The Seattle Kraken select defenceman Carson Soucy from the Minnesota Wild at the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft
With the Wild protecting key defencemen Jonas Brodin, Matt Dumba, and Jared Spurgeon, 26-year-old Carson Soucy was made available to the Kraken. He just finished his second full season with the team and has established himself as a reliable third-pairing defenceman in the NHL.
About Carson Soucy
Draft Information
Soucy was drafted in the fifth round (137th overall) by the Minnesota Wild in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Professional Journey Through 2020-21
Growing up in Viking, Alberta, Soucy started his hockey journey in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) with the Spruce Grove Saints. After putting up a solid five goals and 15 points in 35 games during his draft year, he was selected in the fifth round by the Wild. Committed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth, he ended up playing out his entire four-year college eligibility and finished his NCAA career with 12 goals and 47 points in 147 games.
Related: Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft Tracker
Turning pro with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Iowa Wild at the end of the 2016-17 season, he got his feet wet with three games before playing the entire season with them in 2017-18. He also made his Wild debut and played three regular-season games and four games in the playoffs. The 2018-19 season saw him spend the entire campaign in the AHL where he posted a career-high five goals and 20 points in 66 games.
Soucy became a full-time NHLer during the 2019-20 season where he recorded seven goals and 14 points in 55 games. He followed that up with another full season and another career high in points with 17. Up until his selection by the Kraken, he was a valuable piece of the Wild’s third pairing.
Contract Information
Soucy is currently in the second year of a three-year contract he signed with the Wild in 2020. He will cost the Kraken $2.75 million of their salary cap until the end of the 2022-23 season. After that, he will become an unrestricted free agent (UFA).
What Soucy Brings to the Kraken
Since becoming a full-time NHLer a couple of seasons ago, Soucy has developed into a solid two-way defenceman for the Wild. Mostly deployed 5-on-5, he has never finished a full season with a minus in the plus/minus column. Regardless of how much stock one puts in those numbers, that is still pretty good for a defenceman. Over 108 games in the NHL, he has a combined plus-36. He also has averaged 14:21 of his 15:27 average ice time per game at even strength, which makes that plus-36 even more impressive.
Soucy has been used on the penalty kill, but only as a last resort, logging only 1:04 per game over the last two seasons. Considering how good he is 5-on-5, maybe head coach Dave Hakstol will use him in that capacity in the future. Nevertheless, he will bring a tough, reliable brand of defence to the Kraken’s blue line in their inaugural season.
Still on the Wild
With Soucy now a member of the Kraken, the Wild still have several notable names on their roster, including a young up-and-coming goaltender that would not have required waivers.
- F Nick Bjugstad
- F Victor Rask
- F Dmitri Sokolov
- G Kaapo Kahkonen
