March 13, 2008

Kevin Wey
McKeen's Hockey Prospects Staff

It initially did not look like Seth Soley was going to play in the USHL in 2007-08, but after deciding to forego his senior season and a trade by the Green Bay Gamblers, Soley has been plying his trade for the Omaha Lancers. Widely considered one of the top first-year, draft-eligible forwards in the USHL heading into the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Soley has shown his records with Eau Claire Memorial High School were no fluke. McKeen's recently had the opportunity to talk with the Omaha Lancers forward and discussed his adjustment to the USHL, his impressive high school hockey career, his commitment to Michigan Tech, coming up through the Eau Claire youth ranks, and two Anaheim Ducks that have his eye.

McKeen's: You have been with the Omaha Lancers since early November and are over 30 games into your USHL season. What are some of the biggest adjustments for you coming out of Eau Claire Memorial?

Soley: My biggest adjustments have been, probably, leaving my family, leaving the school that I was used to, and the style of play is a lot faster, a lot stronger kids in this league and stuff like that.

McKeen's: What are some of the areas of your game that you are focusing on improving while you're here with the Lancers?

Soley: Probably my strength, my shot, my speed, things like that, just overall getting better physically with my body, so when I walk into [Michigan] Tech next year, I'll be ready.

McKeen's: What would you say are the strengths of your game already?

Soley: I think that my strengths would probably be my offensive play, my smarts down low, behind the net, and stuff like that, making passes, things like that.

McKeen's: Yeah, you and Dakota [Eveland] had some good cycling down low and making plays out of the corner tonight. Originally, you were drafted in the USHL Futures Draft by Green Bay. What was your reaction to being drafted by them at that time (October 2006) and what did they tell you at that point?

Soley: When I was drafted by them, they just kind of told me that they had drafted me. I had no means of leaving that year. I wanted to stay in high school for another year and they were okay with that, they just said come into our tryout camp the next summer, so I went. I think I did pretty well in the tryout. The coaching staff decided that it would be better if I went back to high school this year, and then it just so happened that they traded me away and Omaha picked me up.

McKeen's: Tell me a bit about that trade, which also involved Joe Gleason and a swap of fifth round picks. What was your reaction to that trade and were you actively involved in that or is that something they did without you?

Soley: I was kind of actively involved. I kind of let Green Bay know that I wanted a trade, I wanted to play in the USHL this year. When it happened, I was happy, because I really wanted to leave, I wanted to play here.

McKeen's: Tell me about that decision, because you made it a little later, so what made you decide to forego that senior season?

Soley: I just kind of wanted to get away from home because I'm walking into college next year. I kind of wanted to get a step up on my competition a year earlier, learning, that sort of thing, because I think that this is just a great step to take before you go into college. It's kind of a like a bridge between the gaps, if you will, between high school and college, to come play in the USHL.

McKeen's: Any chance that you could possibly play in the USHL next year?

Soley: My goal is to go to Tech next year. I signed to go in next year, so that's what I'm looking at doing.

McKeen's: While you have been here with the Lancers, who are some of your Lancer teammates that really impress you and why?

Soley: Barry Almeida, I love to watch. He's just so fancy, he works hard, I just love watching him play. Another one is [Drew] Conboy, just because he's a brute out there. He loves to just run right through people.

McKeen's: With Eau Claire, after only your junior season, you held the record, at that point, for most points. What were some of the things that helped you achieve that and maybe some of the people along the way that helped you as well?

Soley: My teammates back in high school were huge. I mean, I grew up playing with them since I was three all the way up. My high school coach was actually my greatest tutor of all time. He's really taught me how to become a hockey player, because before my freshman year I wasn't a real standout player, I was just kind, I was on the radar, but just kind of low. I think that he took my game to the next level.

McKeen's: Who was your head coach there?

Soley: Mike Schwengler.

McKeen's: You played with Jefferson Dahl at Eau Claire Memorial, and now he holds the team points record. Tell me a bit about Dahl's game.

Soley: Jefferson is a very fancy player, and he's very, very disciplined. He doesn't go outside the boundaries, he knows what he needs to do every night, he's consistent, he goes out and does what he needs to do, scores goals and creates play.

McKeen's: Tell me a bit about the rivalry between Eau Claire Memorial and Eau Claire North.

Soley: My freshman year through my junior year, actually, was a huge rivalry, because what happens in Eau Claire is growing up, all the way through bantams, mites through bantams, you're playing with kids from the south and the north side on the same team, and in high school they get split up, so you're playing against your friends that are on the other team and you grew up with them and it's so intense. The whole barn is just filled with people, not an empty seat in the house, there's people standing over the glass and stuff like that. It got pretty heated, but we're all good friends in the end and hang out and stuff.

