Kaprizov was special. I definitely saw a lot there just from his compete level, said Bjugstad, who hadn t watched Kaprizov before then. Obviously, the skill, that s apparent. But for a skill guy like that, he works and digs and makes it hard in the corners. We kind of anticipated this.
Now, the rest of the NHL is catching on, and how could it not?
Kaprizov is the team s leading scorer and the sparkplug as the Wild catapulted into contention for the West Division crown. He s the runaway front-runner for the Calder Trophy as the league s best rookie, receiving praise for his swashbuckling moves that have gone viral on the internet.