ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Wild sure caught the attention of their fans at last year’s NHL draft, completing a big trade that was one of the headlines of the weekend event.

“It certainly was an adrenaline rush, particularly when the draft’s in your home city,” general manager Chuck Fletcher said.

This time, they’ll be in Pittsburgh and out of the spotlight when the first round arrives on Friday evening. The Wild are less likely to pull off a deal on par with last summer’s, when All-Star defenseman Brent Burns was sent to San Jose for Devin Setoguchi and a couple of first-round picks.

Those two prospects, Charlie Coyle and Zack Phillips, are now part of a well-regarded group of young players turning pro this season and strengthening the competition for spots on the Wild’s roster. Mikael Granlund has the highest profile of those up-and-comers, and Johan Larsson, Brett Bulmer and Jason Zucker are also part of the mix.

These are the guys the Wild are counting on to fulfill the aim of constructing a legitimate Stanley Cup contender by drafting and developing the core, like the Los Angeles Kings just did, sneaking into the playoffs and surging all the way to their first championship.