McKeen's: So I take it you had the opportunity to skate some with (Florida Panthers draft pick) Derrick LaPoint?

Soley: Yep.

McKeen's: Tell me a bit about your impression of LaPoint and his game.

Soley: LaPoint was very good. He was very poised with the puck, when he'd get the puck back on the point, and just be able to hold onto it, and the greatest long passer I've played with. I could be at the far blueline, he could be at the goal line, and he will still put it right on my tape in full stride. I loved playing with him because I knew exactly where he'd be and stuff like that.

McKeen's: Also, while you were in high school, you played for Team Wisconsin in the Upper Midwest Elite League. Tell me about that league and how it compares to the high school hockey you played during the regular season in Wisconsin.

Soley: The Elite League is kind of composed of Minnesota, I think there's eight or six teams from Minnesota, and they kind of take the best players from their areas, like that region, and put them on the one team, and then Team Wisconsin is made up of the whole state of Wisconsin, just on one team, and we go and play. It's a very, very good league. I mean, there's scouts there every weekend, just watching you. It's a great experience. A lot of kids usually go to the USHL out of that or into college, that sort of thing. It's a great league. Compared to my high school hockey in Wisconsin, it's a lot better because you're playing against Minnesota high school pretty much. I hate to say it, but it is a lot better than Wisconsin high school hockey.

McKeen's: You mentioned earlier that you are committed to Michigan Tech. When was it that you first started talking with coach [Jamie] Russell and tell me about the recruiting process that he led you through and, overall, what was it that made you decide that going there was the right decision for you?

Soley: It actually all kind of happened this fall, when I was playing for Team Wisconsin, it just kind of happened. I kind of got on a role, started scoring goals and things like that and he came up to me after one game, I didn't really know who he was, he just came up to me and he said, "I want to offer you a full ride." I was just kind of flabbergasted at that point and just kind of stood back and was like, "Alright." I went through a visit to his school and looked at it, absolutely loved it, I like the small schools, stuff like that. I started getting offers from other schools as well and visited and stuff, but I thought in the end that Michigan Tech would probably be the best place to go to further my game, because my goal is to make the NHL, that's just what I want to do. If that doesn't go as planned, Michigan Tech has a great, great education there. I think they're top five in the nation in engineering programs, so I'm very excited.

McKeen's: Is that what you are looking to study, is engineering?

Soley: Yeah.

McKeen's: Any particular?

Soley: Civil engineering.

McKeen's: You mentioned some other schools took an interest in you, what were some of the other programs that showed interest in you and that you considered?

Soley: I looked at Duluth, and I had talked a little bit to St. Cloud, and I had heard from Wisconsin, things like that, but I think, in the overall recruiting process, Michigan Tech just stood out for me.

McKeen's: I had the opportunity to talk with Dallas Stars prospect Chris Conner earlier this season, who went to Michigan Tech, and he mentioned how with Michigan Tech and the size of the community it makes it easier to focus on your hockey and also your schooling.

Soley: Yeah, it's very small. It's located in Houghton, Michigan, way up in the UP (Upper Peninsula). They've probably got 20 inches of snow right now. It is cold. It's a small community and it's all gathered around, I think that hockey is the only D1 sport at the school. So, it's very easy to concentrate on your studies, they've got a great library, and concentrate on hockey.

McKeen's: Going back to your youth hockey, what were the different organizations that you skated with up through the ranks in Eau Claire?

Soley: In Eau Claire, I started out in the Eau Claire youth hockey program, the Eau Claire Mustangs, and kind of came up through that. My family then moved to Elk Mound, outside the city of Eau Claire, and I ended up going to Menomonee for, I think, two years, my squirt and pee wee year. I played in Menomonee and we'd play against Eau Claire and the surrounding areas. So, growing up through that, and then in the summer I ended up playing with the Fire, the Wisconsin AAA Fire. It was kind of the Northern Wisconsin kids who'd play against, like, the [Madison] Capitols, and that sort of thing. I grew up doing that. A few of my friends from that team are actually playing in the USHL, like Brock Montpetit. Then I made high school, and my freshman year I tried out for Team Wisconsin and ended up making it, and that's what I've been doing ever since.

McKeen's: Lastly, who was your favorite NHL hockey player, or players, growing up and why?

Soley: Teemu Selanne, and I also love Ryan Getzlaf. I'd probably say those two are my favorite. Selanne, just because he's so creative on the ice, and Getzlaf is a power forward and he knows how to dangle with the puck. It's great watching.

McKeen's: Then last year's Stanley Cup Finals went well for you.

Soley: Oh yeah. I called it from the preseason.