Casey Nelson

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

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

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. However, Nelson later opted out of participating of the delayed 2020–21 season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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

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

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