Wild 2025-26 Report Cards: Ryan Hartman – The Hockey Writers – Minnesota Wild

The start of August means we’re just over a month and a half away from NHL hockey starting back up. Time will go pretty fast now, but the news will likely still be slow; we only have a handful of Minnesota Wild report cards to go, and next up is a player who played on almost every single line and has quite an edge to his game. 

That player is Ryan Hartman, and while he’s a player who usually has a bit of an edge to his game, he’s found a way to tone it down a bit and not cause his team as much time in the penalty box. In this article, we’ll take a look at his regular-season performance and his time in the postseason to come up with an overall grade. 

Hartman’s Offense Rebounded

Ryan Hartman has always walked a thin line when it comes to staying out of trouble; however, over the past few seasons he’s learned to be careful when he lets his temper get the better of him. This past season he was able to find his way back to more offense, unlike the season prior where he struggled to find any. 

He played in 76 games this past season and scored 23 goals plus assisted on 20 others for 43 points, an increase of 17 from the previous season. He also played with more discipline to his game, which led to fewer minutes in the penalty box and more time on the ice. He registered 48 penalty minutes, the least since his 2020-21 season when he played just 51 games. 

Hartman is known more for his physical side than his offense, and he lived up to that side with 64 hits, probably fewer than most would expect but still a decent number. However, the side of his game most don’t notice is his defense and how much he sacrifices his body to block the puck. He blocked 95 shots, and that earned him fifth place amongst his teammates and the highest forward on the list with almost 40 more blocked shots than sixth-place Matt Boldy. 

After looking over Hartman’s stats for the regular season, it’s hard to ignore that he improved in every area this past season. Those stats earned him an A; it’s not lower because he contributed both offensively and defensively, but it’s not higher because everyone knows he has more to give and could’ve. 

Hartman’s Stats Continued in Postseason

Some of his teammates struggled to adjust to the postseason, but not Hartman; he found a way to keep going. He played in all 11 games of the playoffs and scored three goals plus assisted on four others for seven points, which earned him sixth on the roster. Tensions usually run higher in the postseason, and Hartman struggled a bit more to stay out of the penalty box as he recorded 18 penalty minutes, the most among his teammates. 

He kept up with his physicality as he threw 18 hits, and although some couldn’t keep up with their defense, Hartman did. He used his body for more than just hits, as he also continued with his blocked shots. He had 11 blocks, which tied him for seventh on the team, and there was just one forward with more blocked shots: Michael McCarron. He doesn’t hesitate when it comes to blocking shots, and many of his teammates could learn from that part of his game. 

His stats weren’t the best on the team for the postseason, but he still had an impact and a relatively good one despite the penalty minutes. He earned an A- for his efforts in the playoffs, slightly lower than his regular season grade. It wasn’t higher because, just like the regular season, they know he could give more and wasn’t able to, plus he spent more time in the penalty box. It wasn’t lower because he was able to produce offense but didn’t forget about his defense and helped block shots. 

Hartman’s Overall Grade

As stated above, Hartman found a way to have a bounce-back season after having some trouble the season prior. He was able to register points throughout the season, plus he was able to contribute defensively as well. He earned an A for the regular season and an A- for the playoffs, so his overall grade is a low A/high A-. 

He’s had an up-and-down career in terms of points, but after each season he’s had troubles, he’s found a way to rebound the next season. He’s had issues in the past with his discipline but has made great improvements to remain calm and allow the other team to cause the problems. Of course, he’s had a few slip-ups here and there, but overall much better than before. 

It’ll be interesting to see what line he starts with when the season begins and who he ends with, since he’s bounced around a bit. Hopefully he can find a way to stay on track and continue to contribute more this coming season and be an important player to the team.