Ohgren says he's 'got to take a spot' on Wild roster out of training camp

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Liam Ohgren has set the bar high for himself ahead of Minnesota Wild training camp next month.

“I feel like I've got to take a spot, show that I really can be a part of the Minnesota Wild,” the 20-year-old forward prospect said at the team's development camp last month. “No, I don’t feel like I’m a part of the team really, but I hope that will change.”

Ohgren, selected by the Wild with the No. 19 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, has already made his NHL debut, with a goal and an assist in four games last season, including his first League goal against the San Jose Sharks on April 13. That followed his arrival in  North America after he had 19 points (12 goals, seven assists) in 26 games for Farjestad of the Swedish Hockey League. He also played three games without a point with Iowa of the American Hockey League.

Though he is undoubtedly expected to compete for a Minnesota roster spot during training camp, Ohgren said he knows there is never a sure thing, but he's confident in his capabilities. 

“I think it was really good for me to get those four games last year to kind of see how it feels and to know that I'm actually capable of playing in the NHL,” he said. “That's what I want to do. I'm here to take a spot. I want to play in the NHL next year. Not only that, 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.”

Injuries the past two seasons have slowed Ohgren's ascent; in 2022-23, his first season in Allsvenskan, Sweden's second-tier professional league, he was limited to 36 games but had 20 points (11 goals, nine assists) in 36 games for Djurgardens IF and 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in 17 playoff games.

Last season, he was again hampered by injuries, but his 19 points in 26 games put him at a .73 point-per-game rate, and he was healthy enough to captain Sweden to the silver medal at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. 

"He's going to be another guy that's going to come to camp and the opportunity will be there for him,” Wild director of player development Brad Bombardir said. “He's a big, strong, and smart player. 

“The young guys that are able to play, it's not their game with the puck so much, it's when you see their game away from the puck. That's what I always look for. That's what we always look for when we go watch them. … He's always been a player, a good player and a smart player away from the puck. And again, that is predictable in certain spots, but he's just in the right spots most of the time. 

"If you want to play for Coach [John] Hynes or for any NHL coach, they're going to want to be able to put you out on the ice and trust that things are going to be fine. I think he's one of those players that's able to do that."

Ohgren has been training with Wild staff in Minnesota most of the summer. At 6-foot, 187 pounds, he said his goals to make the NHL come with refining his 200-foot game and all the intricacies that come with playing at the highest level.

“I have to work on everything, but I think the main thing is to get a little bit mature with the game and be more comfortable out there,” he said. “I’ve always been like that. It’s always tough the first games, and then when you play some more games you kind of get into it, and I always play better at the end of the season. So hopefully I make the team and then start playing even better.

“I want to get faster.  I feel like I don’t need to be much stronger and don’t need to build that much more muscles. So I guess more speed, and I think that maturity, it’s a good thing.”

Ohgren said he's prepared for the pressure and expectation to be on that final roster.

“It’s pressure, for sure," he said. "I feel it but it’s a lot of fun. This is my childhood dream to be part of an NHL club and to have a chance to make an NHL team. It was a dream come true to play those games last season and score a goal, too. 

"But I haven’t made the team yet, so that’s my main focus right now, to make the team, and that would be one of my biggest goals in my life.”