Casey Cizikas on Offseason Training, Upcoming 1,000 Game Milestone

Casey Cizikas has experienced nearly everything the National Hockey League has to offer over his 15 seasons with the New York Islanders. 

The 35-year-old has blossomed from a fourth-round pick in the 2009 NHL Draft into one of the team’s most respected leaders, both on and off the ice. Night after night, he has built a reputation for consistency and reliability. 

A self-proclaimed “grinder,” Cizikas has grinded his way within reach of 1,000 games, as he’s 23 away from reaching the milestone – and would be just the fourth player in Islanders history to do so.  

“It’s kind of crazy to think about,” Cizikas said. “Reaching the milestone is something I’ll be very proud of when it comes. Over the years, we’ve built a good foundation, and I’ve tried to build on what I learned as a young player and pass it down to the next generation.” 

Reaching 1,000 games requires a combination of durability, consistency and production. Cizikas, who has played in at least half of the Islanders’ games every season of his career, embodied those qualities again in 2025-26. He appeared in 81 games, recording 18 points (10G, 8A) playing a strong defensive game and playing on the penalty kill. 

The Islanders organization is all Cizikas has known since he was 18, and Long Island has become home. He’s spending the summer locally while embracing another full-time role — being a father to his three children. 

“On a normal day, the first thing I’m doing is getting the kids ready for whatever they have going on,” Cizikas said. “After I skate, I’m always hanging out with my little guy, and then we’ll do something with the whole family later on.” 

Cizikas hasn’t been able to completely escape his “work family” during the offseason. He’s joined many of his Islanders teammates for informal skates as they continue training ahead of the new season. 

“We have a group of Pager [JG Pageau], Palms [Kyle Palmieri], Pelly [Adam Pelech], Puli [Ryan Pulock] and Tony [DeAngelo] that skate and hang out a ton,” Cizikas said. “Barzy [Mat Barzal] and Mac [Kyle MacLean] came down for a bit, too. It’s great to have everyone pushing each other on the ice and in the gym.”

The Cizikas family will soon make a trip back to Canada, giving Casey the chance to show his children where he grew up before the season begins. 

“We’ll be in Canada for a few weeks, which is something we don’t get to do very often,” Cizikas said. “That’s going to be our big trip, and it’ll be nice to spend time with the family.” 

When he’s not traveling or spending time with his family, Cizikas has been working on his golf game, though he admits it’s “not where it should be” compared to some of his teammates. 

“I have to be in the middle of the bottom half on our team right now,” Cizikas joked. “I’d say Barzy [Mat Barzal] is one of the top guys. Mac [Kyle MacLean] and Pelly [Adam Pelech] are also really good.I’m just trying to keep up, and I don’t mind getting a few strokes from them.” 

The Islanders are in the midst of an exciting injection of young talent, led by reigning Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer. The roster is composed of a blend of veterans and young players and Cizikas believes that balance helped the team come together last season and expects those relationships to continue growing in 2026-27.

“For us older players, we’re just trying to make it so all these kids have to focus on is hockey,” Cizikas said. “We have a great locker room and a good group of guys. That makes it easy for the kids to just be themselves.” 

Even after 15 NHL seasons, Cizikas believes there’s always room to improve. As he prepares for another year, his focus remains on refining his game while staying true to the identity that has defined his career. 

“My focus is on being myself,” Cizikas said. “I want to bring that work ethic and be a leader in the room. There’s always stuff to work on and get better at, and we’re working toward that.”

The 2026-27 season will also bring changes to the NHL schedule after the league adopted an 84-game regular season as part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. 

Cizikas has experienced shortened seasons because of the 2012-13 lockout and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019-20 and 2020-21, but he’s never played a longer regular season. While the new format comes with a shorter training camp, he’s looking forward to building chemistry with the new group and playing more meaningful games. 

“Camp is going to be shorter this year, so it’ll be a little different in terms of preparing,” Cizikas said. “It’s something we aren’t used to, and we’ll have to come together quickly. But I’m excited for it and what it brings to the league.” 

Despite changes to the schedule and the organization, Cizikas has remained one of the Islanders’ constants. As training camp approaches, he’s eager to get back to doing what he loves. 

“I just want to get back on the ice for training camp and get to work,” Cizikas said. “I’m looking forward to getting all the guys back, and I’m excited to see what we can do.