Zach Bogosian has played with a “who’s who” of superstar forwards during his 18-year NHL career.

Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. Jack Eichel. Kirill Kaprizov, of course.

Watching 24-year-old Matt Boldy this season, Bogosian, the Minnesota Wild defenseman, said he thinks the winger is not far off from that elite tier.

“He’s up there,” Bogosian said. “When you have elite skill, the way he thinks the game — everyone who watches him every day would see this, but I don’t know how many people realize how hard he works and how competitive he is, the tenacity, the resilience.

“When you have that on top of elite skill and the way he can play, that makes for a dangerous threat every night.”

Thursday was the latest example, with Boldy having his fingerprints all over the Wild’s 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars at Grand Casino Arena.

Whether he was single-handedly making a play happen on Joel Eriksson Ek’s goal or his slick saucer feed on Marcus Johansson’s game-winner, there was no denying him. Boldy’s empty-netter helped seal the win over one of the NHL’s top teams.

“He was a big difference-maker in so many different facets,” coach John Hynes said. “And we needed him.”

right at his front door 🚪 pic.twitter.com/vZmq89nZTa

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) December 12, 2025

The Wild’s season has been a roller coaster, from a rocky October to a remarkable November, but Boldy has been the one constant. In almost every game, he has been “on.”

And it’s not just offensively, where Boldy has 17 goals and 35 points in 31 games — one more point than Kaprizov for the team lead. Boldy has faced some of the toughest matchups in the league, playing alongside shutdown center Eriksson Ek and Marcus Johansson. He’s played a key role on the penalty kill, sparking the unit’s turnaround.

Kaprizov, soon to be the league’s highest-paid player, has often been considered the Wild’s “engine” by teammates. And that’s still the case on many occasions. Kaprizov was dynamic again on Thursday, including setting up Boldy’s empty-netter. He’s a true superstar. However, it sure feels like Boldy is playing like an engine, too.

“He just continues to grow,” Hynes said. “He’s such a talented kid. But you’re starting to see the consistency and the reliability in his game and understanding how he can help a team win on the scoresheet, off the scoresheet. And he’s becoming a regular driver every night. And how we want to play, playing to his strengths and not being deterred sometimes, whether he gets opportunities, and they don’t go in.

“The consistency level that he’s played with this year, and you could see it starting to build, I’d say over the last year or two here now, I think he’s a guy that he’s ready to go every night, and he has the ability to be a game-changer on a nightly basis.”

“You tell me. What wingers are better than him?”

On the maturation of Matt Boldy, the impact of 4 Nations on him and why some say #mnwild winger’s ceiling is being a “superstar.”https://t.co/L4LvzmIrVR

— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) October 17, 2025

Boldy talked earlier this season about his goal of being the best player on the ice. And he’s shown it, evolving from a gifted offensive player into a leader who’s playing winning hockey every night. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound winger sets an example.

When the Wild had their season-turning players-only meeting, called by captain Jared Spurgeon after their October swoop, Boldy was among those who spoke up.

“No one was happy with how October went,” Boldy said. “Sometimes that lights a fire in you, and you know, you gotta look yourself in the mirror and find ways to be better. I think everyone in this locker room has done that. Everyone’s having an impact on the game. Whether it’s winning puck battles, blocking shots, scoring goals, making plays, everything.

“It’s not easy. These teams are so good. That team (the Stars) is so good from top to bottom. So yeah, it’s exciting. You want to have the competition. You want to play in close games — make an impact, have the puck and be out there.”

The results are in his advanced metrics, too. According to Game Score, a comprehensive single-number stat that evaluates a player’s all-around performance, his 1.48 average ranks 11th among forwards (14th overall). His plus-7.9 net rating (The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn’s catch-all stat), he is ninth among forwards and first on the Wild.

PlayerGPOffDefNet

31

14.4

0.9

15.3

32

8.5

1.6

10.2

31

9.5

0.6

10.1

30

8.4

0.9

9.4

30

8.0

1.3

9.3

31

7.1

1.9

9.0

31

8.9

-0.5

8.4

31

6.6

1.5

8.2

31

6.9

1.0

7.9

32

6.3

1.6

7.8

Boldy was Thursday’s No. 1 star and was given the player of the game hat by Yakov Trenin. It was another night showing what Bogosian calls his unique blend of will and skill.

“Nine times out of 10, when he goes into the corner, he’s coming out with the puck,” Bogosian said. “Just his will, his determination, his competitiveness. When he’s going, it’s really fun.”

Asked if there’s any player Boldy reminds Bogosian of that he’s played with, he said it’s difficult because they’re all different. He brought up Eichel, but they have different styles and positions.

“I don’t know if I’ve played with anyone that big and strong and has that much skill,” Bogosian said. “Jack is a different skater. But just that big body that can be that strong and that skilled is a special threat.”

Matt Boldy with his second career hat trick today. I remember talking with his coach at USNDP for a profile on him and the comparison w/ teammates Jack Hughes, Trevor Zegras, Cole Caufield came up. “Someday, he might be more valuable.” #mnwild https://t.co/FH5O414A5y pic.twitter.com/Mqz8412xlc

— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) March 19, 2023