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.