ST PAUL, Minn. — Former Wild defenseman Matt Dumba was a vocal presence with the club both on the ice and in the locker room, a popular teammate and alternate captain known for speaking his mind.
On Tuesday, the hockey club announced who will wear the A on his sweater now that Dumba has moved on, and it's someone who will lead in a totally different way.
All-Star wing Kirill Kaprizov is joining the Wild's leadership group, along with captain Jared Spurgeon and fellow alternate captain Marcus Foligno. While Kaprizov's English has improved dramatically in three years of skating in Minnesota, it will be his play, not his words, that will motivate and spur his teammates on.
"He’s our best player and biggest leader when it comes to the way he plays. His engine is what drives us," Foligno told The Athletic recently. "And when he’s on his game, it seems like our whole bench picks up. He’s a leader on the ice, and what he does out there, he’s the driving force behind our team. Everyone has that guy, and he’s definitely our guy.”
“He talks more than you’d think he would,” Spurgeon added. “He’s not always the loudest guy, but he goes around and is conversational. Shares the things he sees. But it’s the way he comes to the rink every day — everyone feeds off it.”
Kaprizov is well-known for his work ethic and feisty, never-say-die competitiveness. He arrives early for practice and is one of the last to leave the ice afterward, sticking around to work on his already impressive skill set. The high-scoring forward never shies away from tough situations and performs well under pressure, something that is borne out by his numbers. In his three seasons wearing a Wild sweater, the native of Novokuznetsk, Russia, has put up 234 career points (114 goals, 120 assists) and a plus-41 rating with 39 power-play goals and 14 game-winning goals in just 203 games.
There were other deserving candidates to wear the "A," including "Mr. Do Everything" center Joel Eriksson Ek, veteran forward Mats Zuccarello and fiery center Ryan Hartman.
The Wild open the 2023-24 regular season at home Thursday, taking on the Florida Panthers.
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