is no longer proving he belongs, but showing he can hold that level when opponents start keying on him and the league adjusts to what he does best. Consistency is the real test here, along with whether his impact can keep growing as teams build more specific plans to slow him down. For Minnesota, how Faber responds in this phase could say a lot about just how high his ceiling really is. [Read more 🡒]
Spencer Knight Gives Blackhawks Fans A Real Reason To Believe
A new wave of goaltenders is starting to get attention around the NHL, and Minnesotas Jesper Wallstedt sits right in the middle of it. After spending time sharing the crease with Filip Gustavsson, Wallstedt was the Wild starter by the end of last season, and the step forward has put him on a path that looks a lot different now than it did a year ago.
The broader discussion is about which young netminders can push into the leagues top tier by the 2026-27 season, with Wallstedt mentioned alongside names like Jet Greaves and Spencer Knight. With some familiar Vezina contenders aging out and a recent run of Russian goalies shaping the award race, the opening for a new class of candidates feels real, even if the next breakthrough still has to be earned on the ice. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Face Early Pressure In Quinn Hughes Contract Talks
Quinn Hughes is in the final year of his current deal, and the Minnesota Wild are already deep into extension talks with one of the biggest names on their radar. Sportsnets Elliotte Friedman has said he expects a deal to get done, and general manager Billy Guerin has met with Hughess camp while keeping a patient posture as the sides work through the details.
The sticking point appears to be the length of the commitment, with the discussion centered on how long both sides want to tie themselves together. Even with momentum toward an agreement, the calendar is starting to matter, and the start of the season is looming as the sort of checkpoint that can turn a routine negotiation into a much bigger issue. [Read more 🡒]