# 2006–07 Minnesota Wild season

This 2006–07 Minnesota Wild season began on October 5, 2006. It was the Wild's seventh season in the National Hockey League (NHL).

## Regular season

Excluding seven shootout goals allowed, the Wild finished the regular season with just 184 goals allowed, the fewest in the NHL.

### Season standings

Here is how the Wild did in the standings in 2006–07.
Northwest Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 3 | Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 49 | 26 | 7 | 222 | 201 | 105 |
| 2 | 7 | Minnesota Wild | 82 | 48 | 26 | 8 | 235 | 191 | 104 |
| 3 | 8 | Calgary Flames | 82 | 43 | 29 | 10 | 258 | 226 | 96 |
| 4 | 9 | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 44 | 31 | 7 | 272 | 251 | 95 |
| 5 | 12 | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 32 | 43 | 7 | 195 | 248 | 71 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime/shootout loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; PIM = Penalties in minutes; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
Western Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | z-Detroit Red Wings | CE | 82 | 50 | 19 | 13 | 254 | 199 | 113 |
| 2 | y-Anaheim Ducks | PA | 82 | 48 | 20 | 14 | 258 | 208 | 110 |
| 3 | y-Vancouver Canucks | NW | 82 | 49 | 26 | 7 | 222 | 201 | 105 |
| 4 | Nashville Predators | CE | 82 | 51 | 23 | 8 | 272 | 212 | 110 |
| 5 | San Jose Sharks | PA | 82 | 51 | 26 | 5 | 258 | 199 | 107 |
| 6 | Dallas Stars | PA | 82 | 50 | 25 | 7 | 226 | 197 | 107 |
| 7 | Minnesota Wild | NW | 82 | 48 | 26 | 8 | 235 | 191 | 104 |
| 8 | Calgary Flames | NW | 82 | 43 | 29 | 10 | 258 | 226 | 96 |
| 8.5 ||||||||||
| 9 | Colorado Avalanche | NW | 82 | 44 | 31 | 7 | 272 | 251 | 95 |
| 10 | St. Louis Blues | CE | 82 | 34 | 35 | 13 | 214 | 254 | 81 |
| 11 | Columbus Blue Jackets | CE | 82 | 33 | 42 | 7 | 201 | 249 | 73 |
| 12 | Edmonton Oilers | NW | 82 | 32 | 43 | 7 | 195 | 248 | 71 |
| 13 | Chicago Blackhawks | CE | 82 | 31 | 42 | 9 | 201 | 258 | 71 |
| 14 | Los Angeles Kings | PA | 82 | 27 | 41 | 14 | 227 | 283 | 68 |
| 15 | Phoenix Coyotes | PA | 82 | 31 | 46 | 5 | 216 | 284 | 67 |
bold - qualified for playoffs, y - division title, z - best conference record CE - Central Division, NW - Northwest Division, PA - Pacific Division

## Playoffs

The Minnesota Wild ended the 2006–07 regular season as the Western Conference's seventh seed.

