Former Minnesota Wild Alternate Captain Matt Dumba wore the letter “A” well. As a leader, Dumba proved to be strong, vocal, uplifting and a uniting force within the Wild locker room. However, Dumba’s departure from the team this offseason, via free agency, left a void that Minnesota needed to fill. It is doubtful the Wild are able to replace what Dumba brought to the club. However, the team has selected a new Alternate Captain with a whole different skill set.
Minnesota Wild Assigns Second “A”
Early Monday morning, Wild staff and players gathered in Minnesota’s locker room for the heavily anticipated announcement of the selection for the team’s new Alternate Captain. Alternate Captain Marcus Foligno stood at the front of the room holding a rolled-up Wild green tarp. Captain Jared Spurgeon stood beside Foligno and acknowledged the wealth of candidates in the room; “there [are] a lot of great leaders in this room, it is what makes this group so special.”
Ultimately, the Wild could only select one person to wear the A. Spurgeon described their selection as “unselfish,” someone who brings “pace to the game every single night,” and has “passion for the organization [and] the game in general.” Spurgeon announced Kirill Kaprizov, affectionately referred to as “the Thrill” by media and fans, as the Wilds new Alternate Captain. Foligno pulled a brand new jersey over Kaprizov’s freshly trimmed head of lettuce. Smiling, Kaprizov modelled a tarp with the number 97 on the back, and the letter “A” on the front. “It’s a good day for me,” Kaprizov commented.
More Than a Star
The Russian-born superstar is widely known around the league for his special abilities on the ice. In the first three seasons in the NHL, Kaprizov has played in 203 games, racked up 234 points, become the feature of Minnesota’s top line and has dominated the power play unit. Nonetheless, the forward has already broken several franchise records and is by far the Wilds best player.
Underneath all the Thrill’s evident skill lies a grounded 26-year-old who wholeheartedly loves the game of hockey and will do whatever it takes to better himself. As Foligno once stated, Kaprizov plays the game like a desperate fourth-liner, despite having the skills of a superstar. While Kirill’s record is gaudy, it is his character that landed the letter “A” on 97’s jersey.
New Alternate Captain Leads by Example
As stated before, the Wild have a deep pool of leaders within their locker room. Many anticipated that Kaprizov’s teammates, Joel Eriksson Ek or Jonas Brodin, could have received the A. However, Kaprizov’s contract is set to expire after season 2025-26 and the Wild hope to lock down this star long after his current contract expires. This decision could have been the franchise attempting to further tie the Russian to Minnesota. Regardless, Kaprizov earned the role of Alternate Captain.
Yet, it is likely Kaprizov does not care much for his new title. While the forward may be honoured, winning is what he cares about. “I wake up two hours ago and [I’m] like, ‘Oh okay, thank you’” Kaprizov recounts his reaction to being named alternate captain. “I try to say speech but my English is not too good and I just was happy.”
While the new Alternate Captain is still learning English, teammates believe Kaprizov is a natural leader. Linemate Mats Zuccarello stated, “We follow him on the ice, and when he speaks in here, you know it is important.” Contrary to the belief that leaders are vocal, such as Dumba was, sometimes it is more important how you say something, rather than saying anything. For the newest Minnesota Wild Alternate Captain, leading by example will be the way he hopes to guide the team to victory.
Main Photo Credit: Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports
