VANCOUVER — The Wild continued to add to its prospect pool Saturday at the NHL draft inside Rogers Arena in Vancouver, selecting left winger Vladislav Firstov with the 42nd pick in the second round.
Firstov was ranked 23rd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. The Russian spent last season with Waterloo of the United States Hockey League, scoring 26 goals and finishing with 58 points in 62 games. The 6-foot, 181-pound 18-year-old was named to the USHL All-Rookie Team and is committed to the University of Connecticut.
Later in the second round, the Wild traded its third and fourth-round picks (73 and 99) to the Hurricanes to receive No.59. With that, the team took Hunter Jones — a 6-4 goalie who played with Peterborough in the Ontario Hockey League last season.
But the Wild reacquired a third-rounder when it traded a 2020 third-round pick to the Predators for No.75. The Wild used that selection to take left winger Adam Beckman.
Last season, Beckman scored 32 goals and racked up 62 points in 68 games with Spokane of the Western Hockey League.
Minnesotans Bobby Brink (34th to the Flyers) and Jackson LaCombe (39th to the Ducks) were also selected in the second round.
At No.149, the Wild drafted center Matvey Guskov in the fifth round. He had 12 goals and 30 points in 59 games with London of the OHL last season.
In the sixth round, the Wild added defenseman Marshall Warren (166) and forward Nikita Nesterenko (172).
