Introduction
Nick Swaney (born September 9, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Iowa Wild in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 209th overall by the Wild in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
Swaney, a Lakeville, Minnesota native, attended Lakeville South High School before playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Waterloo Black Hawks. During his tenure with Lakeville South High, he committed to a collegiate career with the University of the Minnesota-Duluth of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC).
After recording 115 points through 120 career games in the USHL, Swaney was drafted by homestate club, the Minnesota Wild, in the seventh-round, 209th overall, of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft before joining the Bulldogs as a freshman.
In his senior season with the Bulldogs in 2020–21, Swaney as an alternate captain, recorded 28 points in as many games to lead Minnesota-Dulth in scoring. At the conclusion of his collegiate career, Swaney was signed by the Wild to a one-year, entry-level contract on April 11, 2021, and was immediately signed to an Amateur Tryout contract to join AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, for the remainder of the season.
In his first full professional season, Swaney after attending Minnesota's 2021 training camp, was assigned to continue his tenure with the Iowa Wild in the AHL. Remaining with Iowa for the entirety of the 2021–22 season, Swaney as a rookie tallied 16 goals and 38 points through 62 games, placing fifth in team scoring.
As a restricted free agent, Swaney was re-signed by the Minnesota Wild to a one-year, two-way contract on July 17, 2022. In the 2022–23 season, Swaney remained with the Iowa Wild, solidifying his role as a scoring forward in notching 18 goals and 30 points through 48 games despite missing games through injury. On April 13, 2022, Swaney was recalled by Minnesota and made his NHL debut in the Wild's final regular season game, in a 4–3 overtime defeat to the Nashville Predators.
For the second consecutive off-season, Swaney was re-signed by the Wild as a restricted free agent to a one-year, two-way contract on June 30, 2023.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2012–13 | Lakeville South High | USHS | 25 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Lakeville South High | USHS | 24 | 13 | 31 | 44 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Lakeville South High | USHS | 24 | 25 | 32 | 57 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | 15 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | 54 | 30 | 20 | 50 | 26 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | 47 | 26 | 25 | 51 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2017–18 | U. of Minnesota-Duluth | NCHC | 35 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | U. of Minnesota-Duluth | NCHC | 40 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | U. of Minnesota-Duluth | NCHC | 31 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | U. of Minnesota-Duluth | NCHC | 28 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 62 | 16 | 22 | 38 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 48 | 18 | 12 | 30 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | United States | IH18 | 
|
5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| USHL | ||
| Second All-Star Team | 2017 | |
| College | ||
| NCAA Champions | 2018, 2019 | |
| NCHC Honorable Mention All-Star Team | 2019 | |
| NCHC First All-Star Team | 2021 | |