With defensemen flying off the board early in the first round of the NHL Draft on Friday night, the Minnesota Wild decided to join the fray by selecting 17-year old Matthew Dumba from the Red Deer Rebels.
Dumba has shown he has the potential to by a dynamic defenseman in the years to come with the ability to make plays all over the ice. Now the Wild will have to develop his skill into an NHL-caliber defenseman to go along with top Wild prospect Jonas Brodin.
According to Peter Loubardias who scouts Red Deer, Dumba was worthy of joining the other defenseman selected at the top of the draft board.
"He's a game-changer," said Peter Loubardias, a Canadian TV analyst who scouts for Red Deer. "He can do it all, and at the end of the day, you've got a passionate, caring, want-to-be-the-best, wants-to-win-at-all-costs guy. He's got a heart as big as a bathtub."
Wild GM Chuck Fletcher also liked the skills Dumba displays to go along with his penchant for physical play.
"It's hard to find skilled right-shot defensemen, and to find somebody that shoots the puck that hard, skates that well and has a physical edge, it's a rare package," Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher said.
It sounds like Dumba will be the type of player who can sell tickets as well as help win games for the Wild in the future.
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