Seth Helgeson (born October 8, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League (AHL). Helgeson was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the 4th round (114th overall) of the 2009 NHL entry draft.
Playing career Amateur After completing two seasons at Faribault High, Helgeson attended the 2007 Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL training camp. He subsequently joined the team for their 2007–08 season. On November 19, 2008, Helgeson committed to play NCAA Division I hockey with the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team. While playing with the Sioux City Musketeers, Helgeson was selected for the 2009 USHL All-Star Game.
In his freshman season with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Helgeson played in 31 games and recorded one goal. His only goal came during the 2010 WCHA playoffs against North Dakota and was the game winning goal to tie the teams in the series. North Dakota ended up winning the series 2–1. He was awarded the Donald M. Clark Community Service award by the Gophers at the conclusion of the season.
In his sophomore season, Helgeson played in 36 games and recorded a new career high seven points. He was again awarded the Donald M. Clark Community Service award at the conclusion of the season.
In his junior year, Helgeson recorded an uptake in scoring and set new career highs in goals, assists, and points. He was also named to the All-WCHA Academic Team.
During the 2012–13 season, Helgeson was the sole senior on the team and served as an alternate captain. At the end of the season, he had played in 121 consecutive games for the Gophers and led the team in penalty minutes. He was also named to the All-WCHA Academic Team for the second time.
Professional On April 5, 2013, the Albany Devils of the American Hockey League (AHL) signed Helgeson to an amateur tryout agreement, allowing the defenseman to suit up with the AHL team for their final four games of the 2012–13 season.
On November 27, 2013, the New Jersey Devils of the NHL recalled Helgeson from the Albany Devils, under emergency conditions, however it turned out he was not needed and was returned to Albany after the morning skate.
After a strong training camp with the Devils for the 2014–15 season, Helgeson was recalled by New Jersey from Albany on November 11, 2014 to replace the injured Bryce Salvador, and immediately made his NHL debut, registering an assist in a 3–1 victory over the Minnesota Wild.
On July 1, 2017, having left the Devils as a free agent, Helgeson signed with cross-town rivals the New York Islanders on a one-year, two-way contract. On October 7, he was named an alternate captain for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Islanders AHL affiliate.
On July 2, 2018, Helgeson stayed with the Islanders organization and signed a two-year, two-way contract.
After three seasons with the Sound Tigers, Helgeson as a free agent from the Islanders, opted to continue his tenure within the organization by signing a one-year AHL contract with the Sound Tigers on October 29, 2020.
Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2006–07Faribault HighMNHS271917360— — — — — 2007–08Sioux City MusketeersUSHL 583811414 0 1 1 2 2008–09Sioux City MusketeersUSHL584121664— — — — — 2009–10University of MinnesotaWCHA3110124— — — — — 2010–11University of MinnesotaWCHA3616766 — — — — — 2011–12University of MinnesotaWCHA43591470 — — — — — 2012–13University of MinnesotaWCHA4005562 — — — — — 2012–13Albany DevilsAHL40002— — — — — 2013–14Albany DevilsAHL7519101004 0 0 0 2 2014–15Albany DevilsAHL492101258— — — — — 2014–15New Jersey DevilsNHL2202218— — — — — 2015–16Albany DevilsAHL422575211 0 4 4 14 2015–16New Jersey DevilsNHL1901117— — — — — 2016–17Albany DevilsAHL48279504 0 1 1 2 2016–17New Jersey DevilsNHL910115— — — — — 2017–18Bridgeport Sound TigersAHL7611112137— — — — — 2018–19Bridgeport Sound TigersAHL74113141325 0 1 1 4 2019–20Bridgeport Sound TigersAHL63191095— — — — — 2020–21Bridgeport Sound TigersAHL2312336— — — — — 2021–22Bridgeport IslandersAHL69347946 0 0 0 4 2022–23Bridgeport IslandersAHL72189109— — — — — 2023–24Bridgeport IslandersAHL7014582— — — — — 2024–25Bridgeport IslandersAHL70005— — — — — NHL totals 50 1 3 4 50 — — — — —
Awards and honors Award Year Ref USHL USHL All-Star Game 2009 College NCAA (WCHA) All-Academic Team 2012, 2013 Donald M. Clark Community Service Award 2010, 2011
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