Seamus Casey (ice hockey)
Seamus Casey | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 8, 2004 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey defenseman |
| Known for | Playing for the New Jersey Devils and Utica Comets |
Seamus Casey (born January 8, 2004) is a professional American ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Utica Comets in the American Hockey League (AHL). He is a prospect within the New Jersey Devils organization of the National Hockey League (NHL), having been selected 46th overall by the Devils in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
Early life
Casey was born in Miami to parents Steve and Karen Casey. At the age of five, his family relocated to Fort Myers, Florida, where he formed a lasting hockey partnership with Gavin Brindley, who would later be drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The two remained teammates from their youth hockey days through college. When Casey was twelve, he moved to Detroit to join the Compuware Youth Hockey AAA program.
Youth and junior
While playing for Compuware, Casey attracted attention from the University of Michigan and committed to their program in October 2018. Although he was drafted by the Ontario Hockey League’s Sarnia Sting, he opted to join the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP) to preserve his NCAA eligibility.
During the 2020–21 season with the NTDP, Casey led all U17 defensemen by tallying 36 points, including 28 assists over 48 games. The next season, he posted 33 points across 48 games, ranking second among U18 defensemen. Acknowledged as one of the premier draft-eligible juniors, Casey participated in the 2023 USA Hockey All-American Game. Subsequently, he was picked in the second round, 46th overall, by the New Jersey Devils—the franchise he supported during his childhood.
Collegiate
Casey honored his commitment to Michigan, joining fellow Devils draftees Luke Hughes and Ethan Edwards for the 2022–23 season. He accumulated 29 points over 37 games, second only to Hughes among Michigan defensemen. Notably, he briefly shifted to center during an exhibition game where he notched two goals and an assist. Michigan captured the Big Ten Conference championship but was eliminated in the 2023 Frozen Four semifinals by eventual champions Quinnipiac University.
In the 2023–24 season, Casey elevated his performance with seven goals and 45 points in 39 contests. His achievements earned him spots on both the All-Big Ten First Team and First Team All-American lists. Michigan repeated as Big Ten champions but once again fell short in the Frozen Four semifinals, this time losing to Boston College.
Professional
On May 6, 2024, Casey signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Devils, officially beginning his professional career. Due in part to injuries affecting Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes, Casey earned a spot on New Jersey’s opening night roster. He took part in the season-opening two-game series held in Prague against the Buffalo Sabres as part of the 2024 NHL Global Series. Making his NHL debut on October 4, 2024, Casey contributed to a 3–1 victory and netted his first NHL goal on a power play during a 4–1 win the following day. Ten days later, he recorded both his first assist and game-winning goal in a 3–0 triumph over the Utah Hockey Club, marking his initial multi-point performance.
International competition
Casey took part in the 2022 IIHF World U18 Championships as his only under-18 international event, where he amassed six points over six matches while representing the United States.
Although included on the Team USA roster for the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, he did not see game action. During the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Casey appeared in six games, contributing six assists and playing a key role in winning the gold medal, despite missing one contest due to illness.
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 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 14 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Utica Comets | AHL | 30 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 14 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | United States | U18 | Template:Silver2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2024 | United States | WJC | Template:Gold1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 4 | ||||
Awards and distinctions
| Award Title | Year Awarded |
|---|---|
| Collegiate | |
| All-Big Ten Freshman Team | 2023 |
| Big Ten All-Tournament Team | 2023, 2024 |
| All-Big Ten First Team | 2024 |
| AHCA West First Team All-American | 2024 |
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 2004 births
- Living people
- AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans
- Ice hockey players from Florida
- Ice hockey players at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics
- Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey players
- New Jersey Devils draft picks
- New Jersey Devils players
- Sportspeople from Miami
- USA Hockey National Team Development Program players
- Utica Comets players
- Youth Olympic silver medalists for the United States
- 21st-century American sportsmen