In this episode of the Athletes IN Sports Podcast, we sit down with Nate Prosser — former NHL defenseman who played 360 career games across the Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, and Philadelphia Flyers after going undrafted out of Colorado College.

Nate opens up about his journey from Elk River, Minnesota — tagging along with his older brother Luke on the Handke Pit — to becoming a late bloomer who grew a foot in one year between ages 16 and 17 and turned that growth spurt into an NHL career spanning more than a decade.

What We Cover
✅ The crossroads moment when his dad told him he could either play varsity at Elk River and be done — or let getting cut from the Select 17 team light a fire under him (he chose to shoot 250 pucks a day while everyone else shot 150)

✅ How faith became his foundation through an NHL career that included being claimed off waivers by Minnesota twice — October 2014 and November 2017 — plus stops in St. Louis and Philadelphia

✅ The brutal reality of being a seventh defenseman — and why he chose to be "the locker room guy" instead of complaining about ice time or knocking on coaches' doors

✅ Why he retired after watching his oldest daughter struggle to get dressed every morning when he left for road trips — and how that decision changed his family forever

✅ His transition from pro hockey to managing a packaging company in Lonsdale — and how locker room leadership translates directly to business leadership

Nate also shares why he's intentional about slowing life down with his four daughters (ages 12, 10, 8, and 5), why he doesn't pressure them to play hockey even though he made it to the top level starting at age 17, and what every parent needs to hear about letting kids be kids.

Plus — Nate's been a huge supporter of InSports Foundation hockey camps partnered with the Minnesota Wild at Tria Rink. On this episode, Andrew committed $1,039 in honor of Nate's jersey #39 through our Play It Forward program to continue growing youth hockey.

This is an honest conversation about identity beyond sport, faith under pressure, locker room culture vs. complaining culture, parenting without pressure in today's accelerated youth sports world — plus what it really takes to build an undrafted career that lasts more than ten years.

The Handke Pit Origins
Nate grew up in Elk River, Minnesota, tagging along with his older brother Luke on the Handke Pit — a glacial feature carved into the landscape of his hometown where he learned early that getting noticed meant finishing checks, using his stick, and chirping at opponents.

"Prosser learned early that getting noticed on the ice meant finishing checks, using his stick and chirping at opponents."

That grit followed him straight to the NHL in his role as a depth defenseman willing to get in the face — and under the skin — of opposing players.

But it didn't come easy. Nate was a self-described late bloomer who barely cleared five feet until a growth spurt late in high school. After he filled out to 6'2", recruiters came calling.

The Crossroads Moment Every Parent Needs to Hear
One of the most powerful moments in this episode is when Nate describes the exact moment that shaped everything that came after.

He got cut from the Select 17 team up in St. Cloud. He got in the car with his dad — crying. And his dad gave him two paths:

"Nate, you can take this two different directions. You can go play varsity at Elk River until you're through your senior year and be done. And I'll be super proud of you. Or you can let this light a fire on your butt and see where it's gonna take you."

That was the crossroads. The way his dad said it — proud of him either way — stuck with Nate for twenty years.

"I didn't have the drive at 12. I made it to the top level. It might come later."

The lesson for every parent listening: the drive doesn't always show up at the same age. If your kid doesn't have it at 12, it's not too late. Nate didn't get the drive until 17 — and went on to play 360 NHL games.

Shoot 250 Pucks a Day
What Nate did next is the kind of story every parent needs to hear their kid listening to.
The defensemen who made the Select 17 team were shooting 150 pucks a day. Nate decided to shoot 250.

"If I need to take a puck off the face, it's going to happen."

Coaches told him he wasn't fast enough. So he went out and did sprints, plyometrics, and Russian box drills on the track in Elk River by himself — not to prove them wrong, but because there was something in him that said: I'm going to do whatever it takes.

The Locker Room Guy: A Lesson in Locker Room Culture
Nate played 360 NHL games. But here's the part most people don't know — he spent a lot of those as a seventh defenseman, sitting in the press box, healthy scratched, not playing for weeks at a time.

When he was on the ice, he'd sometimes play 12 minutes a night — and sit the last eight.

Most players in that situation turn it negative. They complain. They knock on the coach's door. They become a cancer in the locker room.
Nate chose differently.

"I liked being the locker room guy. I liked being the glue guy. If I'm not playing, I'll get my pom-poms out for you guys. Even if I'm playing 12 minutes a night and I'm sitting the last eight minutes — well, Suits and Spurge, let's go. We need a goal. Let's go do it."

And it worked. Mike Yeo and Chuck Fletcher always knew what he brought on and off the ice. That's why he was able to stick around as long as he did.

"There's 23 guys in the locker room. You're around each other every day for six hours a day for nine months a year. Do you think guys want to be around guys that are jerks? Right. You're probably not going to last too long."

This translates directly to school, business, church — anything you're involved in. People want to be around good people. Good kids get the playing time. Good employees get promoted. Good partners get the next deal.

