Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

That couldn’t be any truer than for those who break down NHL prospects. If it were an exact science, every scouting director would hit on every pick.

The Minnesota Wild’s prospect pool is an interesting example of differing perspectives — and how things can change. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler had the Wild as the No. 2 ranked pool in February, but a few weeks ago, colleague Corey Pronman had them at No. 14.

The difference is partly explained by top guys like Brock Faber and Marco Rossi graduating from the prospect ranks, and some of the more highly touted players are coming off down years, including Jesper Wallstedt and David Jiricek. There was also no reloading this year, as the Wild traded their first-round pick to get Jiricek in November.

“Anytime you don’t have a first-round pick, don’t get to pick until the 50s this past summer, that rating is going to go down notably,” Pronman said on the upcoming “Fellowship of the Rink” podcast. “Unless they think they’re smarter than the rest of the league and found a star in the second or third rounds, that tends to be how it goes.

“There’s a few variables there. Carson Lambos has been just OK as a pro. Jesper Wallstedt had a really tough year. That definitely plays a little bit of a variable into it. There’s the positives, too. Charlie Stramel had a really nice year at Michigan State. Zeev Buium had a really nice year in Denver. I know Wild fans, they’re very passionate, but I feel midrange is pretty fair considering where they’ve been picking and how many picks they’ve had in recent years.”

With the Wild hosting the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase this weekend in St. Paul and top prospects like Buium, Danila Yurov, Hunter Haight and Riley Heidt in attendance, Pronman offered to give more in-depth takes on the pool. Here are some highlights. The full conversation can be heard Wednesday on the podcast.

On Buium’s ceiling

“You hate to overhype a guy who was a 12th overall pick a year ago and put unrealistic expectations on a guy. But I think the world of Buium. You can go back in my writing. I don’t typically give these high ratings out. But when I watch Buium, he brings you out of your seat with his talent. He’s so skilled, so smart, so dynamic. A great skater. Honestly, when I watched him, I see (Zach) Werenski. I see that guy at the same age. I’m not saying he’s going to be an 80-point Norris-contending defenseman for sure, but I think he has that level of talent. The question is never going to be his offense. He’s not super physical. He’s not huge. But I think the offense is just outstanding, and he’s got a real, true game-breaking ability at the college level, World Juniors level. He showed he could really break shifts open and do it in a way that I think will translate to the pro level.”

Zeev Buium has a chance to be something special for the Wild. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)On realistic expectations for Yurov

“I think he can be a top-six forward. As center, maybe a 2C. It’s going to be interesting. I never envisioned him as an NHL center when they drafted him. Usually, they draft a center and then go to the wing. It’s pretty rare you draft a wing and they end up being a center. That’s an interesting development path for Yurov, and he’s looked quite good playing the middle in the KHL. I don’t know if his offense is so off-the-charts good that he can be a true impact top-two-line center in the NHL. That might be asking more from him. He can be a really good 3C, a really good second-line winger, a fine second-line center. That would be my projection.

“I think he’s a really well-rounded player, a good skater. High skill level. Not huge physically, but can work hard. He’s a smart, detailed player. His skill can have some eye-popping moments, but I don’t think the offense is going to be truly special.”

Stramel’s trajectory — a middle-six center?

“I do think he’s a useful third-line center in the NHL. We were wondering a year ago at this time if he was going to play in the NHL. His season at Wisconsin a year ago was nothing short of a disaster, quite frankly. But he goes to Michigan State, was their first-line center on one of the best teams in college hockey. He provided an impact.

“You’ve got to be realistic about the offense you’re getting. If you get 30 points out of him, that’s probably going to be what you hope for. He’s not a power-play guy, not a dynamic player, but there’s enough skill there that he can chip in some offense in the NHL. He’s big. He can move. He’s highly physical and competitive. He can play the net-front role. He’s great on faceoffs. Can kill penalties. There’s a lot of things he provides in a positive way. But what he’s not — he’s not going to be a goal scorer. He’s not a top-six forward.

