Seamus Casey (born January 8, 2004) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the second round, 46th overall, by the Devils in the 2022 NHL entry draft.
| Seamus Casey | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Casey with the Michigan Wolverines in 2023 | |||
| Born |
January 8, 2004 Miami, Florida, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team |
New Jersey Devils Utica Comets (AHL) | ||
| NHL draft |
46th overall, 2022 New Jersey Devils | ||
| Playing career | 2024–present | ||
Early life
editCasey was born in Miami on January 8, 2004, to Steve and Karen Casey. When he was around the age of five the family moved to Fort Myers, Florida, where he met future Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick Gavin Brindley, who became a close friend and with whom he would play youth, junior, and collegiate ice hockey.[1]
At twelve, Casey moved to Detroit to play for the Compuware Youth Hockey AAA program.[1]
Playing career
editYouth and junior
editCasey was scouted by the University of Michigan while playing for Compuware, at a game in which he was moved to forward due to injuries.[1] He committed to Michigan in October 2018.[2]
Casey was drafted by the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), but elected instead to play for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP).[1] Had he chose to enter the OHL, he would have voided his NCAA eligibility.[3]
In the 2020–21 season with the NTDP, Casey's 36 points and 28 assists in 48 games ranked first among U17 team defensemen.[4]
Returning to the NTDP for the 2021–22 season, he scored 33 points in 48 games, second among defensemen on the U18 team behind Lane Hutson.[5] He was chosen as one of the top draft-eligible junior players in the United States to attend the 2023 USA Hockey All-American Game.[6] After the season, he was selected in the second round of the 2022 NHL entry draft, 46th overall by the New Jersey Devils, the team he supported as a child.[7]
Collegiate
editMaking good on his commitment to Michigan, Casey joined fellow Devils draftees Luke Hughes and Ethan Edwards on the Wolverines for the 2022–23 season.[8] He scored a respectable 29 points in 37 games, second to Hughes among Michigan defensemen, and played one game at center, an exhibition match against the NTDP in which he had two goals and an assist.[7] Michigan won the Big Ten Conference, but lost in the semifinals of the 2023 Frozen Four to the eventual champions, Quinnipiac University.[9]
In his sophomore season, the 2023–24 season, Casey recorded seven goals and 45 points in 39 games, earning All-Big Ten First Team and First Team All-American honors. For the second straight year, Michigan won the Big Ten only to be eliminated in the Frozen Four semifinals by Boston College.[6][10]
Professional
editCasey turned professional on May 6, 2024, after signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Devils.[11] To start the 2024–25 season and in part because of injuries to Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes, he made the Devils' opening night roster out of training camp, traveling to Prague for a season-opening two-game series against the Buffalo Sabres as part of the 2024 NHL Global Series. He made his NHL debut on October 4, 2024, a 3–1 Devils win, and scored his first NHL goal the following day, tying the game on the power play in the second period of the 4–1 Devils victory.[12][13] Ten days later, in a 3–0 victory over the Utah Hockey Club, he would record three more career firsts: his first assist and game-winning goal for his first multi-point game.[14][15]
International play
edit_067_(cropped2).jpg) Casey at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  United States
| ||
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 |
2024 Sweden | |
 |
2023 Canada | |
| World U18 Championships | ||
 |
2022 Germany | |
| Youth Olympic Games | ||
| |
2020 Lausanne | |
In his lone under-18 tournament appearance, Casey represented the United States at the 2022 IIHF World U18 Championships, scoring six points in as many games.[16]
Casey traveled with Team USA to the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, but did not dress for any games. Michigan teammate and fellow Devils draftee Luke Hughes also attended the tournament.[17] The following year, however, at the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, he would be rostered,[18] and would record six assists in six games en route to a gold medal. He missed one game due to illness.[19]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2020–21 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 30 | 2 | 18 | 20 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 17 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | University of Michigan | B1G | 37 | 8 | 21 | 29 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | University of Michigan | B1G | 40 | 7 | 38 | 45 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NCAA totals | 77 | 15 | 59 | 74 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | United States | U18 | 
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2024 | United States | WJC | 
|
6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 4 | ||||
Awards and honors
edit| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| All-Big Ten Freshman Team | 2023 | [6] |
| Big Ten All-Tournament Team | 2023, 2024 | [6][20] |
| All-Big Ten First Team | 2024 | [21] |
| AHCA West First Team All-American | 2024 | [22] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Kingsley, Noah (December 22, 2022). "Michigan the latest step in Gavin Brindley, Seamus Casey journeys". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ Staff, MiHockey (October 28, 2018). "Recruiting: Seamus Casey commits to Michigan". MiHockey.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Baumgartner, Alex (August 29, 2020). "Seamus Casey's journey from Estero, Florida to the US National Team". Intermission Sports. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ "NTDP Stats 2020–2021". Elite Prospects. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ "NTDP Stats 2021–2022". Elite Prospects. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Seamus Casey". mgoblue.com. University of Michigan. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ a b Amoia, Daniel (July 26, 2023). "Devils' Prospect Seamus Casey Should Switch to Forward". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Zuke, Ryan (July 8, 2022). "Michigan hockey signee Seamus Casey picked in second round of NHL draft". MLive.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ "Season Ends for Michigan After Frozen Four Loss to Quinnipiac". MGobBlue.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Gaudio, Julian (April 11, 2024). "Two Devils Prospects Eliminated In The Frozen Four; Charlie Leddy Advances To National Championship Game". The Hockey News. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ "Casey Signs Entry-Level Contract". New Jersey Devils. May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ Flannery, Kristy (October 5, 2024). "Seamus Casey Scores First NHL Goal In Devils Global Series Finale". The Hockey News. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ Trevino, Gabriel (October 6, 2024). "Devils rookie scores first NHL goal, can carve spot in crowded defenseman group". NJ.com. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ Flannery, Kristy (October 14, 2024). "Jake Allen & Seamus Casey Lead Devils to 3-0 Victory Over Utah HC". The Hockey News. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ^ Flannery, Kristy (October 15, 2024). "OPINION: Emergence Of Casey Should Lead Devils To Send Nemec To AHL Once Pesce Returns". The Hockey News. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ^ "Seamus Casey at eliteprospects.com". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ "2023 World Junior Championship rosters | NHL.com". NHL.com. November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Earegood, Connor (December 19, 2023). "USA balancing risk and reward with Buium-Casey defense pairing". thehockeynews.com. The Hockey News. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Nichols, James (January 5, 2024). "Devils Seamus Casey, Team USA Win Gold at World Junior Championship". newjerseyhockeynow.com. New Jersey Hockey Now. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ "2024 Big Ten Hockey Tournament All-Tournament Team" (PDF). BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. March 23, 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ "Big Ten Conference Announces Hockey Postseason Awards". BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. March 19, 2024. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "2024 All-American Teams". ahcahockey.com. American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database