As one of 16 teams that missed the NHL playoffs this spring, the Wild were part of the draft lottery that can randomly improve a team’s pick. But nothing happened for Minnesota, which will carry the No. 13 overall pick into Las Vegas for next weekend’s draft.

That’s OK, said Judd Brackett, the Wild’s director of amateur scouting since 2020-21.

“We’ve identified players that I think we’d be thrilled with,” he said during a teleconference Friday. “Now, we’ll see how it unfolds.”

That last part is big, of course, because as Brackett noted, “the draft will be dictated to us a bit.” The reality is, Brackett and his staff will be hoping that 12 other teams pass on at least one player they really like.

The Wild’s scouting department has been working on its own mock drafts, and even contacting other teams ahead of them in the draft to set the groundwork for a potential trade if the opportunity presented itself.

That, however, while not impossible, is unlikely, Brackett said.

“Typically, if you’ve got one of the top 10 picks, you’ve done your homework, too, and there’s a player that you’re happy with,” he said. “Especially when, as we mentioned earlier, there’s some depth in this draft in the first round.”

About the only thing draft watchers seem to agree on is that Boston University center Macklin Celebrini will be picked first by San Jose. Even an apparent can’t-miss scorer like Ivan Dimidov — who would seem to be the consensus No. 2 pick — could fall because teams aren’t confident he won’t stay in Russia for several more years.

Among those Top 10 players any team would be happy with: OHL wing Beckett Sennecke, defensemen Artyom Levshunov (Michigan State) Anton Silayev (Russia) and Zeev Buium (University of Denver), and WHL center Cayden Lindstrom.

The Wild have been collecting centers, and have some good young ones to show for it, from Marco Rossi — who had 21 goals and played in 82 games as a rookie last season — to CHL prospects Riley Heidt and Hunter Haight, who just won a Memorial Cup with Saginaw, and rookie Marat Khusnutdinov.

Khusnutdinov and rising left wing Liam Ohgren are expected to make the club out of camp this fall, and there are some promising defensemen playing for the AHL club in Des Moines, including Ryan O’Rourke, David Spacek, Carson Lambos and Daemon Hunt.

There doesn’t appear to be urgency to fast track a player, and Brackett said the team has not focused on a particular position in this draft, which appears particularly deep on the blue line. One of those prospects, Zayne Parekh, might be of particular interest because he had 107 points in 79 total games playing with Haight last season in Saginaw.

“Our list is going to be different than 31 other teams’ (lists),” Brackett said. “So, even at 13, there is a chance” to get a player higher than 13 on Minnesota’s chart.

“We’ve got to sit there and patiently wait, and sometimes we get impatient and start calling teams ahead of us to see if we can get up here,” Brackett said. “But unless you have a dance partner, it’s hard to get there.”

Briefly

Last year’s top pick, Rosemount forward Charlie Stramel, has transferred to Michigan State, where he will be reunited with his national team coach, after a difficult sophomore season at Wisconsin (3 goals, 8 points). “We’re excited that he has this opportunity,” Brackett said. “He now has to grab it and make the most of it. But we’re still very happy with Charlie. … We know the player that he can be, and we’re going to provide all the resources that we can.”

A PLEASANT FALL?

Three high-end prospects that, according to several mock drafts, could be available when the Wild use their No. 13 pick Friday in the first round of the 2024 NHL entry draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas:

Konsta Helenius, C, Finland — Helenius, 18, has been a member of Finland’s international junior teams and last season scored 16 goals among 40 points in 57 games (regular and postseason) total points for Jukurit in Finland’s top professional league.

Zayne Parekh, D, OHL — Parekh, 18, scored 33 goals in 51 regular-season games, up from 21 in his first junior season. He and Wild center prospect Hunter Haight won the CHL’s Memorial Cup with the Spirit this spring.

Tij Iginla, C, WHL — Another center, this one the son of former Calgary nemesis, and Hockey Hall of Famer, Jarome Iginla. Only 17, he already is 6 feet and 185 pounds and scored 56 goals among 99 points in 75 regular season and postseason games for Kelowna this season.

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