Seth Helgeson

Seth Helgeson (born October 8, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League (AHL). Helgeson was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the 4th round (114th overall) of the 2009 NHL entry draft.

Playing career Amateur After completing two seasons at Faribault High, Helgeson attended the 2007 Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL training camp. He subsequently joined the team for their 2007–08 season. On November 19, 2008, Helgeson committed to play NCAA Division I hockey with the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team. While playing with the Sioux City Musketeers, Helgeson was selected for the 2009 USHL All-Star Game.

In his freshman season with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Helgeson played in 31 games and recorded one goal. His only goal came during the 2010 WCHA playoffs against North Dakota and was the game winning goal to tie the teams in the series. North Dakota ended up winning the series 2–1. He was awarded the Donald M. Clark Community Service award by the Gophers at the conclusion of the season.

In his sophomore season, Helgeson played in 36 games and recorded a new career high seven points. He was again awarded the Donald M. Clark Community Service award at the conclusion of the season. At the end of the season, he had played in 121 consecutive games for the Gophers and led the team in penalty minutes. He was also named to the All-WCHA Academic Team for the second time. allowing the defenseman to suit up with the AHL team for their final four games of the 2012–13 season.

On November 27, 2013, the New Jersey Devils of the NHL recalled Helgeson from the Albany Devils, under emergency conditions, however it turned out he was not needed and was returned to Albany after the morning skate.

After a strong training camp with the Devils for the 2014–15 season, Helgeson was recalled by New Jersey from Albany on November 11, 2014 to replace the injured Bryce Salvador, and immediately made his NHL debut, registering an assist in a 3–1 victory over the Minnesota Wild.

On July 1, 2017, having left the Devils as a free agent, Helgeson signed with cross-town rivals the New York Islanders on a one-year, two-way contract. On October 7, he was named an alternate captain for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Islanders AHL affiliate.

On July 2, 2018, Helgeson stayed with the Islanders organization and signed a two-year, two-way contract.

After three seasons with the Sound Tigers, Helgeson as a free agent from the Islanders, opted to continue his tenure within the organization by signing a one-year AHL contract with the Sound Tigers on October 29, 2020.

Career statistics

Awards and honors Award Year Ref USHL USHL All-Star Game 2009 College NCAA (WCHA) All-Academic Team 2012, 2013 Donald M. Clark Community Service Award 2010, 2011