Former Dubuque Fighting Saints Player Makes NHL Debut With Chicago Blackhawks
The Saints have an amazing track record of not only getting players to the next level, but seeing them succeed there as well. Enter their latest player to grace the ice in the NHL, Wyatt Kaiser!
20-year-old Wyatt Kaiser played for your Dubuque Fighting Saints during the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 season. The 6-foot, 272-pound defensive player made his NHL Debut last night for the Chicago Blackhawks.
In his debut, the Andover, MN native logged 16:11 of ice time playing on the Blackhawks third defensive pairing. He recorded one blocked shot and was a -1.
"I played a pretty solid game — pretty simple, nothing too crazy. I made a few iffy plays, but I'm still learning the systems and figuring everything out."
-Wyatt Kaiser, following his debut, Chicago Sun Times.
As a Fighting Saint, left-hander Kaiser appeared in 11 games recording three assists before returning back to Andover High School for his senior season. The 2019-20 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic before Kaiser had a chance to return back to Dubuque. He then spent three seasons at the University of Minnesota Duluth. The Blackhawks originally selected Kaiser with the 81st overall selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Check out Wyatt's Dubuque Fighting Saints player profile from 2018.
According to the 2020 Elite Prospects Guide, Wyatt is described like this:
"Kaiser's speed, edge work, and ability to maneuver in tight spaces offer him a great deal of escape-ability under pressure. He's one of the rare defenders in this year's draft that can make forecheckers look like they're skating in quicksand. Has a sophisticated understanding of bank passes; he uses angles expertly."
Check out more Dubuque Fighting Saints Hockey action this weekend as your Saints take on Team USA on Friday and Saturday night during Saints 4 Life Weekend! Can't make it to the game, stream the live hockey action here!