Seamus Casey spent the 2021-22 season with the USNTDP Juniors in the United States Hockey League (USHL) and U.S. National U18 Team as an American defenseman. He has totaled 35 points in 51 games between the two clubs. For the 2022-23 season, Seamus plans to attend the University of Michigan, a prestigious program with its fair share of first-round picks in recent years. Seamus started training at Matterhorn Fit’s Bonita Springs location about four years ago. During his time at our elite performance gym, it has been a pleasure to help prepare him for his professional career and goal of being a top hockey prospect in the NHL Draft. In the interview below, discover more about Seamus’s background and love for hockey.
Interviewer:
How’d you get into hockey? Being from Miami, it’s not exactly the first place that people think when they think about hockey. What was that initial inspiration for you in terms of getting deeper into the sport, learning more about it, and committing to it?
Seamus:
My parents are from New York, so my dad grew up playing. He was raised in New Jersey, but he grew up playing. He just loved hockey. He grew up, went to Rutgers, and played club there, but he never really had a career or anything, or nothing D1 or anything like that, but he always loved it. When they moved down to Florida, they had me in Miami, but I was really raised in The Keys for the first five years. And then, just in time, we moved up to Fort Myers coincidentally, there was a rink right there, and he loved hockey, so he took me, and I loved it just as much as he did, so it kind of was just lucky timing. But yeah, I think my dad is the short answer.
Interviewer:
That’s awesome to have had that. How long have you been training with Matterhorn Fit in Bonita Springs? And how have they helped you with your development?
Seamus
I think I started maybe the summer when I was 14, about four years ago. That was a pivotal time when I really started working out. All the years before that, off-ice training it’s essential, but it’s not a huge thing. But then, coming into 14 and 15 years, I needed to work out, and Sean Sullivan, Ryan Vesce, and the rest of the team were just huge, teaching me. I think a lot of it was teaching me the right and wrong ways to do things early on. It wasn’t really about getting super big and strong but doing things the right way. And that’s their whole approach, so I think that was really important. There was a great vibe in Matterhorn facilities. It made working out fun too. Being a young athlete, being in the gym isn’t the most exciting thing. But at Matterhorn Fit, it’s a lot of fun; you learn a lot and get stronger along the way.
Interviewer:
You’re projected to be drafted into the 2022 draft. Congratulations, by the way.
Seamus
Thank you.
Interviewer:
Can you talk a bit about your excitement about getting one step closer to living out your dream of making it into the NHL?
Seamus
Yeah, it’s been a long path. It feels like it’s flown by now, looking back at it. It always felt like this day was so far away, and now it’s here, so it’s a weird week coming into it. I have a lot of people I’m thankful for that have helped me get here, especially Matterhorn Fit. It’s been huge for me. My parents and family have just been so supportive, and all the teams, coaches, and teammates I’ve been with, but obviously, many people have helped me. I think it’s a really surreal week. It’s a special time with the family. Everyone’s really excited.
Interviewer:
It’s a week away, basically.
Seamus
Yeah, yeah. This is the upcoming week, so I’m just trying to relax and chill out before all the pressure hits.
Interviewer:
Talking about your path to the NHL, what made you select Michigan University to play college hockey? What drew you in?
Seamus
I think right away, the coaches that recruit you, that’s the first relationship you have with a school that you talk to, is the coaches. That’s the make-or-break if you’re talking to schools. And at Michigan, I just really loved the coaches right away. And then going to games and seeing Ann Arbor and stuff, I think that was the second thing. After that, I didn’t really want to go anywhere else. I think the atmosphere on campus is just awesome. It’s always a good group of guys, competitive. And I think all those things are tied together.
Interviewer:
Having that proper environment where you have peers around you and the coaching is the recipe for success because you can apply yourself. What are some of the goals you have for elevating your performance in your freshman year at Michigan?
Seamus
I think the big thing about being a freshman is that you can learn a lot from the older guys, especially last year when they had a real competitive team and went to the Frozen Four national championship. I think early on, especially, it’s going to be important to learn from those guys’ experiences and feed off them a bit. And I think I got to continue to get stronger this summer with Matterhorn Fit and then throughout the season with Michigan to compete against some of those bigger, older guys.
Interviewer:
I think coming into it, as you’re thinking about the goals and you’re thinking about where you want to be, one of the things that Matterhorn does is they explore the mind-body connection and the neuroplasticity that they’ve had discoveries in, to see how your mind and body are connected, to take your performance to the next level. How have you worked with them in terms of rehabilitation or recovery or performance, whether it’s overcoming any sort of injuries that you’ve had or any sort of setback where you had to apply your mind and also work through your body as well?
Seamus
Yeah, to be honest, I’ve been so fortunate with injuries which is a testament to Sean and Matterhorn’s training methodology. I had one injury during the season this year, an impact one, but other than that, I haven’t really had any. I actually did get on the phone with Angie this season while I had my shoulder injury, and she was talking me through a lot of stuff, it was super helpful. They couldn’t hook me up to some of the techs they have over there because I was in Michigan. But I think I can speak enough on it through what I’ve seen firsthand. The training I do is so involved with all that stuff. It’s just not as much on the rehabilitation side. But I think the connection that they do establish between your brain and your nerves through each muscle is pretty cool. A lot of exercises we do with the lighter weight and the reps. It all works together.
Interviewer:
Sounds like everything is in place for you heading into the draft. Congratulations again on everything. Thank you for your time today.
