Dylan Seitz signs with Kitchener

 

The Kitchener Rangers come south of the border to sign one of their late round draft picks from the previous year’s draft in Dylan Seitz. The gritty, two-way forward was one of the youngest players in the OJHL this past season with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres and compiled a solid 13-16-26 line in 53 games. We interviewed Dylan to see how he was able to get recruited by Kitchener, why he signed and what his future plans are.

 

You grew up in New York playing for the Regals and then attended Nichols School. You then joined the OJHL as one of the younger players in the league. Describe your youth hockey experience, why you played on those teams and how that shaped your development.

Playing for the Regals was one of my favorite seasons, if not my favorite season. The team I played on was a very tight group and we were lucky enough to make it to the nationals in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was a great experience. I was lucky enough to get scouted and eventually recruited by Nichols School for the following season. During the Nichols season we had a fun rivalry with the Jr Sabres 18u team and that’s what I really think helped me to find a spot on the OJHL team the year after. We played them 6 or 7 times in the regular season which helped a lot with having the OJHL Jr Sabres scouting every game. My first year playing junior hockey was a great experience. I was fortunate enough to play on an older team with older guys that have been through juniors and had a lot of experience that they were able to share with me and help me throughout the season.

 

You were a late round selection by Kitchener in the 2015 OHL Draft. Tell us about that experience. Did you know Kitchener was interested or was it a surprise getting drafted?

My draft day experience was a roller coaster ride, watching the draft start at 8 am all the way until the final pick around 3 pm. Watching the names pop up on the screen and not seeing your own is a rough experience. Luckily enough, Kitchener took me in the 15th round and I didn’t care where I got picked, I was just happy to be drafted. Fortunately, Kitchener was a great fit for me and I’m happy the way it all turned out.

 

Talk to us about what happened after the draft and how you got to where you are which is ultimately signing with the team. Were you in talks with Kitchener during the season? 

After the draft I knew it was just a start and it didn’t guarantee me any spot on the team. I also knew I had to do a lot of improving to make the jump to the OHL. With that being said I went into camp with a lot of nerves, met a lot of new people but ultimately found that I really liked the Kitchener area, their home arena (its just a beautiful facility) and knew that I wanted to be a Ranger.

 

We assume you had some NCAA interest being an American born prospect. How difficult was it to make the decision to play OHL vs. NCAA?

Yes, college hockey was a dream of mine for the longest time and I had the opportunity my freshman year of high school when UNH offered me a scholarship. I had a lot of thinking to do, but I decided to respectively decline the offer and wait it out because I knew I could have a chance to play major junior. So when the time came around when Kitchener was interested in signing me, I sat down with my parents and made the decision that I wanted to play for the Rangers.

 

Tell us about your game? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What areas will you be focusing on improving from now until the start of next season?

I play physical game with an offensive upside to it. I like to compare myself to Jamie Benn with the skill and grit he brings to the game.  Some things I need to work on for the upcoming season are my foot speed and strength. If I can add those two pieces to my game, I feel like I can really excel playing in the OHL. I hope to have an easy transition from the OJHL to the OHL fitting in the lineup nicely and to just to go from there.

 

What are your summer plans?

My plans for this summer are to obviously improve my game but also to spend time away from the rink and get away from hockey for a little while. I feel like it’s good to be away from the rink in the summer, not the entire summer but to take a couple weeks off to let your body recover and spend time with family and friends. Then I’ll get right back into it, by going to the gym and working on my weaknesses. If I work hard this summer, I should be in great shape for training camp in August and be able to keep up with the faster pace come game time.

 

Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images