Under the radar--fomer Minnesota State defenseman Casey Nelson

Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com

When the Buffalo Sabres announced the signing of  Minnesota State defenseman Casey Nelson, the collective sentiment running through much of Sabreland was, “who?” followed quickly by, “from where?”

 

Fellow collegian Hudson Fasching, who had just been signed by Buffalo on Monday, was much more well known having played for the Minnesota Golden Gophers of the BIG 10. Fasching was a former fourth round pick (2013, 118th overall, LAK) who had a career year in 2015-16 and was still getting most of the headlines when Nelson signed a day later.

 

Minnesota State is rather obscure to those of us outside the state of Minnesota and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association of the NCAA but for three of the past four years, they've been a part of the NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Tournament. Last year they joined the field of 16 by winning the WCHA conference, in 2014 they were WCHA Tournament Champions and the Mavericks won an at-large bid in 2013. Unfortunately, they lost in the WCHA Tournament this year, but it did allowed Nelson the opportunity to forgo his senior season to pursue his NHL dreams.

 

Unlike with Fasching, there really wasn't much anticipation and/or fanfare with the Nelson signing. Buffalo GM Tim Murray announced it with a simple two-sentence statement. “We’ve been consistently impressed with Casey’s play for the last two years,” said the GM in the release. “We identified him as one of the top college free agents available and we’re excited to have him join the organization.”

 

That 24-month period is what caught the attention of many NHL scouting departments and after Nelson's season ended, he and his agent chose Buffalo over a number of suitors and after a "quick turnaround" he was on the ice practicing in the Blue and Gold. While meeting the Buffalo media after his first professional practice on Thursday, he called the short period over the weekend "nerve-wracking" but the seemingly humble and rather forthright Nelson conceded that it's "an exciting time" for him, as it should be, and that he's "looking to learn and soak things in."

 

Nelson also briefly touched upon his last two seasons at Minnesota State and how his defensive game had progressed mightily during that time which placed him solidly in the positive side of the plus/minus rating. It's a far cry from where the offensive defenseman started out as a freshman. "My freshman year I was kinda thrown in rather early," he said, "couldn't handle it, was out of the lineup there for a while."

 

His rise from constant healthy scratch to NHL contract actually started in-season that freshman year, according to Mavericks head coach Mike Hastings, as Nelson began to focus his energies on managing his 24-hour day which included practice, the weight room, nutrition, rest, recovery and preparation for the next game as well as focusing on academics in pursuit of his degree.

 

Hastings told me that the "strength factor and maybe the mental maturity really caught up to him" early on and that Nelson found himself out of the lineup because of it. But the coach quickly followed that up by saying what impressed him most was how Nelson used those shortcomings and failures as motivation to turn things around. "I think you learn the most about people once they get knocked down, once you face that adversity," said Hastings. "He could have thrown a pity-party and I didn't see it. He just went back to work."

 

The coach said that Nelson "immersed himself" in preparation while out of the lineup to be ready if and when another opportunity came. It came and Nelson was ready. When injury hit one of the defenseman, Nelson got the call. "He succeeded immediately," said Hastings. "He had an impact on our team right away. You don't usually see that at our level. They [usually] have a tough time coming in and making a positive impact after something like that, but he did that."

 

Hastings said that Nelson wasn't necessarily angry with being benched but that he had "an internal burn" that fueled him, one that also didn't disrupt what the coaching staff was trying to accomplish. There was no negativity either verbally or non-verbally. He just went about the business of trying to get better which earned the respect of his teammates and of the coaching staff as well.

 

Nelson followed that resurgent freshman season up with a breakout year as a sophomore. His 33 points (7+26) were sixth amongst NCAA defenseman and just three points shy of the Mavericks single-season record for a blueliner according to Derek Lambert of Along the Boards. After that season Hastings said Nelson could've signed a pro contract but that he decided to return to school to work on his degree, get bigger, stronger and faster to become a complete defenseman on the ice.

Although his 2015-16 offensive production (6+16) was down from the previous year, Hastings said it was a conscious decision on his part to become a "200-foot defenseman" during his junior season and that "he rounded out his game [to the point] where he could impact the game in all three zones."

 

Hastings had his No. 1 defenseman playing top-pairing minutes with first-unit powerplay and first penalty-kill time. He played anywhere from 22-28 minutes per night brimming with confidence gained from the prior season. It was a confidence that allowed Nelson to see the game as it was unfolding, and allowed him to play any type of game necessary. Whether making quick decisions under duress, skating the puck up ice or hitting an open man on a stretch pass, Nelson, said the coach, had the faculties to read the play and the skill to get the puck where it needed to be, which, in turn, "makes him hard to play against."

 

"Sometimes he lets things develop. At times players are in a hurry and sometimes a play isn't there immediately," said coach Hastings. "I think there's a poise to [Nelson's] game that allows him, especially over the last year, to take what the game gives him and not force things."

 

At 6'2" 182 lbs. there is still some room for Nelson to add bulk, which he'll need at the NHL-level and Hastings believes that he'll do what's necessary to maximize his potential with proper training and nutrition, just like he did at Minnesota State. He already has the skating and the hockey sense plus a laser focus on preparation as he learned just how far "immersing himself" can take him.

 

Put it all together and this "late-bloomer" will give the NHL his best shot and probably succeed. Quietly. Just like his signing by Buffalo. "He doesn't draw attention to himself by his body language, positively or negatively," said coach Hastings. "He just tries to go out and do his job the best he can."

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According to Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma, both Nelson and Fasching will be making their NHL debut this afternoon at home against the Winnipeg Jets. Bylsma, via sabres.com, said Fasching will be on the fourth line with David Legwand and Matt Moulson while Nelson would be playing strong-side on the third paring with Mark Pysyk.


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Also of note, the Sabres signed former Peterborough Petes forward Eric Cornel to his entry-level contract. Cornel was selected by Buffalo with the 44th pick of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and is having a career year with the Petes. His 83 points on 27 goals and 56 assists were career highs in all categories. Last year Cornel had a brief stint with the Rochester Americans. For more on his pro debut, you can click here.