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

2006–07 regular season :
October: 9–2–0 (home: 7–0–0; road: 2–2–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
1October 5Colorado2 – 3MinnesotaOTFernandez18,5681–0–02Recap
2October 7Nashville5 – 6MinnesotaBackstrom18,5682–0–04Recap
3October 10Vancouver1 – 2MinnesotaSOFernandez18,0643–0–06Recap
4October 12Washington2 – 3MinnesotaSOFernandez18,0644–0–08Recap
5October 14Columbus0 – 5MinnesotaFernandez18,5685–0–010Recap
6October 18Minnesota2 – 1Los AngelesOTFernandez14,6176–0–012Recap
7October 20Minnesota1 – 2AnaheimFernandez13,4306–1–012Recap
8October 21Minnesota4 – 1San JoseFernandez17,4967–1–014Recap
9October 25Los Angeles1 – 3MinnesotaFernandez18,5688–1–016Recap
10October 27Anaheim2 – 3MinnesotaSOFernandez18,5689–1–018Recap
11October 29Minnesota1 – 4ColoradoFernandez17,6159–2–018Recap :
November: 4–8–1 (home: 2–2–1; road: 2–6–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
12November 2Vancouver2 – 5MinnesotaBackstrom18,56810–2–020Recap
13November 4Nashville4 – 3MinnesotaFernandez18,56810–3–020Recap
14November 7Minnesota1 – 3San JoseFernandez17,23310–4–020Recap
15November 11Minnesota3 – 2Los AngelesSOFernandez17,47911–4–022Recap
16November 12Minnesota2 – 3AnaheimBackstrom16,30611–5–022Recap
17November 14Minnesota3 – 4PhoenixFernandez12,00211–6–022Recap
18November 16Minnesota7 – 6NashvilleSOBackstrom12,75912–6–024Recap
19November 18Colorado2 – 1MinnesotaSOBackstrom18,56812–6–125Recap
20November 20Minnesota3 – 5OttawaFernandez18,09412–7–125Recap
21November 22Minnesota2 – 4MontrealBackstrom21,27312–8–125Recap
22November 24Phoenix0 – 4MinnesotaBackstrom18,56813–8–127Recap
23November 25Minnesota3 – 5ColumbusFernandez15,49313–9–127Recap
24November 29San Jose2 – 1MinnesotaFernandez18,56813–10–127Recap :
December: 7–7–1 (home: 7–1–0; road: 0–6–1)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
25December 1Detroit3 – 0MinnesotaFernandez18,56813–11–127Recap
26December 2Minnesota3 – 4DallasSOBackstrom17,02713–11–228Recap
27December 5Chicago2 – 3MinnesotaSOFernandez18,56814–11–230Recap
28December 7Calgary2 – 3MinnesotaSOFernandez18,56815–11–232Recap
29December 9Chicago4 – 5MinnesotaOTFernandez18,56816–11–234Recap
30December 12Minnesota2 – 5CalgaryFernandez19,28916–12–234Recap
31December 14Minnesota1 – 3EdmontonFernandez16,83916–13–234Recap
32December 16Minnesota1 – 2VancouverBackstrom18,63016–14–234Recap
33December 19Vancouver2 – 5MinnesotaFernandez18,56817–14–236Recap
34December 22Minnesota1 – 3DetroitFernandez20,06617–15–236Recap
35December 23Detroit2 – 3MinnesotaOTFernandez18,56818–15–238Recap
36December 26Minnesota3 – 4TorontoFernandez19,35518–16–238Recap
37December 27Minnesota1 – 3DetroitBackstrom20,06618–17–238Recap
38December 29Columbus3 – 4MinnesotaOTFernandez18,56819–17–240Recap
39December 31Anaheim3 – 4MinnesotaFernandez18,56820–17–242Recap :
January: 7–4–2 (home: 2–2–2; road: 5–2–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
40January 2Atlanta1 – 5MinnesotaFernandez18,56821–17–244Recap
