Woodhouse
Registered User
Sabres sign defenseman Casey Nelson. Tim Murray's comments: “We’ve been consistently impressed with Casey’s play for the last two years. We identified him as one of the top college free agents available and we’re excited to have him join the organization.†Confirmed with Link thread.
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HF's blurb on Nelson:
LWOS's blurb on Nelson:
SBN's article and blurb on Nelson:
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HF's blurb on Nelson:
Casey Nelson, D
Junior, Minnesota State University-Mankato (WCHA)
One of the hottest commodities on the college hockey free agent market this season is Minnesota State-Mankato junior defenseman Casey Nelson. The Wisconsin Rapids, WI native enjoyed a breakout season as a sophomore and has developmentally built on that this season. Nelson currently leads the Mavericks in scoring by a defenseman with 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) in 34 games to date. He also leads the team with a +14 rating.
Nelson is a 6’2â€, 182-pound offensive defenseman. His superb combination of fluid skating and puck-moving ability has scouts clamoring to get glimpses of him. Nelson is an excellent skater who has good speed and agility. He is blessed with great hands, moves the puck exceedingly well and has shown that he can make some beautiful, tape-to-tape passes. He can also quarterback the power play. In addition, Nelson can get pucks to the net and his shot is quite good.
One notable area where Nelson has steadily improved and developed is in his defensive positioning. He has learned to use his frame, strength and reach more effectively in keeping opposing players to the outside while taking away open spaces.
LWOS's blurb on Nelson:
Casey Nelson, Right Defense, Minnesota State Mankato, Junior (6’2″ 183 lbs)
The 23-year-old is likely the most sought after free agent defenceman in this class. He has put up 4 goals and 20 points in 33 games this year. Nelson has ideal size and a right handed shot that will contribute to him being very sought after. He is a strong skater with good speed and accleration in both directions, and strong pivots. This helps in all aspects of his game, as he moves the puck effectively and can lead the rush or join as a trailer. He makes smart passes on the breakout or in controlling the puck at the blue line and has an accurate wrist shot, and a good slapshot. When defending his skating allows him to be able to keep the attackers in front of him and force them to the outside. He could stand to add a little more muscle to his frame and be a little more physical going forward, but has the opportunity to be an effective two-way defenceman at the NHL level. He’ll need a little bit of AHL time to develop though, as he isn’t as dominant and NHL ready as a Danny Dekeyser was a couple of years ago.
SBN's article and blurb on Nelson:
Nelson is a skilled offensive defenseman that is tremendous at creating his own shot. He is calm and poised in the offensive zone and sees the ice well. He's really improved defensively over the past two seasons as well to become a player that plays major minutes for Minnesota State in every situation. He has potential as a second pairing defenseman at the NHL level that can provide some scoring punch from the blue line.
