Like the frosty winds of a Minnesota winter, his story was swirling towards a perfect storm. Now things are starting to look more like a coulda, shoulda, woulda situation.
He was scheduled to start at the University of Minnesota in a few months, where he coulda been in the starting line-up when they face-off with his brother's college team in October.
The 6'3" 205 pound forward has risen to the challenge at every level he's played, so he shoulda been able to help a Gophers team that will desperately be trying to reach the Frozen Four next spring...a championship tournament they'll be hosting at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
That same building will then host the 2011 NHL Draft a few months later...and after what was expected to be a stand-out freshman season for the hometown boy, it woulda been a fairytale ending when he was selected with one of the first few picks in the first round.
Well, the too-perfect script has been going through some editing in recent weeks. It was just announced that Seth will not be starting at the U (what the locals call it) in the fall. Seems the coach isn't confident he can find him enough playing time, so he's shuttling him back to the Omaha Lancers of the USHL - where Seth has netted 36 goals and posted 80 points in 116 games over the last two seasons, all while being one of the youngest players in the league.
From all accounts, he appears to be the real deal. While he may be playing for a different team than originally expected this coming season, scouts are very high on him. The International Scouting Service has him rated fifth among all prospects for the next NHL draft.
In an NHL.com article they referred to him as "one of the most talked-about prospects" and had comments from a scout who said "He's good at all facets of the game". His coach in Omaha has been equally impressed, saying "He's a special kid. To think, he started on our third line (in 2008-09) and ended up on the top line."
Another interesting wrinkle in this story is that Seth's Lancers team is owned by a group of hockey legends, including Mario Lemieux and Kings President, Luc Robitaille. Having seen Seth play at a few games he's attend over the last two seasons, Lucky wasn't shy when I asked him for some observations, "He's been a real team player and a good all-around person. As a player, he shows great competitiveness and a willingness to compete and battle around the net, and he combines that with vision and an understanding of the game."
For a guy that made a living around the net, that's some pretty high praise.
In today's Future Friday spotlight, we talk with Seth Ambroz to get some first hand information from the guy that may just wind up going first overall at next June's NHL draft.
