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Wild get Reilly, then draft Swedish C Eriksson Ek
The Minnesota Wild on Friday added a player who could make an immediate impact.
Then Minnesota started the NHL Draft and added for the future.
The Wild started Friday with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the draft, but before the festivities began, they reportedly hauled in former University of Minnesota defenseman Mike Reilly. Multiple reports said Reilly, a college free agent, will sign with Minnesota when he's eligible on July 1.
With another young defenseman in the fold, the Wild drafted Swedish center Joel Eriksson Ek with the 20th pick. Eriksson Ek, the fourth-ranked European skater according to the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau, is a 6-foot-2, two-way center.
"First of all, he's a real mature kid," Minnesota assistant general manager Brent Flahr said. "He's a big, two-way center; very smart player (on) both ends of the rink. He's a real hard-working kid. He's a character kid and he really shoots the puck. He has the ability to score goals but he does a lot of things."
Reilly, 21, could have a chance to play in the NHL next season after three seasons with the Gophers. Eriksson Ek, 18, likely will help the team later.
Eriksson Ek was born in Karlstad, Sweden, where Minnesota defenseman Jonas Brodin is from. Like Brodin, Eriksson Ek played for Farjestad's men's and junior teams in Sweden. Eriksson Ek had four goals and two assists in 34 games for Farjestad in the Swedish Elite league, the most points by any under-18 eligible player in the league.
He had 21 goals and 11 assists in 25 games for Farjestad's junior team.
"I'm kind of a two-way player, can feel comfortable to play on both sides of the puck and will do anything for the team to win, and always giving my best," Eriksson Ek said after being drafted by Minnesota.
While they hail from the same area in Sweden, Eriksson Ek said he doesn't personally know Brodin. But he said it was "pretty cool" to be drafted by the same team as Brodin.
"It's pretty hard to know (where) you're going," Eriksson Ek said, when asked if he thought he would be drafted by Minnesota.
Eriksson Ek, who lists Hall of Fame center Peter Forsberg as his childhood idol, had three goals and an assist in the Ivan Hlinka under-18 tournament last season. He is still under contract with Farjestad, so he can return to Sweden for further development.
"I think he's in a good spot next year," Flahr said. "He had a big role as a young player in the Swedish Elite League already. We know he's in good hands over there. We know he's going to play on the national team in world juniors and things like that. He's in a good development situation and we look forward to watching him and hopefully to bring him over here sooner rather than later."
Minnesota heard from teams looking to trade up in a very active overall first round, but stayed at No. 20 once Eriksson Ek was there.
"Not when he was there, no," Flahr said of moving back. "We had a couple of calls that were looking to move up into that spot but when he and a couple of other players were there, we had no interest in moving down."
Leading up to the draft, Flahr said the depth even extends to Minnesota's pick in the second round at 50th overall. The Wild currently own five picks in the final six rounds. The talent could lead to Minnesota standing pat, again.
"We have a number of guys that we're pretty excited about still that we think we have a chance to get there," Flahr said of the team's second-round pick. "But if we have a large number of players on the list and someone will pay a price to move up and we can move back a few spots. But if there's good players on the board, I'd be a little hesitant to move back too far."
The Wild could add more talent on a weekend which included Eriksson Ek and Reilly joining the organization.
A former fourth-round draft pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2011, Reilly became a free agent after leaving the University of Minnesota and not coming to an agreement with Columbus. Reilly was highly sought after and reportedly turned down offers from several teams including Stanley Cup champion Chicago and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Reilly, 6-1 and 182 pounds, had six goals and 36 assists last season for the Gophers and was a Hobey Baker finalist, given to the top player in college hockey. In three seasons with Minnesota, Reilly had 18 goals and 71 assists. He was a plus-45.
Reilly is expected to sign a two-year, entry-level contract.
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