Casey Gears Up for Jump to Pros | FEATURE

TAKEAWAYS

• Seamus Casey was thriving amongst his peers during the 2024 Devils Development Camp
• Casey shares what he believes are his transferable skills when he eventually hits the NHL
• Casey is aware of a deep Devils blueline, but ready to do what it takes

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Seamus Casey is as proud as they come to have been a Michigan Wolverine. There is so much about it that he loved and is thankful for, but in a way, there was one missing element that he’s really looking forward to now that he’s moving on to his professional career.

“What’s the feeling like?” Casey posed rhetorically, “I think playing for Michigan two years, obviously, you want to do the best you can; you're not like trying to make a team; you’re on a team. Now, it's just so exciting to try to make a team again. And, you know, it's just, you get those chills, like to step on the ice with guys and compete and try to win a spot. And if not, you go to the next best place and just do the best you can. It's just really fun.”

While Development Camp isn’t the same as an NHL training camp, he's amongst a group of self-motivated, driven athletes, and those competitive juices are always flowing, especially when the Devils management brass has a front-row seat.

Casey caught a glimpse of what is to come in at his first NHL training camp in September: competition.

“It's so fun to compete with new guys,” he said, “and not that you're out here trying to make a team at the moment, but you can see it's kind of heading in that direction. (…) There's some big boys out there, it was fun to do some drills, we were competing, hitting each other, getting into that physical part. You know, the first couple months of summer, you're kind of doing a lot of skill stuff, and then hop out there now and it's go-time, which is what you want and a lot of fun.”

That idea of go-time also means executing what the Devils have asked him to work on since he was drafted in the Second Round by New Jersey, 46^th overall, in 2022. He’s been under the watchful eye of defensive development coach Eric Weinrich, who has played a key role in overseeing the group of Devils defensive prospects as they try and take their game to the next level.

Casey knows the answer is cliché, but the things he’s been asked to grow in his game are the keys to getting bigger and getting stronger, especially for a smaller defenseman clocking in at 5’10, 181 lbs.

“Playing NHL is hard, right?” he began, “You’ve got to be physical, you got to be able to play 82 games, you know, a smaller D, they’re obviously excited to see that I can do things offensively, but I think obviously, to play in the NHL, you're going to have to defend more than you play offense. That's just the natural way it is.

“And I think they just really wanted to see me take those steps to playing a full 60 minutes all the time and defensively being able to shut teams down, getting bigger and stronger and I think I'm on my way to doing that. And it's been fun progress so far.”

By all accounts, Casey is craving and looking forward to the competition aspect of what's to come next. And as a defenseman, he certainly is in the right organization if you're looking for fierce competition as a young player. The Devils have been stacked with defensive talent, including the emergence of Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, who cracked the NHL team roster.

"It's exciting to be a part of," he said, "For me, I just want to do my best to get a chance to make the team, and if not, wherever they think is best for me, the spot where they think I'll develop the most, whatever I can do to help the organization, I'm just excited to come to camp and do my best."

No matter what, Casey is taking the next step and will play professionally next season. He firmly believes the skills that attracted the Devils to draft him in the first place have not only improved but are also transferable to success in the NHL when his time arrives.

"I think patience, and to be able to make plays with your head up, and let guys come to you, attract people to you to open guys up," Casey identified, "I think maybe I’ve taken a lot of steps in breaking the puck out. I think the ability to get out of your zone cleanly, is a reason that I’m able to be here, I think I’ve gotten better than that.

"Obviously I take a lot of pride in being able to play offensively and try to contribute there but I’d say, patience with the puck and open guys up and create free space for people."

It's evident that when a free space opens up on the blueline, whenever that may be, Casey has the confidence and attributes to seize his moment.