Although he was born in Waconia, Graeme Clarke doesn’t consider himself a Minnesotan. He moved away at age 1 and has called Ottawa, Ontario, his home ever since.

He did, however, have a small connection to the Wild before joining the team for training camp last week. When his mother, Trish, attended the very first Wild home game in 2000, she was pregnant with her first-born child.

“So, there you go,” Clarke said after a morning practice at TRIA Rink on Tuesday.

Clarke is now one of several forwards in Wild camp trying to thread a needle into the NHL roster, joining a large group that includes players as diverse as high prospects Liam Ohgren, Riley Heidt and Hunter Haight, and more seasoned players such as Sammy Walker, Brendan Gaunce and Jakub Lauko.

All are scheduled to play in Wednesday night’s preseason game at Dallas. Clarke, Gaunce, Caeden Bankier and Ben Jones each scored a goal in the preseason opener last Saturday, a 5-2 victory at Winnipeg.

Clarke was an AHL all-star with New Jersey’s AHL team in Utica, N.Y., last season and played three games with the Devils before being shipped to Minnesota on June 21 in a trade that sent forward prospect Adam Beckman east.

“It was kind of unexpected,” he said. “You’re going through your summer training, then you get a call that you’re traded. It’s a new opportunity for me, that’s what I took out of it, and also a little bit of a Minnesota connection. So, it was fun and I’m really happy to be here.”

With several veterans back, and most signed beyond this season, there aren’t many — if any — spots truly open for prospects, although Matt Boldy’s lower body injury could change that if it lingers longer than expected. Otherwise, the Wild have 12 veteran forwards they think can help them win when the regular season begins Oct. 10.

Certainly a player can’t wow the brass in camp and earn a spot, but the Wild acquired veterans Lauko and Gaunce this summer expecting them to make the team, and so far they have lived up to expectations. The Wild are up tight against the salary cap and will be hesitant to keep a 13th forward on the roster, especially at times they decide to carry a third goalie as planned.

Ohgren and Heidt are probably the closest major prospects. Ohgren, a 6-foot, 200-pound forward, played well in four games last season after joining the team in April. Heidt scored 37 goals among 117 points in 66 regular-season games in the CHL last season. Coaches love his speed and skill but need to see that he’s ready. Because he’s just 19, Heidt can’t play in Iowa this year, so it’s either the NHL or WHL for the 5-10, 180-pound forward, the Wild’s second-round pick in the 2023 entry draft.

It’s a tough predicament for Heidt. The rest of the forwards in camp will report to Iowa when and if they’re cut and likely start their season in Des Moines. That includes Clarke, one of many prospects singled out by head coach John Hynes for their performance in camp.

“Coaches want to see you work hard because we’re getting ready for the season, and then you have to show well in the games,” Clarke said. “The games are really important. Even though it’s preseason, you’re trying to win, and show you can have winning habits. I think that’s what we did in Winnipeg, and we have to keep going.”

For some, Wednesday will be their first chance to show well in a game, including Ohgren, who hasn’t played in a real game since last April, when he joined the Wild after his professional team in Sweden was bounced from the playoffs.

Asked what he wants to show coaches Wednesday in Dallas, Ohgren said, “That I can play all over the ice. I can play defense, offense. I can play top two lines. I can play bottom six lines.”

“I just want to show that I’m competitive. I work hard every shift, and I want to win, too. Whatever it takes,” he added. “And also (that) I’m offensive, productive. I score, score goals, I take the pucks to the net. That’s what I want to show.”