(Wild.com) The Minnesota Wild selected five players during the 2025 NHL Draft on Saturday, including two defensemen and three forwards. Minnesota acquired a fourth-round pick (Lirim Amidovski) and defenseman Chase Priske from the Washington Capitals in exchange for defenseman Declan Chisholm and a sixth-round pick (180th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft.
The Wild began Saturday by selecting defenseman Theodor Hallquisth in the second round (52nd overall). Hallquisth, 18 (6/4/07), played in 41 games for the Orebro Junior Team (Sweden) during the 2024-25 season, recording 22 points (5-17=22), sixth-most among defensemen 17 or younger in the Swedish junior league, and 48 penalty minutes (PIM). The 6-foot-2, 187-pound native of Taby, Sweden, also made his professional debut, skating in 12 Swedish Hockey League (SHL) games. The right-shot defenseman represented Sweden at the 2024 World Junior A Challenge and the World Junior Classic, winning a silver medal at both.
“Theodor is a highly competitive, two-way puck mover with a high hockey sense,” said Director of Amateur Scouting Judd Brackett.
Minnesota selected center Adam Benák in the fourth round (102nd overall). Benák, 18 (4/10/07), recorded 59 points (17-42=59), 36 PIM, seven powerplay goals (PPG), three game-winning goals (GWG) and 152 shots in 56 games with the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League (USHL) last season. He led Youngstown in points, ranked T-1st in assists and fourth in goals. Among USHL rookies, Benák ranked first in assists and second in points and was named to the USHL All-Rookie Team and earned USHL Second All-Star Team honors. Benák represented Czechia at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup (2023, 2024), winning a silver medal in consecutive years. He also skated for Czechia at the World Junior Classic (2023, 2024), leading team skaters with seven points (2-5=7) in four games in 2024.
“Adam is a slick, playmaking center with elite vision and creativity,” said Brackett.
Minnesota selected forward Lirim Amidovski in the fourth round (123rd overall). Amidovski, 18 (12/22/06), collected 32 points (19-13=32) and 38 PIM in 67 games with the North Bay Battalion in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) last season. The 6-foot-1, 181-pound native of Alliston, Ontario, ranked second on North Bay in goals and fifth in points. He owns 43 points (23-20=43) and 60 PIM in 126 games with the Battalion over three seasons (2022-25).
“Lirim is a fast, two-way winger,” said Brackett.
The Wild closed out the fourth round (181st overall) by selecting forward Carter Klippenstein. Klippenstein, 18 (11/25/06), tallied 28 points (14-14=28), 50 PIM and a plus-20 rating in 58 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League (WHL) last season. The 6-foot-3, 181-pound native of Lethbridge, Alberta, ranked fourth on the Wheat Kings in plus/minus. He owns 49 points (24-25=49), 99 PIM, three PPG and a plus-12 rating in 126 WHL games with Brandon over three seasons (2022-25). He has also recorded one goal in seven WHL playoff games.
“Carter is a hard-nosed two-way center who excels on the penalty kill,” said Brackett.
Minnesota selected defenseman Justin Kipkie in the fifth round (141st overall). Kipkie, 19 (7/28/05), recorded 62 points (12-50=62), 46 PIM and a plus-18 rating in 64 games with the Victoria Royals in the WHL last season, serving as team captain. The 6-foot-4, 193-pound native of Calgary, Alberta, led the Royals with 22 powerplay assists (PPA), ranked second in assists and fifth in points. The left-shot blueliner owns 147 points (36-111=147), 140 PIM, 12 PPG and six GWG in 206 career WHL games over four seasons with Victoria (2021-25). He was named to the WHL First All-Star team in 2023-24 and the WHL Second All-Star team in 2024-25. He has recorded 19 points (3-16=19) and eight PIM in 15 WHL playoff games.
“Justin is an offensive puck mover with big size,” said Brackett.
Priskie, 29 (3/19/96), collected 35 points (12-23=35) and 26 PIM in 61 games with the Hershey Bears in the AHL last season. He owns 164 points (50-114=164), 140 PIM, 19 PPG, 13 GWG and a plus-13 rating in 314 career American Hockey League (AHL) games over six AHL seasons with Charlotte (2019-21), Springfield (2019-20), Syracuse (2020-21), Rochester (2022-23), San Diego (2022-23) and Hershey (2023-25). He has also appeared in four NHL games, making his debut on Nov. 4, 2011, with the Florida Panthers.
Chisholm, 25 (1/12/00), recorded 12 points (2-10=12) and 10 (PIM) in 66 games with the Wild last season. For his career, Chisholm owns 21 points (5-16=21), 28 PIM, four (PPG), 108 blocked shots and 46 hits in 99 career games over three NHL seasons with Winnipeg (2021-22) and Minnesota (2023-25).
