This is the time of year when many college players will elect to forego the remainder of their college eligibility and sign their first professional contract. Plenty have done so already, some of which have already made their NHL debuts. One player who hasn’t made a decision at this time is Devils prospect Seamus Casey. Speaking with reporters Thursday during his end-of-season news conference (video link), GM Tom Fitzgerald indicated that Casey hasn’t made a firm decision yet on his future but believes he might be inclined to sign with New Jersey.
"If I was a betting man, I would say he’s probably leaning toward turning pro but with that being said, we talked to him right before the National Championship weekend, he wasn’t sure, there wasn’t any pressure from us," Fitzgerald said. "To me, if you forfeit the rest of your college career, you need to be more than two feet in the water. You have to jump right in and you have to really want this. Any hesitations, then it may not work. So we’re going to give him all the time he needs."
The 20-year-old was a second-round pick by the Devils back in 2022 (46th overall) and recently wrapped up his sophomore year at Michigan. It was certainly a strong one as Casey had seven goals and 38 assists in 40 games, good for third-most among NCAA blueliners behind draft-eligible Zeev Buium and Lane Hutson. Casey also took part in the World Juniors for the second straight year, collecting six assists in as many contests.
If Casey decides to stay in college, he’ll be remaining with a team that will be missing some key pieces as Frank Nazar, Gavin Brindley, and Dylan Duke have all elected to turn pro. That said, the core isn’t entirely gone as Rutger McGroarty is still there while undrafted forward T.J. Hughes – one of their top scorers this season – still has two years of eligibility remaining.
On the other hand, if Casey turns pro now, there might not be a spot for him on New Jersey’s roster to start next season. Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec are two players on their entry-level deals on the back end already while they’ll also be welcoming back Dougie Hamilton from injury. Accordingly, if the choice is between playing in the AHL or staying in college, Casey could determine it’s better to do the latter.
With the deadline for registering a contract that burns a year this season now having passed earlier today, there’s no rush for Casey to make a decision, especially since New Jersey’s AHL team is in tough to make the playoffs. It may take a while yet before the blueliner decides on his future.
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