In Minnesota, Soucy has found 'a place to call home'

The prize of the Wild's 2013 draft class will remain in a Wild uniform for at least the next few years.
Defenseman Carson Soucy, the only remaining player in Minnesota's system from that summer's draft, signed a three-year contract to remain with the club that selected him 137th overall in 2013.
Only a couple of days from being allowed to test unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career, Soucy instead chose stability and security with the only NHL team he's ever known.

"Minnesota was always my first choice," Soucy said last week. "Familiarity is nice, with coaches, trainers, equipment managers, and the team too. Coming back, you know where you fit in, you know how things are going to be run."

That familiaruty hasn't always been so certain.
After being drafted, Soucy played four seasons at the University of Minnesota Duluth, then turned professional and played a full season with Iowa of the American Hockey League before making his NHL debut as a 24-year old.
At the conclusion of the 2017-18 season, Soucy had actually played in more playoff games (4) than regular season games (3) with Minnesota, but it appeared his NHL career was about to begin.
Until it wasn't.
A disappointing training camp the following fall relegated Soucy back to Iowa, where he would remain for the entire 2018-19 season.
So of course, when he showed up at training camp last fall, Soucy performed so well that it quickly became apparent the Wild couldn't send him to Iowa.
And he continued playing so well that Minnesota couldn't take the rookie out of the lineup.

In one of the best stories of the season for the Wild, Soucy scored seven goals, had 14 points and was a plus-16 in 55 games, providing Minnesota with a third-pairing defender it believes is a big part of its future.
Soucy was rewarded for that season with a three-year deal worth $8.25 million. The move locks up five members of the Wild blueline for at least the next three seasons, providing stability -- in theory, at least -- to the team's strong defensive core for years to come.
"It feels like a place to call home," Soucy said. "I feel like I've settled in there. It's going to be nice to be there for a couple of years."
Soucy's tremendous rookie season didn't come without its challenges.
Playing near his hometown of Edmonton in February, Soucy sustained an injury to his arm that was, at the time, believed to end his season.

But the COVID-19 delay changed that, and allowed him ample time to rehab the injury and return when the Wild did in the Edmonton bubble. Soucy skated in all four postseason games, but didn't play at the same level he did during the regular season.
The key for him now is to find that level again, and even surpass it. Soucy believes he has it in him, and clearly, so does the Wild.
"It's been good to recover and kind of get back into training and skating again," Soucy said. 'This is kind of far beyond what I had imagined for myself [back in college]. But I'm extremely happy to have three more years here in Minnesota and have this place to call home."