41January 4Tampa Bay3 – 2MinnesotaFernandez18,56821–18–244Recap
42January 6Colorado2 – 1MinnesotaSOFernandez18,56821–18–345Recap
43January 9Minnesota0 – 3CalgaryBackstrom19,28921–19–345Recap
44January 11Minnesota5 – 2VancouverFernandez18,63022–19–347Recap
45January 12Minnesota4 – 2EdmontonFernandez16,83923–19–349Recap
46January 14Minnesota4 – 3ChicagoSOFernandez11,09124–19–351Recap
47January 16Edmonton2 – 1MinnesotaFernandez18,56824–20–351Recap
48January 19Minnesota3 – 0ChicagoFernandez12,33325–20–353Recap
49January 20Dallas2 – 1MinnesotaSOBackstrom18,56825–20–454Recap
50January 26Calgary1 – 2MinnesotaSOBackstrom18,56826–20–456Recap
51January 27Minnesota2 – 3ColumbusFernandez18,13626–21–456Recap
52January 30Minnesota5 – 2St. LouisFernandez10,44527–21–458Recap :
February: 8–2–2 (home: 4–0–1; road: 4–2–1)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
53February 1Minnesota5 – 3ColoradoBackstrom17,28628–21–460Recap
54February 3Minnesota1 – 0PhoenixBackstrom17,11529–21–462Recap
55February 6Minnesota2 – 4DallasBackstrom17,66029–22–462Recap
56February 8Florida2 – 4MinnesotaBackstrom18,56830–22–464Recap
57February 10Carolina4 – 5MinnesotaBackstrom18,56831–22–466Recap
58February 14Vancouver3 – 2MinnesotaOTBackstrom18,56831–22–567Recap
59February 17Minnesota4 – 1NashvilleBackstrom17,11332–22–569Recap
60February 18Minnesota3 – 5St. LouisBackstrom13,72132–23–569Recap
61February 20Dallas1 – 2MinnesotaSOBackstrom18,56833–23–571Recap
62February 22Minnesota4 – 3ColoradoBackstrom18,00734–23–573Recap
63February 25Edmonton1 – 4MinnesotaBackstrom18,56835–23–575Recap
64February 28Minnesota1 – 2CalgaryOTHarding19,28935–23–676Recap :
March: 10–3–2 (home: 4–2–1; road: 6–1–1)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
65March 1Minnesota5 – 0EdmontonHarding16,83936–23–678Recap
66March 4Minnesota3 – 4VancouverOTBackstrom18,63036–23–779Recap
67March 6San Jose3 – 0MinnesotaBackstrom18,56836–24–779Recap
68March 8Minnesota2 – 1BostonBackstrom13,70937–24–781Recap
69March 9Minnesota5 – 1BuffaloHarding18,69038–24–783Recap
70March 11Colorado2 – 3MinnesotaOTBackstrom18,56839–24–785Recap
71March 13Minnesota3 – 2VancouverOTBackstrom18,63040–24–787Recap
72March 15Minnesota2 – 1EdmontonBackstrom16,83941–24–789Recap
73March 17Minnesota4 – 2CalgaryBackstrom19,28942–24–791Recap
74March 20Phoenix2 – 3MinnesotaBackstrom18,56843–24–793Recap
75March 22St. Louis1 – 5MinnesotaBackstrom18,56844–24–795Recap
76March 24Los Angeles1 – 4MinnesotaHarding18,56845–24–797Recap
77March 27Calgary1 – 0MinnesotaSOBackstrom18,56845–24–898Recap
78March 29Calgary4 – 2MinnesotaHarding18,56845–25–898Recap
79March 31Minnesota1 – 2ColoradoHarding17,19245–26–898Recap :
April: 3–0–0 (home: 3–0–0; road: 0–0–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
80April 3Edmonton0 – 3MinnesotaBackstrom18,56846–26–8100Recap
81April 5Edmonton0 – 3MinnesotaBackstrom18,56847–26–8102Recap
82April 7St. Louis1 – 5MinnesotaBackstrom18,56848–26–8104Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

