New Jersey Devils prospects shine at World Junior Summer Showcase

Aug 18, 2023

NEWARK, NJ - JULY 14: Lenni Hameenaho #29 of the New Jersey Devils skates during 2023 Development Camp on July 14, 2023 at the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Getty Images)

The 2023 World Junior Summer showcase ended on Aug. 4 and featured a small but balanced tournament-style competition between Finland, Sweden, and two United States squads split up into white and blue. The New Jersey Devils were well represented in the showcase, as defensemen Seamus Casey and Charlie Leddy played for the U.S., and 2023 second-round pick Lenni Hämeenaho played for Finland.

Of all the Devils’ prospects, Casey might be the most important in terms of growth and development. The 19-year-old defenseman played two games for both USA Blue and USA White and recorded one assist with the latter. The offense we’ve seen from Casey in highlights wasn’t always there in the showcase, but the Michigan man proved his game was more than just jumping in on the rush and stickhandling.

Seamus Casey is smoooooth #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/Mi15rMeszy

— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) July 29, 2023

In the first period against Sweden on July 29, Casey’s poise, skill, and skating were on full display. The blueliner used various feints to avoid Sweden’s 2-3 forecheck and make a positive play with the puck. Two days later, the 5’9″ Casey was uncharacteristically physical when he crossed the red line and destroyed Finland’s Jesse Kiiskinen with a perfectly timed hit.

Seamus Casey surfing and crushing. pic.twitter.com/jdz5eGRBnJ

— Greg Revak, CFP® (@CoachRevak) July 31, 2023

The Devils have a plethora of right-handed defensemen both in the NHL and in their prospect pool. That may block Casey’s path to NHL minutes. Unless they receive a trade offer they cannot refuse under any circumstances, they need to get him involved. The kid is way too talented, versatile, and dynamic to ride the pine or sit in the minors longer than he needs to.

The same can be said about Hämeenaho, whose selection in the 2023 NHL Draft was met with mixed reviews. Despite his well below-average skating ability, the Fin combines decent puck skills with arguably one of the highest hockey IQs in his draft class.

Hämeenaho led the entire tournament in scoring with his two goals and five assists in four total games. His seven points bested the five-point effort of second-place scorer Cutter Gauthier, who was the Philadelphia Flyers’ fifth-overall pick a year ago. Not only that, no other Finland forward scored more than two points in total. Hämeenaho was a man amongst boys out there from start to finish (no pun intended).

FloHockey’s Chris Peters also lauded Hämeenaho‘s performance, which will surely offer some excitement to Devils fans and draftniks alike.

Last but certainly not least, the 2022 fourth-round pick Leddy got in on some action too. Leddy didn’t record any points, but did get to play in a top-four role for the USA squads. The Boston College product got unfairly swept under the rug with USA teammate Casey and draft classmate Simon Nemec in the fold, but USA’s relative reliance on him can only mean good things for the Devils. Leddy was also ejected in the showcase’s final game against Finland after a bit of extracurricular activity at the end of the first period.

Even though the Devils’ prospect pipeline might feel thin with players like Luke Hughes and Alex Holtz graduating, and Simon Nemec next on the conveyor belt, there’s still a lot to be excited about. Hämeenaho and Leddy could become invaluable depth pieces, while Casey’s game-breaking talent and versatility are becoming harder and harder to ignore.