The Minnesota Wild don’t seem to mind taking Badgers in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft.
At least its a slight trend over the past decade.
Minnesota selected Wisconsin center Charlie Stramel at No. 21, seven years after the Wild took then-Wisconsin forward Luke Kunin at No. 15 overall. Kunin was traded to Nashville in October 2020.
Stramel, a Rosemount native, turned out to be the first of three centers that Minnesota drafted over the two days of the event, which wrapped up on Thursday. He also was one of three home-state selections for the franchise as the Wild picked Hermantown native Aaron Pionk and forward James Clark, of Edina, at No.