From the Rink: Soucy to make NHL debut against 'hometown' team

ST. PAUL --About 110 miles southeast of Edmonton is the small town of Irma, Alberta -- hometown of new Wild defenseman Carson Soucy.
When Minnesota and the Edmonton Oilers play on Monday night at Xcel Energy Center, Soucy will be making his NHL debut. And it's safe to say the town of Irma will be tuned in. Soucy was an Oilers fan growing up, so one of the benefits of making his debut against the local team will be the access folks back home will have to take in his debut.
And it's safe to say, Irma -- home of 500 people "on a good day" -- may get a shoutout on the broadcast.

"I think there might be one or two watch parties going on at the golf course and at the Rural Lounge," Soucy said. "It's nice that everyone back home, the game will be on so more people will be able to watch it if they're looking for it."

Soucy was recalled from Iowa of the American Hockey League on Sunday following the lower-body injury sustained by defenseman Ryan Suter on Saturday in Dallas. Suter was having an MRI on Monday and Wild coach Bruce Boudreau did not have official word on Suter's status as of his availability this morning.
With the Wild in the midst of a postseason race, his loss for any amount of time looms large. And while Soucy won't be counted on to fill Suter's many roles -- much of that will likely fall to Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba -- the Wild hopes Soucy can come in and play dependable hockey in a big spot.
Soucy, a former Minnesota Duluth standout and alternate captain for the Bulldogs, is no stranger to big games. He played in the national championship game last spring, a game UMD lost by one goal.
He also played in 16 games with Spruce Grove of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. None of that is the NHL during a playoff push, but it's pressure situations nonetheless.
"I think nerves are similar either way," Soucy said. "You just have to try and harness them and play my game."
Soucy will have a veteran to lean on on Monday, as he's expected to play with Nate Prosser, who himself is no stranger to this role. He's played a bulk of the past few weeks with Nick Seeler, who made his NHL debut 18 games ago.
Soucy plays a similar game to both Seeler and Prosser, so the hope is that his transition can be as smooth as Seeler's has been. The Eden Prairie native has just two points in 18 games, but he's a plus-7 and is a reliable defensive defenseman.
"It's about him feeling comfortable," Prosser said. "I want to make sure I get a good relationship. I don't know really anything about him or what he brings, but I'll make sure that he feels confident and good for that first shift and after that, you kind of get in the swing of things. I want to make sure he has fun, first and foremost. It's a big game for us and I think he knows the implications of it."
The game Monday marks the home finale for the Wild, which hits the road Tuesday for a three-game trip to California to conclude the regular season.
Minnesota could clinch a spot on the postseason as soon as Monday night with a victory AND one of the following scenarios:
Here are the projected lineups:
WILD
Jason Zucker - Eric Staal - Nino Niederreiter
Zach Parise - Mikko Koivu - Mikael Granlund
Tyler Ennis - Matt Cullen - Charlie Coyle
Marcus Foligno - Joel Eriksson Ek - Daniel Winnik
Jonas Brodin - Matt Dumba
Nick Seeler - Ryan Murphy
Carson Soucy - Nate Prosser
Devan Dubnyk
Alex Stalock
OILERS
Leon Draisaitl - Connor McDavid - Ty Rattie
Milan Lucic - Ryan Strome - Jesse Puljujarvi
Drake Caggiula - Jujhar Khaira - Pontus Aberg
Anton Slepyshev - Michael Cammalleri - Zack Kassian
Darnell Nurse - Adam Larsson
Kris Russell - Andrej Sekera
Yohann Auvitu - Matt Benning
Cam Talbot
Al Montoya
Related:
- Wild Warmup: Minnesota vs. Edmonton - Wild recalls Soucy from Iowa - Soucy, Shaw are Minnesota's odd couple - Watch: Soucy and Shaw from development camp