NEWARK—New Jersey Devils defenseman Seamus Casey is no stranger to international play. The 4 Nations Face-Off hype has gotten to him, too, and he’s motivated to be part of it in the future.
READ MORE: Devils Brett Pesce Joining Team USA for 4 Nations Face-Off Championship, Kind Of
The Devils’ top prospect started the 2024-25 season on the NHL roster. He made his NHL debut in Prague at the Global Series, and was an instant impact when the Devils swept the Buffalo Sabres overseas.
Through eight games, Casey scored three goals and four points. The offense was never the question mark with the product of Michigan, and you can see the makings of an NHL defenseman. It was the play in his own end that ultimately saw him reassigned to the Utica Comets. Casey explained he feels his development is going well, while revealing what it is the Devils told him to work on.
“When going down, I think one of the big focuses is just being super consistent,” Casey explained. “Breaking the puck out, being super efficient below the dots. That’s the focus, I think, for any defensemen. But that’s something they wanted me to be focused on. And that’s just what I’ve been working on. Trying to get that part of my game to a higher level.”
The Devils reassigned Tyler Brennan and Chase Stillman to the minors on Thursday, two players that were recalled with Casey.
However, seeing as Jonas Siegenthaler will be out of action for a bit, Casey is sticking around with fellow top prospect Simon Nemec.
“Anytime you get called up, it’s an opportunity,” Casey explained. “Obviously, with an injury, you hope he gets back soon and healthy. But yeah, opportunities are opportunities, and it doesn’t really matter how they come.”
Casey is focused on getting back into the NHL. However, he’s keeping a close eye on the 4 Nations Face-Off. Playing at a high level for the majority of his career leading up to the NHL, international play is something the Devils defenseman is familiar with.
This time, he’s just a fan, but he’s seen the numbers posted by ESPN. 4.4 million eyes on the USA-Canada game last Saturday is the most-viewed, non-Stanley Cup Final telecast since 2019. Much like the viewers at home, Casey loves what he’s seeing on the ice, and as a result, the growth of the game on his home turf.
“Obviously, I played some international stuff, but not at that best-on-best level. It’s just exciting to be a fan of it,” Casey said. “It’s so good for hockey. And I think guys like the Tkachuk brothers and obviously the fights that start out [the game], that gets a lot of people into it more than before. I think you could have walked into any bar in America on that night and the game is on, which is exciting for hockey.”
Casey was supposed to play in the American Hockey League All-Star Classic this season. However, injury held him out of the event. Simon Nemec filled in as the Comets’ representative.
Asked Casey if he’d prefer more international tournaments over All-Star events.
“100%, it’s not even close,” Casey said without hesitation. “I think a lot of the guys would say the same thing, because the guys that go, they get to play for their country. You never pass that up. It’s a blast.
“And it’s not like they’re playing a million games. They’re playing four games that are spread out over enough time. Obviously, a few injuries. And the guys that don’t go get a longer break. So for the players, they love it, and I think for the fans, they love it. Because everyone knows the All-Star game, the guys kind of just… there’s not much. It’s a tough, tough weekend. [We] don’t really see anything competitive. The skills competitions kind of getting [old].”
If you’re advocating to keep the All-Star game around, all you need to do is go back to last year’s skills and find the clip of Nikita Kucherov very obviously mailing it in.
It was time for a change, and the 4 Nations tournament hit the nail on the head.
As a result of the success the tournament has seen, the NHL announced the World Cup of Hockey will return every two years in rotation with the Olympics.
Last winter, Casey claimed gold with Team USA at the U20 World Junior Championships, registering the most assists by a defenseman (six).
He’ll have his Michigan and Devils teammate, Luke Hughes, to battle with for future spots on USA’s blueline, but Casey explained the Olympics and World Cup are both in his sights.
“I’m confident in myself. Aspirations, 100%. You want to have goals for yourself, to play for your country,” Casey said. “I’d like to think that the last World Juniors I played in wasn’t the last time I’ll put the [USA] sweater on, so definitely a goal. Obviously, there are a lot of really great defensemen. So you know, we’ll see.”
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