Boldy building confidence to become key piece for Wild in West 1st Round

DALLAS -- Matt Boldy truly feels like part of the Minnesota Wild now.

Not that he didn't as a rookie last season, but there's something more familiar, more comfortable for him this time around.
"I think just confidence, coming in, knowing all the guys," the forward said.
"Obviously played a good amount of games last year (47), so I was comfortable with the group. I felt a little more comfortable to take on a bigger role within yourself. I think that was the biggest difference, I had a little bit more confidence and comfortability coming in with these guys. It goes a long way."
It showed in his play, especially the final five weeks of the regular season. Now he's looking to play a part in helping the Wild advance past the Western Conference First Round for the first time since 2015.
Boldy, who turned 22 on April 5, had 63 points (31 goals, 32 assists) in 81 games, third on the Wild behind Kirill Kaprizov (75 points) and Mats Zuccarello (67 points).
RELATED: [Complete Stars vs. Wild series coverage]
Through two games against the Dallas Stars in the 2023 first round, Boldy has one assist in 22:37 of ice time per game. Those around Boldy complement his shot, and he hasn't been afraid to use it with a Wild-high 14 shots on goal in two games.
The best-of-7 series is tied 1-1, with Game 3 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Friday (9:30 p.m. ET; TBS, SN1, TVAS2, BSN, BSWIX, BSSW).
"I saw it coming. I think a lot of people saw it coming," Colorado Avalanche forward Alex Newhook said. Newhook was a linemate and roommate of Boldy's when the two played at Boston College (2019-21).
"He's such a talent, so smart. He can play with anyone, and he's got all the tools. It was just a matter of time before he found his way in this league, and it's been great to see him. I'm very happy for him."
When Kaprizov was out from March 9 to April 7 because of a lower-body injury, Boldy stepped up with 19 points (13 goals, six assists) in 13 games.
"He was put in some better opportunities, he had more ice time," Wild forward Ryan Hartman said. "He has such a good shot. He likes to be unselfish and pass the puck, but when he shoots and scores, he's not selfish to shoot sometimes. I think he finally realized that. He was so hot at that point it felt like every time he touched the ice something good happened. It was fun to see."
Boldy's hot scoring run late in the season included two hat tricks within eight days, against the Washington Capitals on March 19 and the Seattle Kraken on March 27. Boldy has three NHL hat tricks; 21 at the time of his last one he became the fourth United States-born player with three before age 22, joining Jimmy Carson (seven), Alex DeBrincat (four) and Jeremy Roenick (four).
"That was surprising," Boldy said of his March hat tricks. "I don't think I've done that in a while, since I was a mite or something. It was pretty cool. Like I said, it was one of those things, seems like every time you shoot it, it goes in during that period. So it's a pretty cool feeling."
Boldy was selected by the Wild with the No. 12 pick of the 2019 NHL Draft but might have been overshadowed by some of his teammates on the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team in 2018-19, among them New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes, Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras and Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield. Boldy was fourth with 81 points (33 goals, 48 assists) in 64 games, behind Hughes (112 points), Caufield (100) and Zegras (87).
"The thing that was probably one of the most impressive things about him when you look at how stacked that team was in the legendary season the whole team had, and some individuals had, he still wowed you," NHL Central Scouting director David Gregory said. "He still made you come out of your seat and notice him.
"He would do plays with the puck in traffic that were really skilled and then he could fly down the boards and shoot on the fly, so he had so many things that translated to him being an effective, contributing and potential star player at the next level."
Former Boston College coach Jerry York had watched Boldy since he played for Dexter Southfield, a prep school in Brookline, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston.
"He was just a freshman playing at the varsity level, a tall, lanky guy, but he had that hockey sense magnified," said York, who retired in 2022. "It was incredible how he could find people and pass pucks. Now he's getting stronger, and he's really worked at it. His shot is commensurate with his strength. He can really rip pucks. He's always had just a great touch around the net, so I think he's been coming on."
That scoring touch eluded him when he first got to Boston College, though. Boldy scored a goal in his first NCAA game, Oct. 11, 2019. He didn't score again that season until Jan. 11, 2020.
"It's always an adjustment from school to NDTP and certainly from college to the pros," York said. "He was doing everything right and the puck was not going in. No candy for him at all. He was getting a little frustrated and we said, 'Hey Matt, you're playing great. You're making plays, you're hitting [goal posts], the goalies are making saves. Just keep doing that.'"
Boldy kept at it and pucks started going in. After scoring nine goals in 34 games as a freshman, he had 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 22 games as a sophomore and was a top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the best NCAA Division I men's ice hockey player.
He's also gotten stronger, which Wild coach Dean Evason said is the biggest difference between Boldy from last season to this one.
"He's always had the ability to put the puck in the net, he's probably shooting more than he has in the past," Evason said. "But his strength, his ability to hold people off, to get to the net, put his body into positions where he can shield people to get his shot off, probably has been the biggest difference or the progression this year."
Boldy has taken some big steps this season with the Wild. He's confident and he's found his niche on the second line with left wing Marcus Johansson and center Frederick Gaudreau.
"The more comfortable you are out there, the more opportunity you have to use certain parts of your game, use your body and play big and strong," Boldy said. "I had more confidence and was able to use that more this year."
NHL.com staff writer Mike G. Morreale and independent correspondent Ryan Boulding contributed to this report.