For the past month, New Jersey Devils prospect Seamus Casey has been hunkered down in Utica, New York, while he recovers from an upper-body injury he sustained against the Syracuse Crunch in mid-December.
The defenseman’s days have been regimented as the temperatures have dipped below freezing, and the ground has become snow-covered.
Mornings consist of workouts and skates as he continues to work his way back to game speed. The rest of the day is spent 20 minutes outside Utica, where he lives with his Utica Comets teammate, Jack Malone.
The two roommates have been on a “big TV show and movie grind,” watching Band of Brothers, Severance, and The Bear.
“This is the first time I have been injured and out of the lineup for this long of a period of time,” Casey said in a phone interview with The Hockey News. “This is pretty new for me, and obviously, it is my first-year pro, so that is also pretty new, so this has been a weird month for me.”
Casey began the 2024-25 season in the NHL, making the Devils roster out of training camp. He appeared in eight games before being re-assigned to the American Hockey League on Oct. 21, 2024.
“Honestly, that was a really positive conversation,” he said. “You know, it wasn’t one that I was never expecting. I knew who was coming back in the lineup and kind of just the way things were at the time. I wasn’t really shocked by it.
“You never want to be sent down, but it was a positive conversation,” he continued. “They outlined things that they really wanted me to work on and how they thought that I did. Everything was pretty clear, and I think it was a good conversation.”
Oct 12, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman Seamus Casey (24) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals in the first period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The Devils wanted Casey to improve the efficiency of his breakouts, which he has been working on over the past few months.
“One of the big pieces that they wanted me to work on was when I am breaking the puck out, getting back to pucks faster and kind of being more efficient,” he explained. “That was one of the big things I tried to focus on this first half (of the season).
“When I was playing, every puck I was going back for (I thought), this puck has got to get out of the zone. Having that mentality and sprinting back,” Casey continued. “I feel like I have definitely taken a step in that area of just trying to break pucks out. It is so easy, sprinting back to pucks. It is a pretty simple detail, but it is something you need to actively be thinking about on the ice. Once you can really get that as a habit, it becomes a lot easier.”
When the 21-year-old returns to game action, he will continue to work on his defensive game, focusing on defending below the dots and keeping those shifts in his zone at a minimum.
Oct 14, 2024; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman Seamus Casey (24) celebrates his goal against the Utah Hockey Club during the second period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Casey began his AHL career on a seven-game point streak, playing alongside veteran defenseman Colton White, who is one player who took the rookie under his wing.
“(White) is the best,” he said. “He is such a good person, first and foremost. I think he is definitely someone who constantly looks out for me here. He is an unbelievable hockey player, and I don’t think he really gets the credit he deserves all the time. When I played with him for the first month I was here, it was awesome. One of my favorite guys that I have played with, for sure.”
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Over the first 17 games of his AHL career, Casey learned first-hand that the minors aren’t as structured as the NHL, but there is a reason for the chaos.
“There is a lot of movement,” he said. “Guys are going up and down, which plays a role. Sometimes, you can’t have as much structure on the team as you would want because of that movement. It is definitely one reason.”
He will be the first to preface his next comment by acknowledging his stint in the NHL was brief, noting he can’t speak on that level too much but shared his observation.
” When I was (with the Devils), I felt like guys slowed down a little bit,” Casey explained. “They are much more in control and constantly in the right spot, vs. sometimes in the games I played in the American League, guys were skating a million miles an hour and kind of all over the place.
“A little different, it just takes some getting used to,” the defenseman continued. “Then compared to college, where there are heavy turnovers, and you are constantly going the other way on teams, there is tons of transition. It is kind of similar to the American League and in the sense that guys are going a million miles an hour, finishing hits full speed. There is less of that structure. It is all hard hockey, though.”
Related: INJURY UPDATE: Devils’ Prospect On Track To Return To Action In February
Casey joined his team on the ice for an optional practice on Thursday, sporting a no-contact jersey. He remains limited with his puck handling and puck touches but is expected to return in early February.
Like every player in the AHL, he hopes his chance to return to the NHL comes, but can sleep a bit easier knowing the impact his performance had with the Devils in October.
“I think I made a pretty good impression on the staff and hopefully the guys too,” he said. “You know when you get a chance hopefully the guys like you and, you know, you want to be a part of the team as much as you can.”
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