Good luck getting top prospect Riley Heidt to talk about himself. If his answers this week at Wild development camp are any indication, he would much rather let his play do the talking.

Luckily for anybody following Heidt’s rise up the ranks, the way he carries himself on the ice speaks volumes about the player he could become.

After being selected by the Wild in the second round of the 2023 NHL Draft, Heidt filled up the stat sheet last season with the Prince George Cougars, recording 37 goals and 80 assists across 66 games.

Not only did that production put the Wild on notice, it put Heidt in position to make the team out of training camp this season.

“Personally I believe that I’ve got a good shot,” Heidt said. “I’ve worked hard my whole life. I think I fit right in. It’s just going to come down to myself.”

That’s exactly the type of attitude general manager Bill Guerin is looking for out of young players trying to break through. Asked last month at the 2024 NHL Draft about Heidt’s chances of making the team, Guerin made it clear that nothing will be handed to him.

“You have to earn it,” Guerin said. “You have to beat guys out for a spot.”

The process of doing that started this week for Heidt as he arrived at Wild development camp with a chance to separate himself from his peers. He certainly looked the part while zipping around the ice at TRIA Rink in St. Paul, showcasing his immense skill set whenever the puck was on his stick.

“I’m not trying to do too much.” he said. “Just play my own game and stick to that.”

That’s more than enough for director of player development Brad Bombardir. He lauded how talented Heidt is on the surface while highlighting the ability to make plays at high speed as arguably his most impressive trait.

“He’s a little unique in that way,” Bombardir said. “It’s a different level than a lot of other players.”

The biggest thing Wild have stressed to Heidt is turning himself into a more complete player. They don’t want him to be content operating solely as a prolific scorer. They want him to be somebody the coaching staff has trust in sending over the boards in every situation.

“Obviously I’ve talked to the development guys a ton,” Heidt said. “We had some good talks about trying to improve my all-around game.”

His willingness to do that was noticeable last season as Heidt developed into a strong penalty killer.

“We have so much respect for him doing that,” Bombardir said. “It allowed him to grow his game.

What else does Heidt think he needs to do to prove himself?

“Just be myself out there,” he said with a smile. “I think they like me.”

Indeed. There’s no doubt that Heidt will be a player to watch at training camp in a couple of months. His job is to make sure the Wild have no choice other than to keep him around.

“It’s been my dream since Day 1,” Heidt said. “I wouldn’t be playing this sport if I didn’t want to do that.”

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Best Buy’s Geek Squad is to host an academy camp from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from July 17 to July 18 at Parkview Center School in Roseville.

The free two-day camp is for kids ages 10 to 18 and participants will have the opportunity to become “Junior Agents” by learning skills about coding, game design, photography, 3D Design and more.

The camp aims to help young people build self-confidence, creativity and learn how technology can benefit them, according to a statement by Best Buy.

To register visit web.cvent.com/event/9830fa1e-344e-4c51-b600-8d5f418edc46/websitePage:d7d0c02d-aaed-4297-9f83-4112b26b377e.

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The Dragon Festival is returning to St. Paul’s Lake Phalen from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday — the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The festival, which celebrates Asian and Pacific cultures, features Dragon Boat racing in which teams propel ornate long boats across the lake. The history of dragon boat racing dates back 2,400 years ago as a time to commemorate the death of a poet, minister and counselor to the emperor during the Chu dynasty.

There’s also ethnic foods and a variety of cultural activities. A beer garden, a bean bag toss tournament and a fashion show are among the many new additions this year.

Varieties of food from different Asian countries will be available, jewelry and handmade arts and crafts from a variety of Asian backgrounds and ethnicity will be showcased, according to a spokesperson from Dragon Festival.

The aim of the festival is to foster trust and a sense of community among Asian-Pacific communities, enhance pride and honor Asian-Pacific history and culture, according to organizers.

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Anyone who has struggled to turn their art — the thing about which they are most passionate — into a career likely will relate to aspects of “Dandelion.”

While the largely charming and effective film’s titular figure is a young Black woman attempting to make it as a singer-songwriter, it is inspired largely by writer-director Nicole Riegel’s experience of trying to make it as a filmmaker.

