The dream of playing in the NHL became a little bit closer to reality for two former Minnesota Wilderness players Friday.
Zam Plante and Barrett Hall were both selected in the NHL Draft Friday, becoming the 3rd and 4th players in Wilderness history to be drafted by an NHL team.
Plante was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 5th round, as the 150th overall pick. The 17-year old from Hermantown, MN, began his junior career with Minnesota in the 2020-21 season. That year, Plante played four games with the Wilderness, scoring one goal, after completing his sophomore season at Hermantown High School. Plante then went on to win a state championship with the Hermantown Hawks during the 2021-22 season while also skating in the USHL with the Chicago Steel. He’ll be entering his senior year in high school this fall before moving on to college where he has verbally committed to play at the University of Minnesota-Duluth of the NCHC.
The Seattle Kraken claimed Hall in the 6th round with the 164th overall pick. The 18-year old native of Apple Valley, MN, put up 20 points (5 goals/15 assists) in 19 games with the Wilderness during the 2021-22 campaign, while also adding five points (1 goal/4 assists) in nine playoff games. Hall also spent last season playing his final year of high school hockey at Gentry Academy. His college career will be spent at another NCHC institution, as he has verbally committed to skate for St. Cloud State. Hall is expected to play the 2022-23 season with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL.
Plante and Hall join Ivan Chukarov and Cole Koepke as the only Wilderness players to have their names announced at an NHL draft. Chukarov was taken by the Buffalo Sabres in the 7th round (182nd overall) in the 2015 draft, while Koepke was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 6th round (183rd overall) of the 2018 draft.
