CHILDHOOD DREAM. Nick Seeler is playing for the team he grew up cheering for – in his hometown. Photo: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
NHL Rookies

A Wild ride – rookie defender goes from season ticket holder to NHL player

Nick Seeler saw the nod from his agent.

It took the then-freshly-turned 18-year-old, sitting in the seats at Xcel Energy Center — a place he’d been many, many times before as a family of season-ticket holders — to his future place of employment.

Seeler, from Eden Prairie, MN, was selected in the fifth round (No. 131) of the 2011 NHL Draft by his hometown Minnesota Wild.

A storybook start.
“I was there because it was at the X,” says Seeler a defenseman who wasn’t among the 212 skaters ranked by Central Scouting entering the draft. “I grew up watching them. We had season tickets. I would always go with my dad or both parents.

“I was going to go. You didn’t know if you were going to get drafted or not. I had an idea Minnesota had an interest because I met with them. It was one of the few teams that I spoke with. There was always a chance.

“My agent kind of gave me the nod right before so I was like, ‘wow, this is crazy.’ After that, all the weight lifted off and you’re just happy you got picked. I was extremely thankful they wanted to pick me.

“You didn’t really know if you were going to get drafted. Of course you were hoping and praying to get drafted to a team, and then having it be to Minnesota…it was a dream come true.”

That moment came over seven years ago.

It’s been a long journey to make good on that dream.


Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Seeler, now 25, is starting to make his mark for the team he rooted for growing up, winding a long path with a season in the United States Hockey League, four at the NCAA level — including redshirting for a season at the University of Minnesota, and two years in the minors before earning the opportunity to move back to Minnesota.
“It’s crazy,” he says. “It was a while ago.

“It doesn’t feel like it, honestly, but I can look back at it and how I got here.

“I think that definitely makes you appreciate the journey and the road you took. Everyone’s path is a little different. Mine was a little non-traditional. Transferring schools and sitting out a year and then not playing that year and then a couple years in the AHL.

“It definitely makes you appreciate and be thankful of what you have now.”

A long, patient road, understandably.

An unwavering confidence he’d get there, eventually.

NHL DEBUT IN HIS HOME RINK

It never felt, Seeler admits, that he wouldn’t reach the point.
“You know what? I never really thought that”, he says. “I just thought that if I kept working hard and kept working on my game and persevered…you can’t control what happens. What you can control is how hard you work. I’ve had a lot of great support along the way with family and friends and coaches.

“They believed in me and it helped a ton. I’m grateful to be here.”

The opportunity, a foot-in-the-door audition, came Feb. 13, 2017 — eleven months after inking a two-year entry-level pact the previous March.

Fittingly, the debut came in his home rink.

Where he sat as a fan.

Where he sat as an NHL Draft hopeful.
“I was in Iowa,” Seeler recounts. “I just had breakfast. I got the call from (former Wild assistant GM) Brent Flahr. He goes, ‘Instead of playing in Grand Rapids, why don’t you come play against the Rangers on Tuesday at the X.’

“My parents were there. They came to Iowa to watch the game. I was able to share that moment with them. I told them I got called up and there were a lot of emotions and happy feelings.

“It was in two days. I just got some stuff and they drove home. I just packed up some stuff and drove to Minnesota and we had practice the next morning and a game the next day. It was a nice transition too. I didn’t jump right into a game.

“I had a practice and got to know the guys a little bit before playing a game.”

Seeler logged 10:41 in the skate and registered a plus-one rating with one shot on goal.

“I’M SURE HE WAS PINCHING HIMSELF”

He hasn’t looked back since.

The 6-foot-2, 198-pound defender finished out the season with the Wild, skating in the final 22 games of the season.

He’s played in all 29 games with Minnesota this season, too.
“I’m sure when he got called up last year with 26 games to go, or something, that he was pinching himself the first night he skated at the Xcel,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau says.

“There’s a guy who took total advantage of his opportunity.

“He came in and we didn’t know what to expect, other than from training camp from the two years I’d had training camp. There was nothing special. You heard some good things. He came up here and instantly our team started to play better.”

It’s why he’s stayed.

And how he’s living out a childhood dream.
“I think any Minnesota kid growing up…they’re out on the pond acting like they’re a Wild player,” Seeler admits. “Being able to be here and play for Minnesota is a dream come true.

“It’s special. There aren’t a lot of Minnesota-born guys that get to do this.

“I’m just thankful I’m here.”

This article is about:
Features News NHL Rookies
Scoring Leaders