The Des Moines Buccaneers completed a trade with the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Wednesday. Coming to the Bucs is Nick Seeler, who is a 2011 NHL draft pick of the Minnesota Wild. Seeler is from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and has committed to the University of Nebraska – Omaha. He was chosen in the fifth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Wild.
“Nick has good size, mobility and he’s very competitive,” said Bucs' head coach Regg Simon. “He plays with passion every night. His intangibles along with his talent level will be a good injection into our line-up.”
The defensive corps of the Bucs is young and still gaining experience. The addition of Seeler, an experienced blue-liner with 2 goals and 13 assists, will help stiffen up the Bucs back-checking crew and give goalies Kasdorf and Frey a chance to see more shots from the outside and fewer close-in attempts. Seeler also has 32 PIMs and a -8 rating in 32 games with the 10-18-4 Lumberjacks this year.
The Bucs gave up a first-round pick in the 2012 USHL Entry Draft to get Seeler.
WEEKEND GAME NOTES
The Bucs enter the weekend with a 13-18-3 record which is sixth in the USHL Western Conference. While they are still in a playoff spot right now, they are only one point ahead of seventh place, and three points ahead of eight place – two positions that will not make the playoffs. The good news is that they are only one point behind fifth place, and fourth place is 12 points away. Neither gap is insurmountable, given that the Bucs have three games in hand on both Fargo and Sioux City, the teams in fifth and fourth respectively.
Seventh place is held by Tri-City, the team that comes to town on Saturday evening. The Bucs have their post season hopes completely in their own hands. If they can at least beat Tri-City this weekend (a team that they've already beaten 4 games to 1), they can keep their playoff hopes alive. Next week's games are against Dubuque, Sioux Falls, and Sioux City, and a strong Bucs team should be able to get at least three or four points out of those three games.
Friday's game will be in Lincoln against the second place Stars. The Bucs have struggled against the 21-13-2 Stars, losing 7-6 in a shootout and 5-2. The Stars are 11-6-1 at home this year, and they are undefeated when leading after the first or second periods. The Bucs will need to score first and stay ahead of the aggressive and physical play of the Stars if they hope to steal at least a point from Lincoln.
The Bucs and the Stars share league leaders in PIMs. Four of the top five players in the PIM department are Brent Tate and Mike McKee of the Stars (109 and 106 PIMs), and Trent Samuels-Thomas and Connor Schmidt of the Bucs (106 and 98 PIMs).
Saturday night is “Bud Light Night” at Buccaneer Arena. Bud Light will be $2.50 during the game. Saturday night is also Cal Decowski's 20th birthday.
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