Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – The Minnesota Wild came into the 2026 NHL Draft without a selection in the first two rounds, then traded up twice over the weekend to land three new prospects.
The draft was held June 26th and 27th at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Minnesota had no first or second round pick after dealing them away to acquire Quinn Hughes from Vancouver and Gustav Nyquist from Nashville.
The Wild’s first selection came in the third round, where they moved up from 89th to 83rd overall in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings to take Swedish center Adam Andersson. The 17-year-old is a 6-foot-4 forward from Stockholm who posted three goals and 17 points in 30 games with the junior club of Leksands IF this past season. Wild Director of European Scouting Ricard Persson laid out what the team saw in the pick.
“Andersson is a big centerman with strong work ethic. Heavy and hard to play against. Relentless worker that understands the game both offensively and defensively.”
Minnesota traded up a second time in the fourth round, moving from 121st to 112th in a deal with Columbus to grab forward Kayden Lemire of the Western Hockey League’s Prince George Cougars. The Wild closed out their draft in the fifth round at 137th overall, taking goaltender Filip Ruzicka of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings.
The top of the draft belonged to Toronto, which took forward Gavin McKenna first overall. For Minnesota, the quiet weekend reflects a roster built to win now, one that finished with 104 points and a third place finish in the Central Division before reaching the second round of the playoffs last season.
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