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Ryan Hartman, Minnesota Wild (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Wild 2024-25 Report Cards: Ryan Hartman

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Mariah E. Stark | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 9:05 AM ET

The Minnesota Wild report cards continue to move along as does the offseason, and the most recent grades were given to Marcus Johansson and Frédérick Gaudreau. There are still a few more forwards to get through, and next up is Ryan Hartman. Over the past several seasons, Hartman’s grades have been up and down mainly because of his temper and landing in the penalty box.

This season, he looked to be heading down the same path, but he had a pretty big wake-up call partway through the season and changed his ways. He started playing smart hockey, and although his production was down, he was a whole different player in the postseason. In this article, we’ll look at both his regular season and playoff performance and come up with an overall grade.

Hartman’s Up & Down Season

Hartman’s last season was strong, and this season looked to start the same way as he scored two goals in the first five games of the season. He did continue to score sporadically throughout the season, but in a much smaller number than the season before. He couldn’t find the same scoring touch he had in previous seasons, and it showed as he was bumped from the first line.

He bounced from line to line in 69 games played and tallied 11 goals plus 15 assists for 26 points. He missed eight games due to a suspension, which was originally a 10-game suspension but was reduced to eight, and the other five games missed were due to an upper-body injury. His lack of points wasn’t for lack of trying, as he had 158 shots on goal.

Defensively, he had 73 hits and blocked 41 shots, both pretty respectable numbers. However, he had 66 giveaways and 21 takeaways, both numbers that need to be improved when next season comes around. The one area that was a big improvement was Hartman’s response to his suspension. At first, it seemed like he was going to keep getting into trouble, but he took it to heart and changed both his attitude and his game.

He stayed out of trouble the rest of the season, and although he did take some penalties, none of them turned into suspensions. He stepped up the way everyone expected him to, and although it took some time, his game eventually responded as well.

Hartman’s Surprising Postseason

While Hartman had a bit of a struggle during the regular season, he turned a corner in the postseason. He was one of the players who stepped up the most and truly showed what it means to find the next level in his game in the postseason. He was one of the Wild’s best players and was promoted to the first line with his great play. He played in all six games and scored two goals, plus assisted on four others for six points.

The only players who were ahead of him were his linemates, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy. He did back off a bit on the physicality because he focused more on his offensive side, as he had just five hits. He may have thrown fewer hits, but he produced defensively as he blocked 11 shots. He still struggled with six giveaways and only two takeaways, an area that still needs to be improved.

The Wild had a strong postseason performance even though they didn’t make it past the first round again. They scored goals and they gave it their all, they were just a piece or two short, but Hartman’s stepping up helped them get as far as they did.

Hartman’s Overall Grade

His regular season wasn’t the greatest, although he does earn some points for digging deep and changing the way he plays. It’s not an easy thing to do, but he found a way to change his game for the better, and it benefited his team as well. He earned a C for his performance, and while that may seem high with a suspension and all, as stated before, he did bounce back and played very well. For the ones who think that’s too low, he didn’t have the numbers he’s proven he’s capable of, and that needs to be better next season.

As far as the postseason, he earned an A, and it’s hard to argue with that after how much he stepped up. He produced on both ends of the ice, from goals to blocked shots and everything in between. It shouldn’t be any lower because of how well he did, but it can’t be any higher because there is a small area of improvement needed.

As far as an overall grade for the entire season, he earned a B. It’s not any lower because he showed a lot of growth as the season went on, but it’s not any higher because he still has areas to be better. Hopefully, he can find a way to keep the good things going but also fix the spots that need to improve, and he’ll help them go even further in the postseason.