She is most interested in exploring what it’s like to be the frustrated female artist, Riegel offering in her director’s statement: “I wanted to share how it feels to go through my artistic process in a world that quietly tells me each day that my voice does not matter. In a world and industry of male hero worship: men are mentors. Women, their muses. Men with strong visions are moody auteurs. Women with strong visions are stubborn nightmares. Men pick up guitars and film cameras. Women inspire and are filmed.”

Whereas Riegel is from small Jackson, in south-central Ohio, and a graduate of Wright State near Dayton, Dandelion (KiKi Layne) lives in Cincinnati, where she earns a few bucks playing three nights a week at a hotel bar. Bringing with her an electric guitar and its acoustic counterpart, she performs originals and covers such as Gin Blossoms’ “Hey Jealousy” to a small, ever-changing crowd that seemingly couldn’t care less. She attempts to hide how utterly deflating it all is, but her eyes tell the tale.

KiKi Layne portrays Dandelion, a struggling Cincinnati-based singer-songwriter, in “Dandelion.” (Courtesy of IFC Films)

Her scrolls through social media feeds add to her sadness, as musician peers have gone onto greater levels of success than she has, gathering scores of likes and loves on the daily. Dandelion has had to sacrifice to help care for her mother, Jean (Melanie Nicholls-King), who lives with a pulmonary condition that comes with high expenses.

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Dandelion’s breaking point comes when, upon arriving home earlier than expected, catches Jean smoking. The former hits the road, acoustic guitar in two, for a desperate stab at winning a battle of the bands at a bike week celebration in South Dakota — despite previously telling a bar employee that the contest would be for her only if she wanted to make music about drinking beer in her Silverado.

At the stage, following a well-received act, Dandelion bravely takes the mic but is treated disrespectfully by the largely white, male crowd — it’s bad enough BEFORE a man swipes her leather guitar case from the stage and runs off with it. She gives chase but to no avail.

Her apparent white knight, Scottish singer-songwriter Casey (Thomas Doherty) brings her the case before she can flee the scene. He takes an immediate interest in her and, eventually, convinces her to stick around.

She meets his musical pals and makes a little music with them, appearing to see musical possibilities she never had before.

Dandelion and Casey go off on his bike and write together, almost effortlessly turning a song of hers into something stronger as a duet and, sooner than later, giving into their mutual attraction. She is alive in a way we have never seen her — passionately and creatively.

Thomas Doherty’s Casey and KiKi Layne’s Dandelion make a connection in “Dandelion.” (Courtesy of IFC Films)

Quickly, though, comes the obligatory bickering, which is subsequently reflected in their songwriting. Seemingly, the full Fleetwood Mac-inization of their dynamic takes only hours.

You’d be forgiven for expecting “Dandelion” to be a music-fueled romance, at the end of the day an update of sorts of 2007’s “Once.” However, the free-and-easy times for Dandelion are few and far between.

More often than not a portrait of pain, the film never feels suffocating, thanks both to the assured direction of Riegel that boasts myriad nice touches. (Her 2020 debut, “Holler,” which also featured a young woman as its lead character, was well-received, so what we see here in her sophomore effort isn’t surprising.)

However, perhaps even more credit for “Dandelion” goes to “If Beale Street Could Talk” star and Cincinnati native Layne, whose credits also include “Native Son” and “The Old Guard.” In her hands, Dandelion is alternately hard-shelled and vulnerable, hateful and loving — a mix of relatable qualities that make her feel very real.n

On the other hand, the performance of Doherty (“The Invitation,” “Gossip Girl”) is uneven as the underwritten Casey, who swings a little wildly among dramatically different personality traits. That said, he has chemistry with Layne, which is paramount for the movie to work as well as it does.

Thomas Doherty portrays Scottish singer-songwriter Casey in “Dandelion.” (Courtesy of IFC Films)

It’s difficult to end a film like “Dandelion,” one interested in offering something more genuine than feel-good. Without going into much detail — other than to say the final moments may have you itching to visit Cincinnati’s oh-so-cool-looking Ghost Baby music venue — the climax of “Dandelion” is lovely but also feels unearned.

It stumbles at other times, too, but, in all, this is a film that deserves to be seen — and heard — thanks to all the talented artists involved in making it.

‘Dandelion’

Where: Theaters.

When: July 12.

Rated: R for sexuality/nudity and language.

Runtime: 1 hour, 53 minutes.

Stars (of four): 3.