Though he never played a game for the Colorado Avalanche, the story of former organizational prospect Mason Geertsen is worth spotlighting, especially as a drafted prospect still in the NHL at age 30.
As a player currently on the Buffalo Sabres roster, Geertsen may finally play in a NHL game on Ball Arena ice in tomorrow’s matchup between the two clubs.
Selected in the fourth round out of the WHL in the 2013 NHL draft at 93rd overall, the six-foot-four 231 lbs. left shot defenseman signed his three-year Entry Level Contract with the Avalanche on March 24, 2015 following the conclusion of his junior career. He immediately reported to the Colorado Eagles to finish out the season in the AHL and played nine games for the Lake Erie Monsters.
Geertsen would spend four full seasons with the Colorado Avalanche’s AHL affiliates spanning the San Antonio Rampage and Colorado Eagles despite never getting called up to the big club. His best season was in 2018-19 where the Alberta native would score 16 points to go along with 134 penalty minutes in 58 games.
At the conclusion of that season Colorado decided not to qualify Geertsen and as a free agent he signed an AHL deal with the New York Rangers’ affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack. Near the end of his second season with that club, the Rangers opted to upgrade his contract and signed Geertsen to a two-year two-way NHL contract on March 3rd, 2021 worth $725K per year at the NHL level. Despite this commitment from the organization, he never played a game with the Blueshirts as the New Jersey Devils picked up Geertsen on waivers on October 3rd of that year in advance of the 2021-22 campaign.
As a needed physical presence, Geertsen spent that entire season on New Jersey’s roster and engaged in five memorable tilts with the likes of Zach MacEwan, Zdeno Chara and Zach Kassian. He dressed in 25 games, many at forward in the enforcer role, and accumulated 77 penalty minutes. For the 2022-23 season Geertsen signed a one-year two-way $750K contract extension with New Jersey in the summer of 2022 but the left-hander cleared waivers and spent the year in the AHL with the Utica Comets.
Following his stint with the Devils organization, Geertsen moved on to the Vegas Golden Knights organization on another two-way two-year NHL contract worth $775K per year at the NHL level signed in the offseason in 2023.
At the beginning of the 2023-24 season is where this story takes a turn to delve into what Geertsen went through during his time in Vegas. In an exceptionally detailed report shared by the Sabres, Geertsen discussed a very personal recent battle with cancer.
After feeling pain in his leg in November of 2023, Geertsen received a diagnosis of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Geertsen went through a series of tests with a range of results including doctors telling him he likely would never play again to news of a possible misdiagnosis as he went back to Henderson to keep playing. The defenseman remarkably then played a total of 58 games that season after only missing a month of play as he scored six goals and accumulated 108 penalty minutes.
That summer more extensive tests were performed and the initial diagnosis of lymphoma was confirmed. Geertsen endured immunotherapy treatment during the offseason so he could be ready to begin training camp on time with the Golden Knights in the fall of 2024. Those treatments proved successful as Geertsen announced he is in remission last November and then completed his contract with Vegas that season finishing with 31 games played in Henderson.
This summer Geertsen reunited with his former coach Lindy Ruff when the Buffalo Sabres signed him to a two-year two-way contract for $775K at the NHL level. He began the season on the NHL roster and has dressed for five Sabres games where he’s accumulated 12 penalty minutes. Geertsen again is playing a hybrid position, mostly at forward or on defense as needed and providing the physical presence Ruff values.
“I had Mason in New Jersey, so I know what Mason’s about, I know how hard he works, I know how good a guy he is,” Ruff said. “Just (needs to) continue to put the work in.”
As this is Hockey Fights Cancer month in the NHL, we at Mile High Hockey want to show our support for all friend or foe including former players and prospects who have fought or are still fighting the battle. It is remarkable that Mason has been able to return to the ice and we hope to see him out there against the Avalanche.
