The Minnesota Wild are considered to have one of the better prospect pools in the NHL. Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club’s top 30 prospects. Every player on the list will be 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Wild or are on AHL or NHL deals and have played less than 40 NHL games.
#26 Kyle McClellan, G
Age: 25
Catches: Left
Height: 6'1''
Weight: 185
Contract: 24/25
Draft: Undrafted
Last Year's Rankings: Not Ranked
Projection: Depth starting goaltender who could receive NHL games
After an impressive college season at the University of Wisconsin, the Wild signed Kyle McClellan to a professional tryout in the AHL. He eventually signed a one-year deal with the team for the 2024-25 season.
McClellan, 25, joins a crowded Wild goaltending situation but brings a lot to the table. Samuel Hlavaj signed a contract with the Wild in April, Troy Grosenick, signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Wild on July first, and William Rousseau signed a deal with the Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL) after a good development camp with the Wild.
Hlavaj, 23, had an impressive season last year, was turning heads at development camp and the 2024 IIHF Men's World Championships.
Grosenick, 35, has played in 324 career AHL games across 11 years and Rousseau led the QMJHL in goals-against-average (GAA) the last two years and won the league's goaltender of the year award.
It will be interesting to see how McClellan factors into the Wild's plans this year and the next but one thing is for certain, the Wild do love competition and having this many quality goalies in the minor leagues should do wonders.
The 6-foot-1 goaltender had a great season last year for the Wisconsin Badgers. He went 24-12-1 with a 1.94 goals-against average, a .931 save percentage (SV%), and seven shutouts in 37 games.
He compiled a collegiate record of 41-35-3 with a 2.35 GAA, a .926 SV% and 11 shutouts in 82 NCAA appearances with Mercyhurst and Wisconsin.
His impressive 2023-24 season was capped off with the Mike Richter Award which is given to the NCAA's top goaltender for the season.
McClellan's .931 save percentage last year led the nation and ranked third in Badgers program history. He became the first Badgers goaltender to win the Award.