2007 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (2) Anaheim Ducks – Ducks win 4–1
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 11Minnesota1 – 2AnaheimBackstrom17,1800 – 1Recap
2April 13Minnesota2 – 3AnaheimBackstrom17,3240 – 2Recap
3April 15Anaheim2 – 1MinnesotaBackstrom19,2240 – 3Recap
4April 17Anaheim1 – 4MinnesotaBackstrom19,1741 – 3Recap
5April 19Minnesota1 – 4AnaheimBackstrom17,3181 – 4Recap :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Player statistics
### Scoring

* Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Wild only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Wild only.
| No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 12 | Brian Rolston | RW | 78 | 31 | 33 | 64 | 6 | 46 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −2 | 4 |
| 38 | Pavol Demitra | LW | 71 | 25 | 39 | 64 | 0 | 28 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 0 |
| 10 | Marian Gaborik | RW | 48 | 30 | 27 | 57 | 12 | 40 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 96 | Pierre-Marc Bouchard | C | 82 | 20 | 37 | 57 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −3 | 0 |
| 9 | Mikko Koivu | C | 82 | 20 | 34 | 54 | 6 | 58 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 4 |
| 28 | Todd White | C | 77 | 13 | 31 | 44 | 8 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| 21 | Mark Parrish | RW | 76 | 19 | 20 | 39 | 9 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | Brent Burns | D | 77 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 16 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| 92 | Branko Radivojevic | RW | 82 | 11 | 13 | 24 | −9 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| 37 | Wes Walz | C | 62 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 3 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 26 | Kurtis Foster | D | 57 | 3 | 20 | 23 | −3 | 52 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Kim Johnsson | D | 76 | 3 | 19 | 22 | −4 | 64 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| 33 | Petteri Nummelin | D | 51 | 3 | 17 | 20 | −15 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | Stephane Veilleux | LW | 75 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 3 | 47 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Keith Carney | D | 80 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 22 | 58 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 41 | Martin Skoula | D | 81 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 36 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 11 | Pascal Dupuis‡ | LW | 48 | 10 | 3 | 13 | −7 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 55 | Nick Schultz | D | 82 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 42 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −3 | 0 |
| 17 | Wyatt Smith | C | 61 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −8 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Adam Hall† | RW | 23 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 11 | Dominic Moore† | C | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | Mattias Weinhandl | RW | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −2 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | Niklas Backstrom | G | 41 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 2 |
| 4 | Shawn Belle | D | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | Derek Boogaard | LW | 48 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 120 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 20 |
| 27 | Joel Ward | RW | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | Manny Fernandez | G | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 83 | Matt Foy | RW | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | Josh Harding | G | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 23 | Jason Morgan | C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 67 | Benoit Pouliot | LW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | Erik Reitz | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |

### Goaltending

| No. | Player | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | GP | W | L | OT | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | GP | W | L | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 32 | Niklas Backstrom | 41 | 23 | 8 | 6 | 1028 | 73 | 1.97 | .929 | 5 | 2227 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 145 | 11 | 2.22 | .924 | 0 | 297 |
| 35 | Manny Fernandez | 44 | 22 | 16 | 1 | 1158 | 103 | 2.55 | .911 | 2 | 2422 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | Josh Harding | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 174 | 7 | 1.16 | .960 | 1 | 361 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (annual) | Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award | Niklas Backstrom |
| League (annual) | William M. Jennings Trophy | Niklas Backstrom |
| League (annual) | William M. Jennings Trophy | Manny Fernandez |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Brian Rolston |
| League (in-season) | NHL First Star of the Week | Niklas Backstrom (February 25) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Third Star of the Week | Niklas Backstrom (April 8) |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Niklas Backstrom | October 7, 2006 |
| First game | Benoit Pouliot | November 22, 2006 |
| First game | Shawn Belle | December 1, 2006 |
| First game | Joel Ward | December 16, 2006 |

