Casey is an interesting player with an interesting backstory, with Devils and New Jersey connections sprinkled throughout. Father Steve is a Brooklyn native who moved with his wife, Karen, to New Jersey while starting a family. Seamus's two older brothers, Ben, 25, and Declan, 23, came first, and while both parents were still working in finance in New York while living in Hoboken.
Steve Casey's hockey allegiance was already formed by the time the Colorado Rockies moved to New Jersey to become the Devils, so he's forgiven for his early years spent as a Rangers fan.
"I would jump on the Devils bandwagon," says Steve, of his time living in New Jersey, "I (remember well) when they were making the Stanley Cup runs."
Indeed. Included in the Casey family photo album is a picture of young Ben, about 3 at the time, and Ken Daneyko with the Stanley Cup in 2000. Daneyko had brought the Cup to the hospital where Ben was a patient.
Around the same time, Steve was wrapping up with Morgan Stanley at the World Trade Center and moving the family to Florida, first to the Keys and then to the Fort Myers area. Seamus came along four years later.
The move north to Fort Myers is when the hockey seed was planted.
"From about five, when we left the Keys, it has been non-stop hockey," recalls Steve.
It has been quite the journey and included another more sustained influence from a Devils Stanley Cup-winning defenseman, this time Brian Rafalski.
"Brian Rafalski is who Seamus learned a lot of his defensive play from," said Steve, "he had a big (influence) on him."
Casey flourished in youth hockey, helped by the East Coast Hockey League franchise Florida Everblades' presence in the area. There was an abundance of ice time and a close friend from those days, Gavin Brindley, is now at Michigan with him.
"It was almost like having the best of both worlds," remembers Casey, of playing hockey and walking outside to surf and palm trees, and then being able to spend time in the summers back in New Jersey with extended family.
Casey also played for the Florida Alliance, an elite traveling team that Steve helped form, and then later moved north to the Detroit area, where he played with the Compuware program.
"We're reverse snowbirds," quipped Seamus.
With his elder brothers still in Florida, along with many friends, there was some deep concern about the damage wrought by Hurricane Ian. The Casey family knows people whose homes were heavily damaged in the Fort Myers area, which was one of the flash points of the storm.
"Thankfully, my brothers (are safe)," he said, "I just wish I could be down there to help out."
Now settled in at Ann Arbor, it's interesting because a) Michigan is a top-notch school known for its NHL pipeline and b) the presence of fellow Devils prospects Luke Hughes and Ethan Edwards, both defensemen as well.
"It's all pretty fun with them around," said Casey, "we all get along…it makes me feel like we are all in the right place."
Casey is hesitant to set specific, numeric goals regarding points and the like, almost apologizing for sounding too cliché by citing a Big 10 and national championship as his focus. Though he may be a year early - the World Junior is typically a 19-year-old's tournament - he will be considered for an invite to the U.S. camp ahead of this year's tournament to be held in Canada's maritime provinces.
Those things will all be settled at the proper time. Right now, Casey sounds like a teenager having the time of his life, as he should be.
"Yep," he agreed when it was put to him, adding: "I really just want to keep going and play my best."
