RoughRiders All-Decade Team: RW Mike Seidel

This is the first in a series of seven stories introducing the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders All-Decade Team. The team was picked in a vote by fans.

DULUTH, Minn. - It's a cliché, but plain truth in Mike Seidel's case. The third year was the charm. ---- Seidel improved his college profile and became a record-setting Cedar Rapids RoughRider in 2008-09. He has been voted by fans as right wing on the Riders' All-Decade Team.

“My whole goal was to play in either Hockey East or the WCHA,” Seidel said of two premier conferences in college hockey. “I think the things I did off the ice, all the training before my third year really helped me achieve that.”

Seidel is a freshman at Minnesota-Duluth, where he is a teammate of former RoughRiders Brady Hjelle, Chase Ryan, Rob Bordson and David Grun. He's run across several other former Cedar Rapids players this season, including a funny exchange with former teammate Matt Donovan in a game against the University of Denver.

“Me and Dunny were in the corner fighting for a puck,” Seidel said with a laugh. “He says to me ‘Stop going so hard.' I'm like ‘Well, just give me the puck then.'”

Seidel has five goals and five assists in 26 games for UMD. He loves the school and northern Minnesota.

But it doesn't take much prodding to get him to talk about his many days in Cedar Rapids. The Darien, Ill., resident loved almost every one.

“I didn't want to leave,” he said. “Everybody here always talks about their junior years. I'm just glad I stayed that extra year. That was the best move I ever made for my hockey career.”

Seidel scored 47 and 43 points, respectively, his first two seasons as a RoughRider but became an all-USHL player last season. He had 29 goals in 59 games and added 44 assists to rank fourth in the league with 73 points.

Only Chicago's Andrew Miller, Indiana's Mike Cichy and Waterloo's Craig Smith - all NHL draft picks - had more. Seidel owns the RoughRiders' franchise record for goals (60), assists (103) and points (163).

The bus trips across the Midwest may not have been fun, but the games were.

“Yeah, I miss it a lot,” he said.

BIO BOX

Name: Mike Seidel

Age: 21

Position: Right Wing

Hometown: Darien, Ill.

RoughRider seasons: 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09

Career Highlights: A freshman at University of Minnesota-Duluth, he has five goals and five assists in 26 games. Played 173 games for Cedar Rapids. Franchise career records for goals (60), assists (103) and points (163).