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Danila Yurov, Minnesota Wild (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

3 Minnesota Wild Players Who Will Battle for a Spot in Training Camp 2025-26

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Mariah E. Stark | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 12:25 PM ET

The official end of summer is fast approaching and along with it, the start of NHL training camps is coming. The Minnesota Wild will have a lot of familar faces at training camp this season along with some new ones. While most spots are already spoken for, there will be some battles this season for those final few openings on the roster.

Everyone knows Liam Öhgren will be vying for a permanent spot this season after bouncing in and out last season. However, he’s not the only player; there are several players who will be fighting to impress the coaching staff and make the roster. There may be one or two that make the roster, while the others who impress will be the ones first called up when injuries happen. In this article, we’ll look at who will be battling to earn a spot, starting with Öhgren.

Öhgren Wants Spot

As it was stated earlier in this article, Liam Öhgren will be pushing hard to earn a permanent spot on this roster. He’s played 28 games over his first two seasons in the NHL, with four games in his first season and 24 last season. He’s strong in front of the net and has shown he can score points. Some expected him to register a lot of points last season, and although he didn’t, it’s important to remember the 24 games he played weren’t all in a row.

They were sporadic throughout the season. He’d play a handful of games and get sent back down, not quite enough time for him to get used to the lineup and the gameplay, which makes it difficult to tally points consistently. He’s also only 21 years old, which is still extremely young, and only a handful of players are scoring a lot of points at that age. Looking at the current roster, there’s likely only one maybe two spots up for grabs and if Öhgren can make a big impact at camp, he has a great shot to make it.

He’s going to have some solid competition but he’s shown since he joined the Wild’s roster that he is willing to do what it takes to make that final cut. It’ll be interesting to see how much work he’s put in this offseason to put himself ahead of everyone else.

Yurov Eager for Spot

After Öhgren, Danila Yurov is next on the list for a player that is likely to make the final roster but will have to battle it out in training camp. General manager Bill Guerin has made it clear since he took over as GM for the Wild that every player has to earn their spot on the roster and it starts with what they see in training camp. That also goes for first-round draft picks like Öhgren and Yurov, who are expected to do great things for the Wild’s future.

Yurov may have a unique advantage as the Wild need another player to take the center position, and although Yurov is listed as a wing, he can play both. Guerin stated when they signed Yurov earlier this offseason that their plan was to try him at center when they bring him to the United States. He’s shown skill at winning faceoffs, and he’s assisted on goals by winning those faceoffs, and that’s someone the Wild need.

While he’s shown his skills in other leagues, he still has to translate his game to the NHL level, and everyone will get to see his skills in training camp. Yurov and Öhgren’s play has been talked about ever since they were drafted and it’ll be fun to see if one or both make their way onto the roster for opening night.

Buium Has Solid Chance

The final player who has a great chance at making the final roster is defenseman Zeev Buium. He, like Öhgren, did get some playing time in with all the injuries the Wild faced last season, and while he still has some adjusting to do, he played well. There’s currently a spot open for the Wild’s defense because Jonas Brodin is out recovering from surgery. However, they did bring in Jack Johnson on a Professional Tryout contract so he’ll likely slide into Brodin’s spot but there is still room for Buium on the third pairing.

Jon Merrill did not re-sign with the Wild which means even with Zach Bogosian on the roster, there’s an open spot for Buium to take unless David Jiříček beats him to it. They’re both young, skilled players who want to be playing at the top level. Buium fit into the NHL scene quite well while Jiříček struggled a little. Regardless, both of these players will be fighting to take the one spot open on the Wild’s defense unless Zach Bogosian is left off the opening day roster, which seems unlikely.

The Wild have two potentially solid defensemen in Buium and Jiříček if they can continue to improve their game, and it’s hard to say which player will make the final cut. Regardless of who does, the other will be the first in line for a call-up when the injuries start to show, as they always do.

Wild’s Final Mentions

These three players will be the ones watched the closest but there will be some others names trying to impress and they are Hunter Haight, Riley Heidt, Jack Peart, Carson Lambos, and David Špaček among others. The Wild have a lot of strong, young players who will not only want to try and earn a spot, but knowing there are a limited number, they will be looking to leave an impression for when they go back to their respective teams waiting for that call-up. It’ll be interesting to see who makes the final cuts and the decisions the Wild have to make.