We are into the Top 10 on the Prospect Pond. As we advance further into the Pond we will get to know higher profile Wild prospects. The lack of Right Wing’s on the Prospect Pond has already been written about. Today we will begin a discussion on a new theme. A glut of left-shot Defensemen are clogging up the pipeline at this point. In this article we will meet our first Wild left-shot Defense prospect.
Jack Peart is a name that will be recognized by High School hockey fans in Minnesota. The Grand Rapids Defenseman will hopefully become a familiar name to all Wild fans in the coming years. Current Wild blueliner Alex Goligoski is a 2004 Grand Rapids High graduate. There scoring totals in High School were similar, and they were both selected at the end of the 2nd round. They are both 5’11, and known as good puck moving defenseman. Could Jack Peart be the next Alex Goligoski in the NHL?
Stats
In Peart’s 2020-21 season, his draft season, he split time between Grand Rapids, and the Fargo Force of the USHL. With the Thunderhawks, Peart put up 35 points in 18 games. This pace of nearly two PPG is an impressive number, but in a weak league. Grand Rapids plays a tough schedule in Minnesota, but High School hockey in Minnesota simply doesn’t produce as many NHL players as it used to. Most players that are NHL draft caliber either play with the United States Development Program, or in the USHL in their Junior and Senior seasons. Regardless, Peart did win the Mr. Hockey award, an award previously won by the likes of Nick Bjugstad, Nick Leddy, Paul Martin, and many more NHL players.
In his stint in Junior hockey, Peart had 22 points in 33 games with Fargo of the USHL. These numbers give a better idea of the player Peart might be. The USHL is a very strong league, in which Peart was a year younger than the average player. Peart was strong in the postseason for the Force, helping them all the way to final. Despite strong play from Peart, the Fargo Force dropped the championship series 3 games to 1 against the Chicago Steel. Peart’s play with Fargo in the playoffs put him on the radar of NHL scouts around the entire league, and propelled him to being selected 54th overall by the Wild.
This season, Peart is with St. Cloud State of the NCHC. Thus far Peart has put up 6 points in 10 games. These are very good numbers for an 18 year old Defenseman in one of the most competitive conferences in the NCAA. Teams in the NCHC are built from NHL draft picks, and more experienced players of 22+ years. Peart is competing well against future NHL talent, and players that have a significant age advantage over him.
The Pond Report
Jack Peart is a modern defenseman. At only 5’11, Peart relies on his skating ability and hockey IQ to buoy his game. The days of needing your D-men to be hulking players are over. The league is being taken over by the likes of Cale Makar. Defensemen that can skate and move the puck are the future of the game. Peart is exactly this type of player. In High School he easily controlled the puck up the ice and was often able to skate out of his own zone. His speed has also transferred well to the NCAA, but he does play it safer and look for a pass out of his own zone more often than carrying it himself. That being said, he certainly has the puck carrying ability that is looked for in modern Defensemen.
Peart is also strong in the offensive zone. He moves extremely well laterally. He then uses this option to open up different passing or shooting lanes. This bodes extremely well for the powerplay. The St. Cloud Husky has the potential to be an NHL powerplay Quarterback. A player that starts a play from the blue line.
Despite his size, Peart has the ability to play the body decently well. This was proven many times in High School, but it is yet to see if he can transfer this ability to bigger stronger players. Peart’s puck carrying and skating ability help him defensively, as he can cover large parts of the ice quickly on odd-man rushes.
Peart has a lot of positives to his game, and not a ton of huge negatives. His shot isn’t overly impressive, and we shouldn’t expect a ton of clappers from the point from Peart. The young defenseman seems to be aware of this, and shoots more for rebounds and tips than for direct goals from the point. While his size is in line with the future of the NHL, it is nice to have some size on the blue line. This shouldn’t be too much of a concern for the Wild, as they have other options on the point that will provide size.
Analysis
Jack Peart is the only Minnesota native on the top 15 of the Prospect Pond. The left-shot defender will most likely play two or three seasons at St. Cloud so that he can develop into an NHL talent. Peart certainly has a lot of steps to take to earn time in a Wild sweater, but he is on the stairway to St. Paul, and has the ability to author his future. NHL scouting agencies did not agree on Peart before the draft. Some had him rated as the 51st top prospect, and others had him as low as 93. This is quite a range, but not unheard of in second and third round picks. Obviously Bill Guerin sees eye to eye with scouts that had him rated higher.
Taken in the second round of 2021, Peart was the third Wild pick of the draft, as Jesper Wallstedt and Carson Lambos were taken in the first round. Lambos is also a puck moving left-shot Defenseman. Peart will have a challenge on his hands to carve out a spot on the left-side of the Wild blueline. Peart will have to win a battle between likely 5 players for one of 3 spots. If all goes well, the Wild will be able to turn their glut of left-shot D-men into trade bait at some point. One advantage Peart may have, is being a Minnesotan. Here in Minnesota many fans are much more forgiving of our local players, and I am one of those fans. Let’s take a peak at the projections for Peart.
Projections
Chances of becoming NHL regular: 55%
Peart is still very young, and it’s hard to be sure of anything. Regardless, he has all the tools it takes to be an NHL player. Players such as Cale Makar, and Jared Spurgeon are proving that D-men don’t have to be over 6ft tall to make it in the league. Peart’s odds might be slightly higher if there wasn’t a list of players in his position, at his age or slightly older that he will have to battle.
Chances of becoming star NHL’er (Top 50): 4%
We still have not reached the part of the list where we look at potential stars. Peart could for sure develop into a second pairing D-man. Unlike small NHL superstar defensemen Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar, Peart does not have the skill to be a superstar. With plenty of time to develop, we can still hope for a breakout from Peart. Regardless, it would be a big surprise if Peart becomes a Top 50 player in the league.
NHL arrival: 2026-27
An arrival of 2026 in the NHL would put Peart at 23 years old. Peart will likely stay with St. Cloud through the 2023-24 season. This would give him two seasons to develop in the AHL with Iowa before carving out a spot in St. Paul. While he could earn time with the team before this, there is a lot of development that needs to happen before being NHL caliber.
Conclusion
Thanks again for reading the Prospect Pond again. Please check out the rest of the Prospect Pond. What do you think of Jack Peart? Should the Wild select more players from Minnesota? Stay tuned this upcoming week as we look into numbers nine and eight on the Pond.