Courtesy of Duluth News Tribune

Fantasy Summary

Swaney was a late draft year pick, but a promising freshman season indicates a player that could be a bottom-six scorer with patience and development.


Observations

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June 2023 – Swaney managed to play his first NHL game for the Minnesota Wild during the 2022-23 season. Although he went pointless in that contest, he managed to put up 18 goals and 12 assists in 48 games for the Iowa Wild of the AHL. At 25 years of age, Swaney still has the potential to be an NHL player in the future, but will be challenged by a strong team of depth. The local Minnesota native at the least will be an important cog in the AHL and will continue to get call-ups at the NHL level to see what he can bring. Nathan Leblanc

 

January 2023 – The Wild took a swing at a local talent in Swaney during the 2017 NHL draft. He has since had a successful career at the University of Minnesota-Duluth before transitioning to the AHL’s Iowa Wild during the 2021-22 season. In his first season, Swaney put up an impressive 38 points in 62 games, however, during the current 2022-23 season, Swaney has gotten off to a slower start putting up only eight points in 17 games. At 5-10 and already 25 years old, Swaney definitely has the potential to be a call-up for the Minnesota Wild in the near future, however, he will need to keep developing and improving if he wants to land a spot on a competitive forward core of similarly aged players. At the NHL level, he projects to be a bottom 6 energy forward who has the ability to put up some points, as shown during his time in the NCAA. Nathan Leblanc

 

April 2018 – Minnesota’s other overage pick in the 2017 draft had a remarkably successful year with Minnesota-Duluth. 22 points in 35 games is a solid start to a college career, and a national championship doesn’t hurt either. The undersized forward will return to Duluth and continue to develop under the close watch of the Wild. With names like Riley Tufte, Dylan Samberg, Mikey Anderson, and Scott Perunovich returning next season, Duluth will be defending their championship with a solid core of players including Swaney. He’ll be one to keep an eye on as the next year or two progress. Will Scouch

 

June 2017 – Minnesota closed its draft by picking this hometown boy from the Waterloo Blackhawks. Headed to an excellent Minnesota-Duluth program, Swaney is the third Wild pick above 2.5 points per hour at even strength. Undrafted twice, Swaney has improved his play continuously. The small center is skilled, and his ability to drive offense and control defense while on the ice was among the best in the USHL this year. If he can improve his strength, he could be a steal. Minnesota mentioned they selected him so that they didn’t need to try to land him as a college free agent, and I tend to agree. He may need a few years before he makes the jump, but in the seventh round, that tends to be the norm. Will Scouch

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 3.5
NHL Certainty 6.0
Country USA
Position RW
Roster Type Minors
Shoot/Glove Right
Date of Birth September 10, 1997
Height 5‘10”
Weight 179 lbs
Drafted 2017 Round 7; Overall: 209

Stats

 Season Team League GP G A TP PIM      Playoffs GP G A TP PIM 
 2012-2013 Lakeville South HighUSHS-MN25 12 1325 7|Playoffs3 1 23
 2013-2014 Lakeville South HighUSHS-MN24 13 3144 14|Playoffs2 2 46
  Waterloo Black HawksUSHL4 1 01 2|        
  B16 - Red (Final 54)MNHP-163 0 00 -|        
 2014-2015 Team Grey USA-S175 2 24 -|        
  B17 - Blue (Final 54)MNHP-173 1 12 -|        
  Lakeville South HighUSHS-MN24 25 3257 0|Playoffs2 4 04
  Team MAP South HockeyUMHSEHL20 9 1827 27|Playoffs3 2 46
  Waterloo Black HawksUSHL15 9 413 0|        
  USA U18Hlinka Gretzky Cup5 0 22 4|        
 2015-2016 Waterloo Black HawksUSHL54 30 2050 26|Playoffs9 5 49
 2016-2017 Waterloo Black HawksUSHL47 26 2551 12|Playoffs8 1 12
  USA U19WJAC-195 2 24 0|        
 2017-2018 Univ. of Minnesota-DuluthNCAA35 6 1622 6|        
 2018-2019 Univ. of Minnesota-DuluthNCAA40 15 1025 0|        
 2019-2020 Univ. of Minnesota-DuluthNCAA31 12 1426 4|        
 2020-2021 Univ. of Minnesota-DuluthNCAA28 13 1528 10|        
  Iowa WildAHL6 1 12 0|        
 2021-2022 Iowa WildAHL62 16 2238 18|        
 2022-2023 Minnesota WildNHL1 0 00 0|        
  Iowa WildAHL48 18 1230 14|Playoffs2 0 00
 2023-2024 Iowa WildAHL7 1 12 0|        
 2024-2025 Chicago WolvesAHL4 0 00 0|        

Highlights