DENVER – With college seasons in the process of being completed, one player signed with the Wild on Saturday, another is close to signing and a couple more could be around the corner.

The Wild signed Gophers junior defenseman Nick Seeler to a two-year, entry-level deal starting next season and is in the process of signing Notre Dame senior forward Mario Lucia, sources said. The Wild also soon will talk with Boston College sophomore Alex Tuch, Boston College junior Adam Gilmour and Minnesota Duluth junior defenseman Carson Soucy to see whether they're ready to turn pro.

"It was tough decision, but it just came to me and felt like the right decision," said Seeler, 22, a 2011 fifth-round draft pick. "It's a great opportunity. The Gophers treated me so well and were going to welcome me back with open arms, but I just feel I'm ready to move on."

Seeler, an Eden Prairie native who will graduate this summer, missed a year after transferring from Nebraska Omaha. During his junior season with the Gophers, he had 10 assists in 36 games and led the team with a plus-21, 43 penalty minutes and 91 blocked shots. He is expected to start with AHL Iowa next season.

"He played in a shutdown role, and we envision him playing a similar role at the pro level," General Manager Chuck Fletcher said. "He's a highly competitive kid, defends well, is a good skater and physical."

Lucia, a 2011 second-round pick who led the Fighting Irish with 21 goals last season, finished this season with 24 points. He is set to graduate in May and could start in Iowa on an amateur tryout.

With all college prospects, when Tuch, Gilmour and Soucy are ready to meet, Fletcher will present them with the pros and cons of leaving school and will first talk to their college coaches.

There's a lot of hype with Tuch, who appears intrigued about turning pro after his sophomore season. The 2014 first-round pick led the Eagles with 28 points last season and has 17 goals and 33 points this season. He scored two goals in Boston College's victory over Harvard on Friday. The Eagles played Minnesota Duluth in the NCAA Northeast Regional final on Saturday night.

St. Cloud State goalie Charlie Lindgren will decide in the next few days whether to turn pro. He has several NHL options, including the Wild.

Zucker sits again

It's the most important time of the season and Jason Zucker has been a healthy scratch in four of the past eight games, including his second in a row Saturday at Colorado.

"Same thing we talked about. Two-way game. Just solid two-way game," coach John Torchetti said when asked Zucker's issue.

When pressed, Torchetti would only answer, "Solid two-way game."

Zucker, who has two goals, two assists and is minus-6 with 48 shots his past 25 games, said he's "just not playing well enough. That's it. … I think it's a bit of everything, but I think defense has a lot to do with it."

In the past five games, the Wild is 5-0 with either Zucker or Thomas Vanek scratched.

About those hats …

A common question since Zach Parise's hat trick Thursday against Calgary is what the heck does the Wild do with all those hats thrown onto the ice?

Chief Operating Officer Matt Majka said the team collects and holds them for a period in case fans want to reclaim them. The Community Relations department then purchases new hats in the same quantity as collected and donates them on a rotating basis to various local charities. The old hats are then disposed of for sanitary reasons.