“Big centers like that who can move, who can score a little bit, who are highly competitive and physical, they play. You look at the recent Stanley Cup champions, that was a profile of Eetu Luostarinen for a long time. And Florida would very much like to hold onto that guy for the next 10 years. His offense is maybe higher than Stramel. But (Stramel is) that type of player. He is going to be a useful NHL player.”

Where is Jiricek in his development?

“You saw a lot of things in his draft year that really stood out. His skating was a little below average, but this was a big right-shot defenseman. Really skilled with the puck. A big point shot. He’s physical. He’s competitive. The skill and physicality (are) always what drew me to him. Then he came to North America and the physicality kind of goes a little bit. Coaches aren’t trusting him defensively in the American League. But the offense is still there. Then this year, the offense completely dried up. So you look at this guy and are saying, ‘What is his path to the NHL? What is his role? Is he a penalty killer? He didn’t kill penalties in the AHL the last couple of years. Power play? He doesn’t really score.’

“It’s been a very tough road for Jiricek. That’s a guy who I love. I thought he was a guy who could be a legit top-pair defenseman. There were comps of Aaron Ekblad when he was coming out, and I thought those were reasonable. It’s been really tough for him, but let’s see what he does in a full year in the organization and see if he bounces back. Now that he’s got out of Columbus, where he didn’t want to be … I’m willing to see how a full year in Iowa goes for him or whether he plays with the Wild before we start getting too concerned.

“I still think he’s too toolsy to not at least make it to the NHL. He used to be the super physical, nasty defenseman to play against, and he probably needs to find that again. Like, ‘OK, he’s going to be a D-zone guy. A PK guy.’ That would be a path for him to be a full-time player on the Wild.”

Why Wallstedt’s ranking fell

“The (Iowa) roster wasn’t good, but even the player would admit he wasn’t very good this year. Whether you look at the numbers or you watch him play, it was like any time there was a scoring chance around the net, it was going in, it felt like. It was ugly at times.

“Here’s the issue with Wallstedt. When he was coming up, you never watched Wallstedt — either in Sweden or the American League — he was never this outstanding athlete. He wasn’t like the 6-4, 6-5 twitchy goalie where you looked at him and said, ‘Oh, he’s so skilled. So talented. He’s just a little raw. He’s got to figure it out a little.’ They’ve got this really structured, really intelligent goalie who squares up a lot of pucks. Always seems a step ahead of the play. That’s (why) you get excited about him. You’re not looking at this guy like, ‘The tools are so good. Just give him some time.’ He’s always been a heavy guy. Not great side to side. You always said, ‘Well, the stats are so good. He looks so polished. It’s going to translate. Because everywhere he goes, he stops the puck.’ This year, he really didn’t stop the puck.

“So you’re looking at the projections and wondering, ‘What are you banking on?’ The reality is you’re banking on the prior year. You thought he was this super smart, polished goalie. And (you’re) kind of hoping what you saw the last 12 months was not really the real player. You’ve got to balance all the info. I still think he’s going to play. Everything I’ve seen in the past suggests he’s going to play. I think expectations may need to be tempered unless he really turns it around this year and shows you a lot of what he’s displayed in prior seasons.”

Thoughts on Haight and Heidt

“Haight is more well-rounded, with his skating and the two-way game he has there. The question is, at 5-11, is it special enough to do that? There’s a path for him to be a fourth-liner that kills penalties.

“Heidt is challenging because he’s got tremendous offense. Puck skills, hockey sense are high-end. But he’s not big. Not fast. His compete level is average. I think there’s going to be major questions on — is he more than an American Leaguer? You don’t see a lot of guys make it who are that size and are not fast. If they are, they’re like (Jonathan) Marchessault, who worked their asses off every shift. For Heidt to make it, he has to be that player. I don’t think he’s soft. I don’t think he’s hard. That’s going to be the line for him. He needs to be a hard-to-play-against guy every single night with his athleticism.”

(Top photo of David Jiricek: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)