Eden Prairie native to make NHL debut with Wild Tuesday

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - Former Minnesota Gopher and Eden Prairie native Nick Seeler will make his NHL debut Tuesday night with his home team after getting called up from Iowa to fill a hole on the team’s defensive line. 

The Wild have been searching for a stay at-home defenseman after Jonas Brodin underwent surgery on his broken hand. The team made a trade for a minor league defenseman, but now may have discovered the answer was already here.

Seeler got the call up from AHL on Sunday and should make his NHL debut on Tuesday against the New York Rangers. 

Seeler arrived in town and hoped on the ice Monday for an optional practice with his new teammates. He has been in the Wild organization for the past two years and has made such steady improvement that the Wild plan on giving him a shot tomorrow night against the Rangers.

“The reports from him down in Iowa were very good and the team has played very good and he’s played very well defensively and I think that’s what we need in that respect,” Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau said. “He’s very physical; he doesn’t mind getting involved in any rough stuff. Sometimes he’s over over-exuberant, but I’m sure tomorrow he’ll be about as excited as he’s ever been.” 

Seeler is known as a physical presence as he leads the Iowa Wild with 74 penalty minutes and a player that protects his own end. He knows the call up is a big step and says he will definitely be nervous.

“If you don’t have nerves I don’t know who you are,” Seeler said. “I definitely have those nerves but I’m going to try to channel that into just playing my game, but you also need to stay calm out there and focus on the [defensive] side and making a good first pass out there and all that good stuff.”

Seeler will be the 51st Minnesotan currently playing in the NHL –a new record for the State of Hockey and he will be the 26th from this state to play for the hometown Wild.