Seamus Casey (ice hockey)

For the Irish hurler, see Séamus Casey (hurler).

Seamus Casey
Casey with the Michigan Wolverines in 2023
Born (2004-01-08) January 8, 2004 (age 20)
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

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.

Early life

Casey 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

Youth and junior

Casey 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

Making 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

Casey 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


Casey at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Sweden
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Canada
World U18 Championships
Silver medal – second place 2022 Germany
Youth Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 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

Regular season and playoffs

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

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2022 United States U18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 3 3 6 2
2024 United States WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6 0 6 6 2
Junior totals 12 3 9 12 4

Awards and honors

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

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Staff, MiHockey (October 28, 2018). "Recruiting: Seamus Casey commits to Michigan". MiHockey.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  3. ^ Baumgartner, Alex (August 29, 2020). "Seamus Casey's journey from Estero, Florida to the US National Team". Intermission Sports. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  4. ^ "NTDP Stats 2020–2021". Elite Prospects. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  5. ^ "NTDP Stats 2021–2022". Elite Prospects. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d "Seamus Casey". mgoblue.com. University of Michigan. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Amoia, Daniel (July 26, 2023). "Devils' Prospect Seamus Casey Should Switch to Forward". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  8. ^ Zuke, Ryan (July 8, 2022). "Michigan hockey signee Seamus Casey picked in second round of NHL draft". MLive.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  9. ^ "Season Ends for Michigan After Frozen Four Loss to Quinnipiac". MGobBlue.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "Casey Signs Entry-Level Contract". New Jersey Devils. May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  12. ^ Flannery, Kristy (October 5, 2024). "Seamus Casey Scores First NHL Goal In Devils Global Series Finale". The Hockey News. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  13. ^ Trevino, Gabriel (October 6, 2024). "Devils rookie scores first NHL goal, can carve spot in crowded defenseman group". NJ.com. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "Seamus Casey at eliteprospects.com". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  17. ^ "2023 World Junior Championship rosters | NHL.com". NHL.com. November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  18. ^ Earegood, Connor (December 19, 2023). "USA balancing risk and reward with Buium-Casey defense pairing". thehockeynews.com. The Hockey News. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ "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.
  21. ^ "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.
  22. ^ "2024 All-American Teams". ahcahockey.com. American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved April 12, 2024.