GABORIK

Wild general manager Doug Risebrough insists he'll take his time building his team. Minny's hockey-crazed fans are willing to wait. The Wild enjoyed a five-point bump in their second season. Forward Marian Gaborik, 20, hit the 30-goal mark -- this year, with newly acquired center Cliff Ronning, Gaborik could score 40. Meantime, coach Jacques Lemaire will continue to preach defense as the franchise waits for the kids to come of age.

	The Big Question
	Q: What do Wild fans have to go wild about? Marian Gaborik is one of the brightest young talents in the game. It starts with him. And the career of Andrew Brunette has been resurgent. Those two guys are really the focal point up front for the Wild -- they're fun to watch. Minnesota also will feature some new guys in its defensive nucleus: Brad Bombardir (if healthy), Lubomir Sekeras and Filip Kuba. So the Wild have the makings of a decent defense. The big question is how their goaltenders will perform. -- Brian Engblom
	Good: Ignore the Northwest Division's cellar-dwelling team at your own risk on draft day. Marian Gaborik, who won't turn 21 until February, netted 30 goals last season, despite playing in a defensive system. Now likely to share the ice with Cliff Ronning and Andrew Brunette, Gaborik could be this season's Jarome Iginla. Bad: Jim Dowd recorded a career-best 43 points last season, frequently centering Minnesota's top line. With Cliff Ronning's arrival, he'll likely return to second- or third-line duties. -- Eric Karabell
	Top Prospect
	Stephane Veilleux, LW He had a solid, unspectacular rookie season last year for the Aeros coming out of the Quebec Hockey League.Veilleux showed some grit and skill; four of his 13 goals were unassisted.
	Minors Outlook
	Houston Aeros It was an excellent transition from IHL to AHL for the Aeros last season, and Houston is getting a good foundation from the parent Wild again this season, including goaltender Derek Gustafson. Goalie Jamie McLennan and defenseman Mike Matteucci will be hard to replace, though. -- Bill Ballou

Forwards Marian Gaborik is developing into a legitimate top-line NHL player. Unfortunately, the Wild don't have similar players surrounding him. Then again, as an expansion team entering its third season, the Wild aren't supposed to have those high-end players … yet. Cliff Ronning has the speed and playmaking ability to bring the best out of the young phenom at this stage of his career. Andrew Brunette, who isn't as fast as his linemates, is a better-than-average producer on the power play. Veterans like Jim Dowd and Sergei Zholtok will be relied on heavily, while youngsters like Pascal Dupuis will be thrown in all sorts of situations. Western Conference Position Ranking: T13th Defensemen The fact coach Jacques Lemaire preaches team defense takes some of the pressure off this crew, which is a good thing. None of the Wild's blue liners would crack the top four on any other team in the league, but they do have the tenacity to make life uncomfortable for opposing forwards. Western Conference Position Ranking: 15th Goalie The Wild are playing host to one of the hottest goalie battles in the league between Manny Fernandez and Dwayne Roloson. While Fernandez struggled last season, Roloson set career and franchise highs. Yet instead of giving Roloson the job outright, the Wild force-fed starts to Fernandez down the stretch. Regardless who wins, can the other be effective playing a limited role as a backup? Western Conference Position Ranking: 14th

Rankings: 15th Overall
Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies

RECORD: 26-35-12-9, 73 points Rank: 23rd overall 12th West 5th Northwest Playoffs: None Home: 14-14-8-5 Road: 12-21-4-4 2001-02 results 2001-02 statistics 2002-03 schedule 2002-03 roster OFFENSE DEFENSE GOALS FOR/AVG. Overall: 195/2.38 (25th) Home: 102/2.49 (23rd) Road: 93/2.27 (24th) POWER PLAY Overall: 14.7/55-373 (19th) Home: 16.2/32-198 (17th) Road: 13.1/23-175 (24th) GOALS AGAINST/AVG. Overall: 238/2.90 (24th) Home: 114/2.78 (24th) Road: 124/3.02 (24th) PENALTY KILL Overall: 82.9/62-362 (23rd) Home: 83.4/27-163 (23rd) Road: 82.4/35-199 (22nd) STATS LEADERS GOALS Marian Gaborik (30) Andrew Brunette (20) Sergei Zholtok (19) ASSISTS Brunette (48) Gaborik (35) Jim Dowd (30) POINTS Brunette (68) Gaborik (65) Dowd (43) PENALTY MINUTES Matt Johnson (181) Jason Marshall (148) Sylvain Blouin (130) PLUS/MINUS Nick Schultz (+2) Roman Simicek (+1) Mike Matteucci (+1)* GAA (MIN. 20 GP) Dwayne Roloson (2.65) SAVE PERCENTAGE Roloson (.903) * - no longer with team