Sheppard, Pouliot look to fill Wild void at center

Minnesota Wild assistant general manager Tom Thompson was walking out of the dressing room at the conclusion of a weeklong prospect camp and was asked about James Sheppard. "Quite honestly," Thompson said, "I wasn't really watching Sheppard too closely." It wasn't negligence on the part of Thompson, but rather confidence that the 20-year-old center is ready for his second season as a Wild center, and far down on the list of priorities for evaluation that Thompson had going into this camp. The camp brought many of the Wild's minor league prospects together in the building where they all aspire to play one day to set the tone for another season. Many like Cal Clutterbuck, Colton Gillies and Petr Kalus were hoping to make an impression and show they deserve a shot at consideration during the Wild's training camp. Sheppard has... [read full story]