Seamus Casey 'Projects Very Well as a Pro' | PROSPECT WATCH

It's no knock on his much-discussed Michigan teammate and fellow Devils prospect Luke Hughes but it speaks volumes that Seamus Casey came up first in a conversation with a member of Devils brass earlier this week.
"From what we hear from contacts we have at the U.S. camp…he's looked excellent,' said Devils assistant GM Dan MacKinnon of Casey, who quickly added another observation:
"And so has Luke Hughes, of course."
Hughes and Casey, are, of course, teammates at the University of Michigan. Fellow Devils prospect Ethan Edwards, a defenseman as well, also plays for the Wolverines.
Often playing with Edwards, Casey started his collegiate career on a heater and hasn't really cooled off. Through 20 games, he's scored four goals and added 12 assists. The physical and speed transition to the collegiate game has gone smoothly.
Add it all up, Casey earned an invite to the U.S. final selection camp that is taking place this week.
"We had plenty of viewings last year with the (USNTDP)," explained MacKinnon. "But now as a freshman…it has been really gratifying to see. In college hockey, some of the players are 22, 23, even 24 and he's 18. He's got the skill but at 5'10", 160 or 165 pounds, what he's doing at 18 and (coping) with the size and speed of college hockey."
Mackinnon didn't finish his sentence; he didn't need to: Casey's first half-season speaks for itself.

Casey was taken in the second round (46th overall) at last summer's NHL Draft. As it often does for prospects taken outside the lottery range, the draft was probably the 18-year-old's most exposure outside the hardcore hockey crowd and avid draft watchers.
After calling his name in Montreal, Casey's looming arrival in Michigan was something of an X factor. The Wolverines lineup is not an easy one to crack. That grey area became a bit more uncertain when the Wolverines made a coaching change right before the start of this season.
"There was some (question)," said Casey's dad, Steve, in a conversation earlier in the fall about the move that saw Brandon Naurato installed as the Wolverines interim head coach, "But the new coach not only allows him to play his style, he demands it."
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Naurato is a former Wolverine player who has had a multi-faceted career since retiring. He worked in development roles with both the Detroit Red Wings and USA Hockey, as well as being a Wolverines assistant. He was promoted to interim head coach in August.
Naurato knew plenty about Casey but really came around to him after he arrived in Ann Arbor.
"I knew about the offense," said Naurato, "but he really knows how to use his excellent skating to be better defensively and to be in the right position in his own zone."
Statistically, the numbers speak for themselves. Casey is playing a top-four role with Edwards, who is in his second year and is two years older than Casey. But as Naurato alluded to, it's the subtlety of Casey's game that he and Devils-connected observers have started to notice.
"I saw him in the summer camp and liked him but maybe didn't notice him as much," explained Eric Weinrich, the retired NHL defenseman who is now a development coach with the Devils. "I see it now, the offensive skills for sure but he has quickly learned the physical, how to use his positioning to help him.
"There really is no question to me, if not for his smaller size, he would have been a first-rounder for sure."

Whether Casey makes the U.S. team for this year's World Junior tournament is still to be determined. Making the roster as an 18-year-old for any top country is never easy and often requires a break or two to go your way. It's somewhat cliché but the annual event tends to be a 19-year-olds' showcase.
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Luke Hughes made the U.S. squad at 18 but was slated for a secondary role until last year's original staging was canceled due to the pandemic. Like it did when the tournament was rescheduled in August, Hughes's role will surely increase this time around in the Canadian Maritime cities of Halifax and Moncton.
Whatever transpires at the U.S. camp - the team should be set in the next few days - Casey has put himself in an excellent position to help lead the squad next year in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The near- and medium-term future looks good; MacKinnon is bullish on Casey's long-term.
"He's doing it now in college," said Mackinnon, pointing out that there is plenty of time left for Casey at Michigan to continue to develop. "Eventually, he'll be in the American Hockey League."
Mackinnon said that the AHL, chock-full of hungry young pros all working toward a common NHL goal, can be a tough transition for even high-end prospects. But he expects Casey to replicate his sterling transition to college hockey one day with the Utica Comets.
"He projects very well as a pro."