The Buffalo Sabres announced Tuesday that they have signed Minnesota State junior defenseman Casey Nelson to an NHL entry-level, free-agent contract.
Nelson was named WCHA Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-WCHA First Team honors in 2015-16.
This season, he registered six goals and 16 assists for 22 points in 40 games to rank fourth on the team scoring chart while leading the Mavericks in plus/minus (plus-15) and ranking second in assists (16). His point totals are a school record for most in a season by a defenseman in the NCAA Division I era.
Nelson was a 2014-15 All-WCHA Second Team pick and was named to the WCHA All-Academic team in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
His 60 career points on 14 goals and 46 assists in 99 career games ranks tenth on the school’s all-time scoring by defensemen list and finished this three years with the Mavericks with a plus-29 rating, along with 127 blocked shots.
