When the 2012 NHL Draft kicks off on Friday night from Consol Energy Arena in Pittsburgh, the Minnesota Wild (barring a trade, of course) will hold ownership of the No. 7 overall selection. With the depth of this year's class providing several players outside of the top-five that are projected to be viable prospects at the NHL level, the Wild are sitting in a position of power at No. 7.
Not to mention that recent history has been on their side. Here is a look courtesy of SB Nations' Wild site, Hockey Wilderness profiling the most recent selections at the No. 7 overall pick:
Below is the list of players drafted 7th overall ever since the draft was turned into a seven round event rather than the previous nine rounds.
Year Team Name Player Name Position 2011 Winnipeg Jets Mark Scheifele C 2010 Carolina Hurricanes Jeff Skinner C 2009 Toronto Maple Leafs Nazem Kadri C 2008 Nashville Predators Colin Wilson C 2007 Columbus Blue Jackets Jakub Voracek RW 2006 New York Islanders Kyle Okposo RW 2005 Chicago Blackhawks Jack Skille RW Those are the previous 7th overall picks and those are some impressive names. While the jury is still out on Mark Scheifele and Nazen Kadri, with the exception of Jack Skille, all have produced relatively good talent. Arguably, all of them have top six potential.
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