When you think of veteran leaders on a hockey team, a guy in his 30s with a beard and the battle scars of 600-plus nights in the NHL trenches comes to mind. The Minnesota Wild have more than one of those, personified by the likes of Zach Bogosian and Ryan Hartman, who fit the part, right down to the beard.

On a Wild roster featuring an abundance of youth in the likes of David Jiricek (60 regular season NHL games on his resume entering this season), Liam Ohgren (29), Daemon Hunt (13), Zeev Buium (0), Danila Yurov (0) and Hunter Haight (0), the Minnesota coaches are looking to a younger leadership group, much closer in age to the newbies, to offer friendship in the room and advice on the ice.

Among those coach John Hynes is leaning on to lead the way for his six-pack of newcomers are top-l

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