CASEY DEBUT
Devils defenseman Seamus Casey will be making his preseason debut. He was originally scheduled to play last Sunday in the opener, but an injury set him back. Though he was a possibility to play in the Devils’ second game on Tuesday, the coaching staff opted to give it a few more days. Now he’s fully recovered to play tonight.
“Body feels great. I’m ready to go,” he said. “It’s been a great week of preparation.”
For Casey, it’ll be his first NHL action (he did play one game in the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo) since last year’s playoffs.
“It’s so exciting. I’ve been waiting since last year to get a game going,” Casey said. “It’s been a long summer. I’m just pumped to get out there with the guys. I missed the first two so I’m just excited to be out there.”
Though Casey had a lot of success in his rookie showing last year, appearing in 14 games and one playoff contest, he knows that he can’t rest on his laurels.
“You have to prove it every day. It’s ‘what have you done for me lately,’” Casey said. “You can’t be happy with the way things went in the past and think that’s going to carry you forward. I have to keep getting better and it starts tonight. It’s going to be a long season of getting better and adding more consistency. It starts now.”
“You look for him to take a step in his confidence, sense of belonging,” Keefe said. “Just be himself, go out and play. I felt he did a good job of that last year, that’s why we felt comfortable putting him in. This year the circumstances are a little different. There’s maybe more expectations you could call it since he played last year and he’s more comfortable
“I really like the way that he played for us last year when he was up.”
HALO
While Casey hasn’t played in the preseason yet, forward Brian Halonen will be appearing in his third game. Halonen, who has suited up for every preseason game so far, has one goal in the preceding two games.
“I’m very excited to be playing in all the preseason games so far,” Halonen said. “I just want to show that I can play a bottom-6 role and I feel like I can contribute on the power play if that’s what they want from me too. I’m just trying to do my best wherever I’m slotted and just show what I can do in the positions I’m put in.”
While Halonen is used to a top-6 job through most of his hockey career, if he is to make the jump to the NHL it’ll have to be in a more bottom-6 role.
“Be solid on the forecheck, finish my hits, get to the net-front, try to create O zone possession and leave the next line in better position,” he said. “Just try to be a good role player, bring some energy and try to tilt the ice in our favor with forechecking hard, creating possession, hanging onto it and getting to the net-front.”
But, when he can, Halonen can show his big time show. Which is what he did in the opening preseason game with a nasty one-timer that scored on the power play.
“I feel my shot is an asset to my game,” he said. “I want to show that too. I feel like I can, given the opportunity to shoot the puck, I’m pretty confident in my shot.”
