Seamus Casey is back in New Jersey.
The 21-year-old was recalled from the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League Wednesday morning and joined the New Jersey Devils for their practice in the afternoon.
"Because we are practicing as much as we are both this week and next, (it is) just to get another defenseman here for our practices," head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Casey's call-up. "We knew we were going to give Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes some time this week, so just having another guy around here and having him be a part of things.
"I would like to get him in at some point, but I don't know when that will be," Keefe continued. "Just to have him around for these practices, I think, is important for him to get back and reconnect with our group."
Keefe confirmed that Pesce and Hughes took a maintenance day.
Casey has appeared in 10 games for the Devils this season and has five points (four goals, one assist). With the Comets, the Miami, Florida native collected 18 points in 30 games.
Between call-ups to the NHL and an upper-body injury that kept Casey off the ice from mid-December to early February, Comets' interim head coach Ryan Parent told The Hockey News it can be challenging for a player to get in a real rhythm. Still, despite the inconsistencies, Casey's positive outlook makes every twist and turn a meaningful experience.
A perfect example is when he was asked how beneficial his last stint with the Devils was, when the team was on a five-game road trip.
"That was my first chance at a real long road trip," he explained to NJD.TV. "I played two of the games and then the rest, obviously a lot of watching, learning, and practicing, but I think it was just a really valuable experience to see exactly how those kinds of trips go. I feel like I have a good lay of the land of how that whole thing goes and what the expectation is day-to-day on a trip like that."
The Devils have six games left before the start of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It remains unclear if or when Casey will draw back into the Devils' lineup, but for now, Casey will continue to embrace every lesson and experience to set himself up for a long and successful career.
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