It’s time for the next Minnesota Wild report card of the season, and as the first two report cards were shared, this one will be as well. These two players didn’t spend a lot of time with the Wild to warrant a full report each, but enough time to share a report. The first player is Ben Jones, and the second player is Jakob Lauko.
Jones was already in the system and was brought up due to injuries to the lineup, while Lauko was brought over in a trade for Vinni Letteri and a draft pick back in 2024. Jones is still with the team, but Lauko was shipped to the Boston Bruins along with Marat Khusnutdinov at this past season’s trade deadline. In this article, we’ll look at both players’ regular-season performances, but neither of them played in the Wild’s postseason, so it’ll just be based on their regular season, starting with Jones.
Jones Shines on Fourth Line
Jones was brought up due to a number of injuries to the Wild’s lineup, and he slotted in on the fourth line. Although he isn’t the biggest player on the roster, he worked well on the checking line because he wasn’t afraid to throw his body around, but he also showed some puck handling and speed as well.
He knows how to follow the play all the way to the net rather than just following the puck. He crashes the net and overall plays very heads-up hockey. In 26 games played, he didn’t register any points, but he did end up in the penalty box for 10 minutes throughout those games. One of the best parts of his offensive game was his 24 shots on goal in those 26 games, so his lack of points wasn’t for lack of trying.
While he didn’t put up big numbers offensively, he was consistent defensively, especially in the hits department. He threw 51 hits and had 11 blocked shots. His hit production was impressive, and he nearly cracked the top 10 in the lineup, but his blocked shots could use some improvement. He also had nine giveaways and two takeaways, again, areas to improve when he has more time spent in the lineup.
Lauko Has Potential
Many liked Lauko’s game and effort when he was playing, but he spent more time out of the lineup due to injuries than he did in, which was a major factor in his trade from the Wild. He’s another smaller player who has a lot of speed and is also willing to use his body when needed. Due to those injuries mentioned above, he only played 38 games for the Wild prior to his trade, but he did score three goals and registered three assists for six points.
He didn’t contribute a lot offensively in terms of points, but he also was fighting injuries most of the time. He did have 29 shots on goal and spent a bit of time in the penalty box as he sat for 27 minutes throughout the season. As far as the defensive side of things, he had 69 hits, which likely didn’t help his injuries but did help his team gain puck possession.
He contributed 22 blocked shots and was willing to put his body on the line quite often in his short time with the Wild. His blocked shots were better than Jones but again, could and should have been better. However, a bigger area of improvement that needs attention was his 18 giveaways and only five takeaways.
Jones & Lauko’s Overall Grades
Usually, grades are based on regular season and postseason performance, but these two didn’t play in the postseason. What makes it even harder is their short play in the regular season as well. Basing a grade on less than half the season is hard, but under 30 is pretty difficult, but it’s been done. Jones is up first, and he earned a C, because his play was good and bad at times, so he earned an average grade.
Jones clearly has areas to improve, but he needs time in the lineup to fix those areas. Although he’s an older player at 26 years old, he may be able to force himself onto the fourth line if he can make himself more noticeable, like he did this past season. His grade wasn’t lower because he made an impact when he was on the ice, but he needs to find a way to do more. Hopefully, he’ll be given that chance this coming season without it being due to injuries.
That leaves Lauko; his grade is a little tricky because he was stuck with so many injury problems, and the majority of the time, it’s not the players’ fault that they are injured. He showed a lot of potential, so his grade is the same as Jones. He earned a C because he didn’t play lousy, but he could’ve done better, and his injuries were a factor in his overall play. It’s understandable why the Wild made the decision to trade him, but it would’ve been interesting to see what he could’ve done with a fully healthy season.
Both players earned average grades because their play was just that, average, with some high points and some low points. Hopefully, they’re both able to be more productive next season with their respective teams.
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