## Transactions

The Wild were involved in the following transactions from June 20, 2006, the day after the deciding game of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 6, 2007, the day of the deciding game of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 24, 2006 (2006-06-24) | To Minnesota Wild Pavol Demitra | To Los Angeles Kings Patrick O'Sullivan1st-round pick in 2006 |
| February 9, 2007 (2007-02-09) | To Minnesota Wild Adam Hall | To New York Rangers Pascal Dupuis |
| February 27, 2007 (2007-02-27) | To Minnesota Wild Dominic Moore | To Pittsburgh Penguins 3rd-round pick in 2007 |
| February 28, 2007 (2007-02-28) | To Minnesota Wild Aaron Voros | To New Jersey Devils 7th-round pick in 2008 |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via |
| July 1, 2006 (2006-07-01) | Keith Carney | Vancouver Canucks | multi-year | Free agency |
| July 1, 2006 (2006-07-01) | Kim Johnsson | Philadelphia Flyers | multi-year | Free agency |
| July 1, 2006 (2006-07-01) | Mark Parrish | Los Angeles Kings | 5-year | Free agency |
| July 5, 2006 (2006-07-05) | Paul Albers | Vancouver Giants (WHL) | | Free agency |
| July 5, 2006 (2006-07-05) | Ryan Hamilton | Houston Aeros (AHL) | | Free agency |
| July 5, 2006 (2006-07-05) | Mike Madill | St. Lawrence University (ECAC) | | Free agency |
| July 6, 2006 (2006-07-06) | Branko Radiovjevic | Philadelphia Flyers | | Free agency |
| July 17, 2006 (2006-07-17) | Jason Morgan | Chicago Blackhawks | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 19, 2006 (2006-07-19) | Wyatt Smith | New York Islanders | 1-year | Free agency |
| September 27, 2006 (2006-09-27) | Joel Ward | Houston Aeros (AHL) | | Free agency |
| December 31, 2006 (2006-12-31) | John Scott | Houston Aeros (AHL) | | Free agency |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Via |
| June 21, 2006 (2006-06-21) | Joey Tetarenko | Houston Aeros (AHL) | Free agency (VI) |
| July 1, 2006 (2006-07-01) | Filip Kuba | Tampa Bay Lightning | Free agency (III) |
| July 1, 2006 (2006-07-01) | Andrei Zyuzin | Calgary Flames | Free agency (III) |
| July 4, 2006 (2006-07-04) | Randy Robitaille | Philadelphia Flyers | Free agency (III) |
| July 6, 2006 (2006-07-06) | Daniel Tjarnqvist | Edmonton Oilers | Free agency (III) |
| July 13, 2006 (2006-07-13) | Erik Westrum | Toronto Maple Leafs | Free agency (VI) |
| July 14, 2006 (2006-07-14) | Scott Ferguson | San Jose Sharks | Free agency (III) |
| July 14, 2006 (2006-07-14) | Andrei Nazarov | | Retirement (III) |
| July 18, 2006 (2006-07-18) | Kyle Wanvig | Atlanta Thrashers | Free agency (VI) |
| July 20, 2006 (2006-07-20) | Marc Chouinard | Vancouver Canucks | Free agency (III) |
| July 23, 2006 (2006-07-23) | Rickard Wallin | HC Lugano (NLA) | Free agency (VI) |
| August 9, 2006 (2006-08-09) | Chris Heid | Eisbaren Berlin (DEL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| August 21, 2006 (2006-08-21) | Alex Henry | Nashville Predators | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 3, 2006 (2006-10-03) | Dustin Wood | Manitoba Moose (AHL) | Free agency (UFA) |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| June 21, 2006 (2006-06-21) | Kurtis Foster | 1-year | Re-signing |
| June 24, 2006 (2006-06-24) | Pierre-Marc Bouchard | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 5, 2006 (2006-07-05) | Marian Gaborik | 3-year | Re-signing |
| July 6, 2006 (2006-07-06) | Derek Boogaard | | Re-signing |
| July 7, 2006 (2006-07-07) | Riley Emmerson | | Entry-level |
| July 10, 2006 (2006-07-10) | Brent Burns | 2-year | Re-signing |
| July 13, 2006 (2006-07-13) | Pascal Dupuis | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 14, 2006 (2006-07-14) | Matt Foy | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 14, 2006 (2006-07-14) | Erik Reitz | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 18, 2006 (2006-07-18) | Mikko Koivu | 1-year | Re-signing |
| May 14, 2007 (2007-05-14) | Matt Kassian | 3-year | Entry-level |
| May 15, 2007 (2007-05-15) | Morten Madsen | 3-year | Entry-level |
| May 26, 2007 (2007-05-26) | Cal Clutterbuck | 3-year | Entry-level |

## Draft picks

Minnesota's picks at the 2006 NHL entry draft in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Wild had the ninth overall pick in the draft. They also had the Edmonton Oilers first round pick, 17th overall, which they used to trade for Pavol Demitra from the Los Angeles Kings on draft day.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/junior/club team (league) |
| 1 | 9 | James Sheppard (C/LW) | Canada | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL) |
| 2 | 40 | Ondrej Fiala (C) | Czech Republic | Everett Silvertips (WHL) |
| 3 | 72 | Cal Clutterbuck (RW) | Canada | Oshawa Generals (OHL) |
| 4 | 102 | Kyle Medvec (D) | United States | Apple Valley High School (USHS-MN) |
| 5 | 132 | Niko Hovinen (G) | Finland | Jokerit (SM-liiga) |
| 6 | 162 | Julian Walker (W) | Switzerland | EHC Basel (NLA) |
| 7 | 192 | Chris Hickey (C) | United States | Cretin-Derham Hall (USHS-MN) |