Faith First, Hockey Second
Nate's totem pole has always been: faith, family, friends, academics, then hockey.

"That's hard to do when you're playing in the NHL. Your world is almost revolving around hockey. But I always knew where my foundation lied."

He tried being a light wherever the locker room put him — Minnesota, Philly, St. Louis, Iowa, Houston, Allentown. He wasn't forcing anything down anyone's throat. He was just being himself.

"I wanted guys to see there's something different about me. There's a light to me — and it's not me, it's Jesus in me."

The Moment That Made Him Retire
This is the part of the episode every parent needs to hear twice.

Nate was in Philadelphia. His oldest daughter was about nine years old. Every morning, she'd struggle to get dressed. The socks had to be on just right. The shorts couldn't go on. It was like World War III every morning.

"You can put yourself in her shoes and just be like, okay, Daddy's gonna leave for a month for training camp, and then I gotta go to a new city, I gotta find a new school, new friends, new sports teams, new church. A lot was going through her head."

Then came COVID. They were supposed to fly home, but all the airlines shut down. They drove from Pennsylvania to Minneapolis in a Suburban — four kids all under ten.

"I probably made our decision a little bit easier. My hairline just kept going back further and further on that drive."

He took the first full year off. Then the second year was the COVID bubble — no fans, white noise over the intercom, playing in empty arenas.

"I just tried being there for my girls. I told my daughter that I'm gonna be around forever now. She started crying. She gave me a hug. You're not trapped — he's not going away. The personality change in all my girls because I'm not gone — that's huge."

From Locker Room to Boardroom
When Nate retired, he started meeting with business owners, CEOs, and presidents across Minnesota — anyone who would grab a coffee with him — to figure out his next chapter.

He went to school for economics at Colorado College, so business was always on his mind.
The fit clicked with his current boss at a packaging company in Lonsdale — a faith-driven man who wanted to build companies that had an impact and influence in the communities they serve. Nate's been there for two years now, managing operations, growing the business.

"It's been almost like shifting from one locker room to the next. It goes back to relationships."

The leadership traits from the NHL — growth mindset, accountability, locker room culture, getting along with people — translate directly to the business world.

Let Your Kids Be Kids
When asked what advice he'd give to parents going through youth sports right now, Nate was clear.

"Slow down. Let your kids be kids. Build forts in their backyards. Go play street hockey in the street. Pick up wiffle ball games. All that silly stuff."

His daughters play hockey, but they also like going to the cabin and playing basketball.

"My kids like doing other things too. If my 10-year-old wants to play basketball and hockey, she still should be able to."

He doesn't glue a hockey stick in their hands. He doesn't push them toward the Gophers, the PWHL, or the WNBA. He tells them to play because they enjoy it — and wherever it takes them, it takes them.

"I didn't have the drive at 12. I made it to the top level. It might come later. If your kid makes a B1 square team, it's not that big of a deal. If your kid isn't getting asked to every AAA tournament, it's okay."

The Uncomfortable Math
Nate put it bluntly:

"You're like 0.02% to play pro sports — and you got to play for 10 years. But like you are a part of the smallest percentage of all athletes and sports to make it to the top tier."

2% of kids play Division One sports. When parents push their kids because they think they want to play college, they take away all the important pieces of sports in the process.

The important pieces — accountability, work ethic, winning as a team, losing as a team — only show up when sports stays in its proper place.

"It's called a sport for a reason. It's meant to be fun. It's meant to be enjoyable. Not take it overly serious."


What Every Parent Can Learn From This Episode
This isn't just a hockey story. It's a parenting story, a business story, a faith story, and a life-after-sport story all wrapped into one.

Three takeaways for parents:

1. The drive doesn't always show up at 12. If your kid doesn't have it yet, it's not too late. Nate didn't get his until 17.

2. Faith, family, friends — then sport. Whatever your kid's sport is, it should never become number one or number two. It's called a sport for a reason.

3. Slow down. You're going to get 18 years — maybe 16 once they start driving. Don't waste it pushing them into an AAA tournament they don't need.

Three takeaways for athletes:
1. Be the locker room guy. Guys want to be around good guys. Good guys last.

2. Faith first. Even in a sport that revolves around hockey, knowing where your foundation lies keeps you grounded.

3. Pinch yourself. Even the 360th game is still a dream come true. Don't lose sight of that.

Play It Forward
On this episode, Andrew committed $1,039 in honor of Nate's jersey #39 through the InSports Foundation Play It Forward program — helping to continue growing youth hockey through scholarships, free camps, and team sponsorships.

Nate's been a huge supporter of the foundation's hockey camps partnered with the Minnesota Wild at Tria Rink. At one camp with New Directions kids, one of the inner-city Minneapolis kids asked for Nate's stick — and Nate said yes. Probably one of the best days of that kid's life.

​