Wild development camp, Day 5: Medvec eager for pro career to start

Defenseman Kyle Medvec will finish his sixth Wild development camp on Sunday when he plays in his second scrimmage. It starts at 11 a.m. at the X.

"Every time you come out here and work on your skills with a great coaching staff, it is really a good experience every summer," said Medvec, a 6-6 former blue-liner for Apple Valley High School who recently graduated from Vermont. "You just hone up on your skills and get refreshed in power skating, stick-handling, shooting, all the little things."

Medvec was drafted by the Wild in 2006. "I remember exactly where I was," he said. "I got the call from the Wild and being a local kid, it was one of those cool things to see your name in the paper the first time."

He said his four years of college hockey at Vermont helped teach him time management skills. "At the end of four years, you are excited to get out of there and get your degree and move on," Medvec said.

Medvec signed an entry level contract with the Wild on July 1. "It has been a long process," he said. "It has been five years since my draft. Every year it has been working hard toward this goal. Finally, it happened and now the fun stuff starts. And now the real hard work starts. I will kind of see what happens from here."

He will likely play in the AHL this season, for the Houston Aeros, the Wild affiliate there. "You double your game schedule," Medvec said, "so I know it is going to be a lot more of a grind. I am really excited to move on. Vermont was a great place for me, obviously. It did a lot for my career. But I am excited to move on and see what I can do at the professional level."

Medvec said he followed the Aeros' strong run in the AHL playoffs last season.

He said there is a little added pressure in camp on him this week, since he has signed with the Wild. "But also I am older now, I just turned 23," Medvec said. "I remember six years ago when I was 18 and I came here ... Now I am kind of doing the veteran role and showing guys around. It definitely has a different feel. I feel more comfortable on the ice. I am stronger and more confident in my game.

"They expect us older guys and guys that have been in Houston to kind of set the pace and show the younger guys how hard you have to work to make it in the pro game."

On Saturday in the first scrimmage of Wild camp, Medvec scored a goal in regulation time and in the shootout for the Green team.

Medvec said he expects to play for the Wild in the rookie tournament in Traverse City, Mich., in September.

Asked his strengths as a player, Medvec said, "I get back in the zone and move the puck up. And if I jump up, sure, great. But first and foremost keep the puck out of our net."

Medvec's senior season with the Catamounts did not go as he had hoped. "I battled through some injuries. I separated my [right] shoulder and I also got a concussion. It was a tough year in that regard."

He missed a couple games with the shoulder injury which happened in October. "It is fully healed now, I just rehabbed," said Medvec, who had surgery on the shoulder in April.

He missed three weeks of hockey after suffering concussion in early February. "It was a pretty serious concussion," Medvec said. "They just wanted to make sure I was fully recovered [and] no symptoms were coming back. [I'm] fully back."

With an NHL contract in hand.

"You just hope one day you will get an NHL contract," Medvec said. "Coming up to the Wild headquarters [for the signing] is definitely a feeling I won't forget."

In stature, of course, Medvec is already big. He is 6-6, 225. He is still slender but has always had trouble putting on weight.

"Everyone always says, 'you are so lucky,' " he said. "I don't think I am that lucky. You should see my grocery bill. Every summer I try to work and gain a little bit of weight because I and everyone loses weight once the [hockey] season starts.

"Last summer I got up to 230, 232 and I just felt I couldn't move as well on the ice," Medvec said. "I like the 225 weight. If I could stay this weight and then just get stronger. Not necessarily bulk up, but stay mobile. That is a big part of the game now, just being able to move and still be strong."

SATURDAY'S SCRIMMAGE BREAKDOWN

GOALIES

White: Johan Gustafson gives up one goal in first half; Darcy Kuemper four goals in second half.

RULES

Scrimmage rules on Saturday were a little different than normal. The scrimmage was played in two 25-minute halves. For the first 15 minutes, it was five skaters vs. five, for the last 10, four skaters vs. four. ... A penalty shot followed every penalty. And every shooter had a chaser from the opposing team -- none every caught up to make a shot difficult.

In the shootout, every player takes at turn.

LINES

White team: Charlie Coyle, Jason Zucker, Justin Fontaine; Dave McIntyre, Mario Lucia and Dylan Willick; Chad Rau, Joel Broda and Nathan Burns. ... Kyle Thomas also played.

GOALS IN REGULATION

White team:

Zucker, 13:50, first half (off nice pass between two Green players in neutral zone from Coyle).

Joel Broda (through five-hole), 15:42, first half.

Mario Lucia (steals puck in offensive end, then shoots from left circle. Puck bounces off goalies' glove, 4:25, second half

Kyle Thomas (skated across slot, tucked puck in behind goalie), 23:00, second half

Green team:

Zack Phillips (into open net after a muffed shot or a rebound), 18:14, first half.

Dylan Busenius (plays pass off his skate and scores from top of right circle), 2:59, second half.

Medvec (unassisted, after stealing puck), 9:35, second half.

Foucault (off pass from Marco Scandella), 20:15, second half

BEST PLAYS

* Coyle falls with puck, but gets up while maintaining possession and makes a quick pass.

* Broda knocks hockey stick out of defenseman Dylan Busenius' hands with his.

PENALTY SHOTS

In regulation:

Green team: Josh Caron misses (after taking high stick near mouth),

White team: Dylan Willick stopped; Coyle loses puck on rush near goal

In shootout:

Those scoring: Marco Scandella, Jack Connolly, Johan Larsson, Kyle Medvec, Mikael Granlund, Josh Caron, Zack Phillips, Carter Sandlak.

Those not: Nick Seeler, Dave Makowski, Kris Foucault, J.T. Brown, Dylan Buesenius, Taylor Peters, Mike Kramer.

White team

Those scoring: Sam Lofquist, Kris Fredheim, Jonas Brodin, Dylan Willick.

Those not: Jason Zucker, Chay Genoway, David McIntyre, Mario Lucia, Chad Rau, Nathan Burns, Joel Broda, Colton Jobke, Justin Fontaine, Kyle Thomas, Derik Johnson Charlie Coyle.

John Torchetti, Houston Aeros coach, on White bench

Darby Hendrickson, Wild assistant, on Green bench

THREE STARS OF GAME

No. 1: Zack Phillips, Wild's second first round pick in 2011 from St. John of Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. ... He scored two goals in regulation and a shootout goal for Green team.

No. 2: Kris Foucault, a Wild draftee in 2009 from Calgary, Alberta ... He scored a goal and set up another for Green team. Made some nice moves for a big guy, 6-1, 202.