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Minnesota Wild: 2018-19 Season Preview of Nick Seeler

By Cody Defoe |
ST. PAUL, MN - MARCH 04: Minnesota Wild Defenceman Nick Seeler (36) is escorted to the penalty box after his fight with Detroit Red Wings Right Wing Luke Witkowski (28) during a NHL game between the Minnesota Wild and Detroit Red Wings on March 4, 2018 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. The Wild defeated the Red Wings 4-1.(Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN - MARCH 04: Minnesota Wild Defenceman Nick Seeler (36) is escorted to the penalty box after his fight with Detroit Red Wings Right Wing Luke Witkowski (28) during a NHL game between the Minnesota Wild and Detroit Red Wings on March 4, 2018 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. The Wild defeated the Red Wings 4-1.(Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Nick Seeler is coming back to the Minnesota Wild on a newly signed 3 year deal, and looking to look in an NHL roster spot. We’re 36 Days from preseason.

Minnesota native Nick Seeler, born and raised in Eden Prairie, MN, is ready to start his 3rd season with the Minnesota Wild fresh off signing a new 3 year deal to remain in the State of Hockey. In his first NHL action last year, Seeler left an impression on Wild fans that has him hoping to be a mainstay with the team for many years to come.

History

Seeler was originally a 5th Round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild back in 2011. As has become common with US born hockey players, Seeler chose to attend University after the draft before jumping to the NHL.

Seeler took an uncommon route, however, as he played 2 years with the University of Nebraska-Omaha before sacrificing a year of his playing career in order to transfer back to his home state University of Minnesota for his final NCAA playing year.

Seeler is not an offensively gifted defenseman, as he tends to be more true to the defensive aspects of the game, though he can contribute assists on a semi-regular basis. He finished his final NCAA year with a team leading +21 rating and 91 blocked shots (per theAHL.com) on the way to winning the NCAA title with the Gophers.

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In 2016-17, his first full season with the Iowa Wild, Seeler finished the year with 5 points, a -10 rating, and 109 PIM. Unfortunately, the AHL doesn’t track blocked shots or hits so reporting those numbers is not possible, but it’s quite obvious that is what Seeler has to offer.

Last season, Nick had a much better year in Iowa as he provided 12 points and only a -3 rating. Where he really shined and proved his worth was in the 22 games that he got to spend in NHL games for the Minnesota Wild.

Nick put up 4 points and a +10 rating in only 22 games, and really gave the impression that he belongs with the NHL roster. He got to play all 5 playoff games in Ryan Suter’s absence and looks to expand that into a full season in the 2018-19 year.

Season Outlook

The defensive race for NHL roster spots on the Minnesota Wild is an extremely tight race, but heading into training camp and preseason Nick Seeler has an early advantage given how he finished out the 2018 NHL Playoffs.

Seeler will need to excel in training camp to hold off the competition which will be fighting for his spot on the 3rd defensive pairing. A poor camp or preseason could easily result in Seeler finding his way back down the highway to Iowa for the start of the season.

With Carson Soucy, Matt Bartkowski, Louie Belpedio, and Greg Pateryn all looking to supplant Seeler and veteran Nate Prosser on the depth chart, I’m looking for an exciting round of preseason hockey competition and some tough cuts as the team near’s the start of the regular season.

Seeler still holds the inside track, in my opinion, as he has experience in the system, has proven his worth in game situations as well as exceeding expectations in the playoffs, and I personally feel it appears that he holds favor with Bruce Boudreau among all returning defensive prospects.

Last season, for extended periods Seeler was receiving between 15-20 minutes of ice time per game, including 14+ minutes in all 5 Playoff games. This is extremely large amounts of minutes for a rookie defenseman getting his first taste of the NHL.

Not only did he receive the extended ice time, but he excelled when given the opportunity. In 11 NHL games where Seeler recorded more than 15 minutes of ice time, only once did he finish the game with a negative +/- rating (a 7-1 loss to Colorado in March).

Heading into this season, the majority of Wild fans are expecting a big season from Seeler. He set expectations high with a fantastic rookie impression, and needs to live up to the high hopes and demands of the State of Hockey.

I’m expecting 60+ games out of Seeler this year, with a possibility of a brief stint to Iowa if he goes through a Sophomore slump or needs to get a little more ice time than he will be seeing on the Minnesota 3rd pairing.

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He may get swapped around with Prosser and Pateryn periodically if Boudreau is looking to shake the lineup around, but should solidify his place as a mainstay of the Wild roster. Seeler brings a style of game that the Wild are not extremely used to seeing in the lineup on a regular basis, a tough shot blocker, responsible defensively and not afraid to lay a hit or drop the gloves. At 25 years old, with NHL Playoff experience already under his belt, the sky may be the limit for the checking defenseman from Eden Prairie.

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