Kirill Kaprizov among five players to watch at Wild training camp

Over the next three weeks, the Wild will go from having 60-plus players at training camp to 12 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders in their opening-night lineup for their 25th NHL season.

Along the way, some will merit more attention than others because they’re new to the Wild, battling for a job or the face of the franchise.

Here are five players to watch as training camp gets underway.

The spotlight always shines on the Wild superstar, but his ongoing contract negotiation has intensified the brightness.

Being back in Minnesota and around his teammates could accelerate the process, or this may just be the beginning of a long stalemate; if that’s the case and the uncertainty spills over into the regular season, the scrutiny is bound to hound Kaprizov and the Wild and distract from what they’re trying to accomplish on the ice.

For Kaprizov, he’s coming off a season cut short by injury and surgery and possibly posting the first 50-goal season in franchise history; the winger was on pace for 55 a year ago before first getting hurt. He’s hit 40 goals three times, including a career-high 47 in 2021-22.

A two-time Stanley Cup champion who used to be a rival of the Wild during his 10-year stint with St. Louis, Tarasenko was the team’s most notable offseason acquisition, coming over in a trade with Detroit.

In August, Wild coach John Hynes visited with Tarasenko, 33, and his family in Florida to establish a rapport before camp and get an understanding of what Tarasenko feels he needs to be at his best.

This is the start of Yurov’s pro career stateside.

After the Wild drafted him 24th overall in 2022, Yurov returned to Russia and had an impressive run in the KHL: He became a 20-goal scorer and won a league championship. His next challenge is adjusting to the faster style in the NHL, and the Wild want to set him up for success by surrounding him with established players and maintaining clear communication.

Although Yurov, 21, will get a look at center, it’s not a given he sticks there, and he’ll have to show he’s ready to crack the roster and potentially make his NHL debut in the season opener Oct. 9 at St. Louis.

Since the Wild have nine returnees up front plus the additions of Tarasenko and defensive center Nico Sturm, who is back with the Wild after breaking into the NHL with them in 2019, their forward group is almost at max capacity.

Each time he was called back up to the Wild, the winger looked more comfortable, and that confidence seems key for Ohgren to showcase the speed and skill that made him a first-round pick in 2022.

Longtime pros like Vinnie Hinostroza, Ben Jones, Brett Leason, Tyler Pitlick and Nicolas Aube-Kubel are also vying to fill a forward role.

Not many turn a tryout into a contract, but Johnson is an interesting candidate.

At 38, he’s played more than 1,200 NHL games after being a third overall draft pick. He captured a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022 (with Sturm) and earned silver with Team USA at the 2010 Olympics.