Jason Seed played for Bolzano for the past two years; now a new adventure begins. © HCI/PAPA Productions / Georgios Papaconstantis

After resignation: The Bolzano star who now wants to save lives

Jason Seed held his own for HC Bozen for the past two years, even being part of Italy's Olympic team in February. But now the Italian-Canadian has ended his career – and wants to embark on a completely new path.

July 08, 2026

Officially, an ice hockey season ends with the final buzzer. Unofficially, it doesn't end until several days later. Once the hangover from the lavish victory celebration has subsided, once the disappointment and anger after a bitter defeat have at least been roughly swallowed, then it's back to the home arena one last time. Emptying the locker, saying goodbye – and then it's over.

When Jason Seed went through this routine at the end of March, immediately after his Bolzano team's bitter quarterfinal exit, and made his way to the Sparkasse Arena for the last time, it must have felt strange. After the Italian-Canadian had packed his last belongings, he wasn't just closing his locker door – he was closing an entire chapter of his life. This time, the "goodbye" really was a "goodbye," because the defenseman's career had come to an end.

Jason Seed played for HCB for the past two years.

“The idea matured during the course of the season,” Seed explained when he SportNews Well, a few months later, I reached him by phone in his hometown of Ottawa. The 34-year-old has since moved into a new home there, which he and his wife Jessica bought during the end-of-season break. "My wife got the job in Ottawa that she's always wanted, and that's why we decided to move back home permanently," Seed said.

New career dream: Firefighter

When an athlete's career comes to an end, it's often accompanied by a certain amount of uncertainty: What's next? That's not the case for Seed, because the North American has a clear idea: "I want to become a firefighter!" A hockey player as a firefighter? "That's actually not that unusual," Seed explains. "It's a job that suits a former hockey player well: You have to be physically fit, you have to be able to work in a team. That's been my idea for a while now."

Jason Seed played 49 games for the Italian national team. © Vanna Antonello

Another reason for his decision: “Many of my childhood friends are also firefighters. Every time I see them, they rave about their job.” Seed is currently completing some essential courses and training required for the apprenticeship. After that, he will apply to the fire department and hopes to enter this new career field.

Olympic dream and Bolzano nostalgia

If Jason Seed has his way, he'll be saving lives in the future. He certainly has a natural instinct for saving lives, especially since the North American spent the last few years as an ice hockey defenseman, dedicated to protecting his own net at all costs. His last season as a player was particularly eventful.

“We could have done much better with Bolzano.” Jason seed

“Being at the Olympic Games is something special. I’ll never forget the experience of playing against the big NHL stars,” said Seed. However, he does have one regret: “It’s a shame we didn’t have a good playoff run with Bolzano. We could have done much better.”

Canada, France, Poland and Italy

Seed, who has Italian roots near Verona, came to France from a Canadian university league in 2017. He later played for three years in Poland before first joining an Italian team in 2022. Two successful seasons in Cortina (and a Serie A title) brought Seed to the attention of HC Bolzano, for whom he laced up his skates for the past two years. Now, for the proud father of two young daughters, the chapter of his professional ice hockey career has come to an end. But as they say, when one door closes, another opens.