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Mavericks get defenseman with some bite

By Loren Nelson, Editor, 01/31/11, 11:30PM CST

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High-scoring Eden Prairie senior Nick Seeler commits to Nebraska-Omaha


Nick Seeler

It was a Saturday afternoon and Dan Seeler knew that his son, Nick, was hanging out with friends.

Dan couldn’t say for sure where Nick, an Eden Prairie senior, was located at that particular moment, but he could hazard a guess.

“He’s probably at Chipotle, having his fifth meal of the day,” Dan said with a laugh.

A defenseman for the No. 2-ranked Eagles, Nick has an appetite for more than hockey. Seeler, 5-foot-6, 135 pounds as a sophomore, was hit a by a growth spurt the summer heading into his junior season. He grew some more last summer.

Now Seeler spends a good potion of his days trying to pack some meat on his 6-foot frame. Seeler currently weighs about 175 pounds, depending on how many burritos he’s had that day.

“The game is always easier when you are little bigger,” said Seeler, who emerged as a top-tier defenseman last fall in the Upper Midwest Elite High School Hockey League and, on Saturday, Jan. 29, accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Seeler said he also made visits to Bemidji State, Bowling Green and the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Bemidji State and Bowling Green made scholarship offers.

Seeler said the Mavericks’ coaching staff, led by International Falls native Dean Blais, made a strong impression.


Eden Prairie Nick Seeler scored 26 points in 15 games through Jan. 31. Photo by Helen Nelson

“He’s a great guy,” said Seeler, who has scored 26 points (seven goals, 19 assists) for the Eagles this season, about Blais. “He’s a competitor, and he loves to win.

“That was one of the big reasons that I chose UNO, because of their great coaching staff.”

Seeler’s growth spurts aside, the smooth skating defenseman has attracted interest not only because of his offensive talents but also the toughness bordering on nastiness he routinely displays.

“He’s got a great temperament, he plays hard nosed,” Eden Prairie coach Lee Smith said. “He is going to stick up for his teammates again and again.”

Seeler missed three games this season after suffering a nasty gash on his left ankle while playing boot hockey with his teammates (the goaltenders were wearing skates and one of them stepped on Seeler). It took 21 stitches to close the gash, which left the ice and his tennis covered in blood but somehow missed slicing any tendons or ligaments.

“We took pictures of the cut,” Dan Seeler said. “It was grotesque.”

Added Nick: “I won’t be playing boot hockey again for a while. If ever.”

Seeler is the second Eden Prairie player to commit to a Division I program. Senior center Kyle Rau is headed to the University of Minnesota.

Eden Prairie Scoring Leaders

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2010-11 Minnesota High School Division I Recruits

Name High School Year Pos. College Verbal Commit
Josh Archibald Brainerd Senior F Nebraska-Omaha Yes
Tim Bonner Osseo Senior F Yale Yes
Jonny Brodzinski Blaine Senior F St. Cloud State Yes
Ryan Bullock Blake Senior D Dartmouth Yes
Tony Cameranesi Wayzata Senior F Minnesota-Duluth Yes
Patrick Daly Benilde-St. Margaret's Senior D Wisconsin Yes
Max Everson Edina Senior D Harvard Yes
Steven Fogarty Edina Senior F Notre Dame Yes
Tyler Heinonen Delano Senior F Michigan Tech Yes
Garrett Hendrickson Virginia Senior F St. Cloud State Yes
Adam Johnson Hibbing Sophomore F Minnesota-Duluth Yes
Bob Kinne Cretin-Derham Hall Senior F Bemidji State Yes
Joseph LaBate Holy Angels Senior F Wisconsin Yes
Ross Luedtke Orono Senior F Air Force Academy Yes
Alex Lyon Lake of the Woods Senior G Yale Yes
Justin Kloos Lakeville South Junior F Minnesota Yes
A.J. Michaelson Apple Valley Junior F Minnesota Yes
Bill Norman Rochester Mayo Senior D Maine Yes
Kyle Rau Eden Prairie Senior F Minnesota Yes
Brady Riesgraf Holy Family Catholic Senior D Bemidji State Yes
Zach Schroeder St. Thomas Academy Senior F RPI Yes
Kevin Schulze Hill-Murray Senior D Wisconsin Yes
Nick Seeler Eden Prairie Senior D Nebraska-Omaha Yes
Michael Sit Edina Senior F Boston College Yes
Garrett Skrbich Hermantown Senior F Princeton Yes
Eddie Wittchow Burnsville Senior D Wisconsin Yes