Casey Nelson

Casey Nelson (born July 18, 1992) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman, who played in parts of four seasons with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Casey Nelson
Born (1992-07-18) July 18, 1992
Stillwater, Minnesota, U.S.[1]
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 182 lb (83 kg; 13 st 0 lb)
Position Defense
Shot Right
Played for Buffalo Sabres
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2016–2021

Playing career

High school

Nelson played in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association for the Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School Red Raiders at the SWCRC (South Wood County Recreation Center) in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin US.

Amateur

Nelson played in the North American Hockey League with the Alaska Avalanche and Johnstown Tomahawks.[2] He was named the NAHL Defenseman of the Month for November 2012, and he played in the 2013 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament.[1]

Nelson joined the NCAA's Minnesota State Mavericks in 2013 and played three seasons at the school.[3] He was named to the All-WCHA Second Team in the 2014–15 season.[1] In the 2015–16 season, he was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year while being named to the All-WCHA First Team.[4]

Nelson played alongside his brother, Josh, for the 2013–14 season.[5]

Professional

Nelson was invited to participate in a prospect camp for the National Hockey League's Philadelphia Flyers in the summer of 2015.[5]

Nelson was signed to an entry-level professional contract by the NHL's Buffalo Sabres on March 22, 2016.[6] He made his NHL debut with the team on March 26, tallying his first NHL point on an assist in the first period of a game against the Winnipeg Jets.[7]

On June 29, 2016, Nelson signed a two-year contract extension with the Sabres.[8] He recorded his first NHL goal on February 11, 2018, in a 5–4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.[9] On May 2, 2018, Nelson re-signed with the Sabres.[10]

As a free agent, Nelson initially returned for a sixth season within the Sabres organization by agreeing to a one-year, two-way contract extension on October 22, 2020.[11] However, Nelson later opted out of participating of the delayed 2020–21 season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

On January 15, 2021, Nelson announced through Instagram that he was retiring from hockey after five professional seasons.[13]

Personal

A native of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, Nelson was a member of a state tournament attending hockey team at Lincoln High School.[14] His older brother Josh currently coaches the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL.[15]

Career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2010–11 Alaska Avalanche NAHL 29 1 5 6 8 — — — — —
2011–12 Alaska Avalanche NAHL 56 1 19 20 14 5 0 0 0 0
2012–13 Johnstown Tomahawks NAHL 56 10 22 32 42 2 0 0 0 0
2013–14 Minnesota State WCHA 19 1 4 5 6 — — — — —
2014–15 Minnesota State WCHA 40 7 26 33 16 — — — — —
2015–16 Minnesota State WCHA 40 6 16 22 22 — — — — —
2015–16 Buffalo Sabres NHL 7 0 4 4 8 — — — — —
2016–17 Buffalo Sabres NHL 11 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
2016–17 Rochester Americans AHL 58 7 14 21 24 — — — — —
2017–18 Rochester Americans AHL 40 2 9 11 16 1 0 0 0 0
2017–18 Buffalo Sabres NHL 37 3 5 8 8 — — — — —
2018–19 Buffalo Sabres NHL 38 1 5 6 13 — — — — —
2018–19 Rochester Americans AHL 5 0 1 1 4 — — — — —
2019–20 Rochester Americans AHL 48 4 8 12 10 — — — — —
NHL totals 93 4 14 18 33 — — — — —

Awards and honors
Award Year
All-WCHA First Team 2015–16 [16]

References
  1. "Casey Nelson". Minnesota State Mavericks. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  2. "Former NAHL and Johnstown dman Nelson signs NHL deal". North American Hockey League. March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  3. Dilks, Chris (March 22, 2016). "Minnesota State's Casey Nelson Signs with Buffalo Sabres". SB Nation College Hockey. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  4. "WCHA Announces 2015–16 Postseason Awards". Western Collegiate Hockey Association. March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  5. Lambert, Derek (August 5, 2015). "Casey Nelson, MSU's dynamic D-man, raising bar for self, team". Along The Boards. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  6. "SABRES SIGN DEFENSEMAN CASEY NELSON". Buffalo Sabres. March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  7. Yerdon, Joe (March 26, 2016). "Rookies rally Sabres to win against Jets". NHL.com. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  8. "SABRES EXTEND NELSON". Buffalo Sabres. 2016-06-29. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  9. LaBarber, Jourdon (February 11, 2018). "Sabres unable to overcome early mistakes in loss to Avalanche". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  10. "Sabres re-sign defenceman Casey Nelson to 2-year contract". sportsnet.ca. May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  11. "Sabres re-sign Nelson to one-year deal". Buffalo Sabres. October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  12. "Nelson opts out of 2020-21 season". The Sports Network. December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  13. "Casey Nelson announces retirement". Instagram. January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  14. "Boys Hockey State Archives". wiaawi.org. 2015-06-04. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
  15. "JOSH NELSON". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  16. "Awards - NCAA (WCHA) First All-Star Team". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by WCHA Defensive Player of the Year
2015–16		 Succeeded by
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