Minnesota Wild recalls defenseman Nick Seeler from Iowa

[wild.source]

https://www.nhl.com/wild/news/seeler-recalled-021118/c-295856658

 

Yesterday (2-11-18), Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has recalled defenseman Nick Seeler from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL) and reassigned defenseman Viktor Loov (pronounced LOOV) to Iowa.

 

Seeler, 24 (6/3/93), has recorded 12 points (2-10=12) and a team-leading 74 penalty minutes (PIM) in 49 games with Iowa this season. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound native of Eden Prairie, Minn., tallied five assists and led Iowa with 109 PIM in 57 games during his first professional season in 2016-17. He ranked T-2nd in games played amongst team rookies and third amongst AHL rookies in penalty minutes.

Seeler collected 10 assists in 36 games during his junior season with the University of Minnesota and led the team with a plus-21 rating, 43 PIM and 91 blocked shots in 2015-16. He redshirted the 2014-15 season due to NCAA transfer rules after playing two seasons at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Seeler helped Eden Prairie High School win the 2011 and 2009 Minnesota Class AA State Hockey Championships at Xcel Energy Center and was a First Team All-State pick following his senior season in 2010-11.

 

Seeler was selected by Minnesota in the fifth round (131st overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in Saint Paul. He has not appeared in an NHL game and will wear sweater No. 36 with Minnesota. 

 

Loov, 25 (11/16/92), was acquired by Minnesota on Feb. 8 from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forwards Christoph Bertschy and Mario Lucia. He totaled 17 points (5-12=17) and 45 PIM in 36 games with Binghamton (AHL) this season. Loov recorded two assists and a plus-4 rating in four career NHL games with Toronto in 2015-16. He's notched 59 points (16-43=59) and 178 PIM in 216 career AHL games with Toronto, Albany and Binghamton (2014-18).

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

I honestly don't know much about either Loov or Seeler, but right now, the Wild are scrambling a bit for defensive help (well, they actually have been doing that ALL season since dealing away Marco Scandella) since Jonas Brodin went down, so the fact that some AHL'ers are getting chances is not surprising.

 

Interestingly, Jonas Brodin was a defenseman who I would have packaged in order to get some forwards help or maybe even a nice package of a prospects and a draft pick or two.

Obviously, that doesn't help Minnesota's current situation, but would probably do them well next year and beyond.

 

Anyways, yea, right now, it is a scramble to ice competitive NHL bodies on the blue line for the Wild.

 

I'm not even so sure Minnesota has enough (without sacrificing productive current roster forwards) to acquire another defensemen at the trade deadline.

Jack Johnson, from Columbus MIGHT be a relatively inexpensive trade option for them, but other than that, I just don't see a good d-man out there for the Wild they can get without giving up a ton.

 

So that pretty much leaves them with trying to see if one of their own 'unknowns' can make an impact at the NHL level.

[wild.source]

Well now since Brodin is injured we will need to bring up one  guy just in case if anyone else gets injured or if Boudreau wants to scratch anyone like Stewart.

[CreaseAndAssist]

Admittedly, Seeler did a lot better than I thought he would.  He's kind of like a younger version of Nate Prosser.  Nothing fancy, keeps it simple.  I have little doubt he'll be on the roster next season, but he's really an ideal 3rd pairing defenseman.  If we have him in our Top 4, its not a good thing IMO.  We need to draft and develop another top 4 defenseman.  

[wild.source]

You are right, we do need to do that.