Five early observations from Wild training camp: Tarasenko impresses, injuries already an issue

The Wild haven’t made any cuts yet at training camp, but they are down in numbers.

Early injury exits, a scoring machine in the scrimmages and the roster hopefuls have stood out at the beginning of camp, which continues with more practices Saturday before the Wild’s first preseason game Sunday at Winnipeg.

Vladimir Tarasenko sure knows how to make a first impression.

The veteran winger is the standout from the first two scrimmages at camp after scoring a hat trick on Thursday before converting again Friday.

“I don’t care if it’s an intrasquad scrimmage on Day 1 or Game 45 or the first round of the playoffs,” President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin said. “It just feels nice to score goals.”

Tarasenko’s arrival has only endorsed the Wild giving the longtime scorer a fresh start to rekindle his offense after he managed only 11 tallies last season with Detroit.

Initially pegged to play with Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek, the 33-year-old Tarasenko has been skating next to Eriksson Ek and youngster Liam Ohgren with Mats Zuccarello injured, and coach John Hynes likes how the three have debuted.

Had Zuccarello been healthy, Ohgren would have been boxed out of a top-six audition to open camp.

Now, the No. 19 overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft has a plump chance to show not only that he belongs on the team but in a prominent position.

“I need to play good with those guys to stay there,” Ohgren said. “A little bit nervous, but it’s fun. It’s hockey, and I love it.”

So far, Ohgren has fit in alongside the veterans, uncorking a heavy wrist shot for a goal in Friday’s scrimmage.

Ohgren focused on his upper-body strength over the summer to help him better battle on the ice, and the 21-year-old feels readier for the NHL compared to a year ago when he made the team out of training camp before spending most of the season in the minors.

The Wild’s manpower is taking a hit.

Not only is Zuccarello sidelined because of an undisclosed injury that occurred before camp, but rookie defenseman Zeev Buium suffered an upper-body injury Thursday and didn’t practice Friday. Neither did center Nico Sturm after leaving early Thursday because of a back issue. Fortunately for the Wild, coach John Hynes doesn’t anticipate either being out long-term.

Defenseman Jonas Brodin is also still on the mend from offseason surgery but is skating in a non-contact jersey.

These absences have made two of the tryout candidates more intriguing.

Brett Leason has been skating on the fourth line and will get a look on the penalty kill. Leason, 26, played for Anaheim the past three seasons (new Iowa head coach Greg Cronin was the Ducks’ bench boss the latter two), but Leason had an “eye-opening” summer going unsigned for so long. The feedback he heard was to be more physical and bring more pace to his game.

Johnson, who won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022, has been working with David Jiricek, and Johnson found out at the beginning of July the Wild were interested in bringing him to camp. The 38-year-old believes he still has “something left in the tank” after surpassing 1,200 NHL games last season.

“I was just a kid growing up in Michigan hoping to be good enough to play college hockey someday,” said Johnson, who was at Shattuck-St. Mary’s before starring at the University of Michigan. “All of this, this has been a dream come true and far and beyond what I ever imagined. Appreciative to still be here.”

Hynes stopped the first practice Friday and sent a message about accountability after he thought the session was “a little bit sleepy.”

The Wild’s terrific start a year ago, in which they began 8-1-2 and didn’t trail for their first 19 periods, can be traced to their intense training camp, which was Hynes’ first at the helm. Players have been told repeatedly how the goal is to have these weeks of prep be a competitive advantage for the team.