A 6-foot, 4-inch, 210-pound forward from Michigan, Seth Wall looks to contribute regularly on the Flames’ fourth line as a freshman and help sharpen his teammates on the ice.
Embracing the challenge and thrill of playing for Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team, Seth Wall, a 6-foot, 4-inch, 210-pound freshman forward from Clarkston, Mich., has enjoyed a smooth month of transition from the National Collegiate Developmental Conference ranks to the Flames' highest-level program.
"Yes, 100 percent, I came in with the goal to make the DI team and am really happy it worked out that way," Wall said after being notified on Monday by Head Coach Kirk Handy that he had secured a spot on the Flames' 25-man roster. "I'm definitely adapting here and have fit in and settled in nicely. Everyone's been great, very welcoming. I love the team already. I want to be a guy who can help make my teammates better in practice every day."
Wall is a 6-4, 210-pound forward.
Wall said what impressed the Flames' coaching staff the most was that he is a physical player who can get pucks deep, deliver powerful body checks, and wear opposing players down on the ice.
"They liked my ability to adapt to a new role," Wall said. "I'm known to be a good skater, a bigger guy who can skate and move the puck. When I get a chance, I like to say I can bury the puck, and score from different places on the ice. I'm a two-way forward. I can play well on both ends of the ice and am more of a finisher than a set-up man."
Wall got his first experience at the ACHA DI level in Friday's 4-1 triumph over West Chester (Pa.) Wolves' NCDC team before a near-capacity crowd at the LaHaye Ice Center.
"I thought it was amazing," Wall said. "That was the coolest environment I have ever played in in my life. I'm so excited to keep experiencing that, to play in Liberty's arena and play for my school over the next four years."
He was in on the Flames' fourth goal, scored by sophomore forward Kal Essenmacher in the final 6 minutes, 18 seconds of regulation. Wall controlled the puck along the right boards and sent it up to fellow freshman and fourth-line forward Seth Huygen in the corner. From there, Huygen skated along the backboards and set up senior defenseman Connor Diem's shot from the high slot before Essenmacher batted the putback out of the air with a sharp-angled backhand in the left crease.
"I'm glad we got one on the fourth line," said Wall, who filled in for sophomore forward Brad Barker in the third period. "I have to keep working to get ice time here as a freshman and a younger player. I'm going to keep working hard and try to improve every day. I want to grind my way through this year and hopefully move up the lines through my four years at Liberty."
After scoring 26 goals and distributing 31 assists in 58 games with the Victory Honda 16U AAA team in 2021-22 and netting 41 goals and 26 in 63 games with the 18U team in 2022-23, Wall spent the 2023-24 season with the Aberdeen (S.D.) Wings in the NAHL and last season with the Connecticut Jr. Rangers in the NCDC, where he struggled both on the ice and with his faith.
"During my Junior hockey years, I felt that I was distant from God," Wall said. "He led me to Liberty for a specific reason because I have felt my faith grow a lot during the last few months."
Wall played in 2023-24 for the Aberdeen (S.D.) Wings in the NAHL.
He said his Juniors hockey experience was valuable in that it prepared him for the transition to the ACHA game and led to his spiritual awakening.
"My two years of playing junior hockey was a good experience, and made me ready for the next chapter of my life," said Wall, who at 20 is the youngest player on the Flames' DI roster.
He said the leap from the Junior hockey ranks to Liberty's ACHA DI program is a big one, but not anything he wasn't prepared for.
"The biggest difference, practicing with the guys, is the age difference," Wall said. "I'm the only 2005 player on the team, so getting used to playing with guys who are four or five years older than me and who have more experience in the game is the biggest adjustment."
This past summer, Wall spent much of his free time doing athletic training exercises rather than heavy weightlifting.
"I was mostly skating and working on my athleticism, and I feel I now can move more efficiently on the ice for a longer period of time," Wall said.
While somewhat reserved by nature, Wall has shown his fun side as he has gotten better acquainted with his teammates early in the season, especially after the team retreat to Stone Ridge in nearby Appomattox County two weeks ago.
"The locker room atmosphere is light, and positive," Wall said. "All the boys are excited for the season."
He and the Flames are especially hyped for this weekend's ACHA Division I-opening home-and-home series against North Carolina State University, Friday at 8:30 p.m. near Raleigh, N.C., and Saturday at 7 p.m. back in the LIC.
"We are very excited," Wall said. "Our team's mentality is the same as always, go in there and work as hard as we can, play as a team, and try to come out of there with two wins this weekend."
Wall is the younger brother of Olivia (Wall) Pasek ('22), now a clinical nurse in the Detroit area, and son of Mike and Heather Wall, who are huge Flames Hockey fans from previous visits to see their daughter.
"I have known the university and my family has friends in Lynchburg," Wall said. "I've been around a while, and knew that Liberty was a place I would love to attend."
He is pursuing a B.S. in Sport Management through Liberty's School of Business.
"I would love to manage the business side of a sports team or athletic organization," Wall said. "I definitely want to stay in hockey. I am not sure where the Lord is leading me, but I feel like it's something in the hockey world."
