Liam Ohgren scored the first goal of his NHL career last season shortly after making his debut with the Wild. He recently had the puck framed, and while he thought about sending it back to his native Sweden for safe keeping, there’s a good chance it finds a permanent home at his apartment in Minneapolis.

“It’ll stay if I make the team,” Ohgren said. “Just so I can look at it all the time.”

Think of it as motivation as Ohgren, 20, tries to find his place with the Wild. He arrived at development camp this week with a clear motivation. After a cup of coffee in the NHL towards the end of last season, he’s eager to prove he belongs.

“I’m here to take a spot,” he said. “I want to play in the NHL.”

Listening to general manager Bill Guerin talk about the current roster, it sounds as if Ohgren will be given every opportunity to make the team out of training camp. That said, Ohgren isn’t taking anything for granted.

“I don’t feel like I’m on the team,” he said. “I hope that will change.”

It certainly helps that Ohgren has spent much of the past month around the Twin Cities working out with some of his teammates on and off the ice. That has allowed him to build chemistry with a handful of players he hopes to be playing alongside sooner rather than later.

“This is a good first step to get to know everybody,” Ohgren said. “I’m happy to have done it.”

That put him in position to thrive at development camp this week. To say Ohgren has stood out at at TRIA Rink in St. Paul would be putting it lightly. He has looked extremely sharp in all areas while also looking like a natural while stepping into a leadership role among his peers.

After he finishes up at development camp, Ohgren said he plans to go back to his native Sweden for awhile. He will continue to work out there before returning to Minnesota shortly before training camp. Asked what he think he needs to work on in that span, Ohgren replied, “I have to work on everything,”

That mentality is going to serve Ohgren well as he continues to chase his childhood dream of being a mainstay in the NHL. He already feels like he’s improved since last season when he got a taste of the action. The sky could be the limit this season as he works himself into a role as a regular.

“It was really good for me to get those games last season to kind of see how it feels and to know that I’m actually capable of playing in the NHL,” Ohgren said. “I want to make an impact so we can go on and win a Stanley Cup. That’s my main goal. I’m going to do everything I can to first make the team and then go on from that.”

Briefly

Wild winger Sammy Walker has agree to a 1-year, 2-way contract that will pay him $775,000 in the NHL and $125,000 in the American Hockey Leaue next season.

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