The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
8 — Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Rutger McGroarty 
picked by Winnipeg 
in NHL Draft

Two times in the last three NHL 
drafts, the Michigan hockey team 
saw at least two players selected 
in the first round. And with the 
selection of Rutger McGroarty, the 
Wolverines can mark off a third.
McGroarty was chosen 14th 
overall by the Winnipeg Jets on 
Thursday, the second Michigan 
player picked in the draft’s opening 
round.
Like 
his 
teammate 
Frank 
Nazar III, McGroarty played most 
recently for the US National Team 
Development Program, tallying 67 
points in 52 games. McGroarty was 
a crucial part of Team USA in the 
U18 World Junior Championship’s 
Gold Medal Game, serving as 
team captain for the Americans. 
He scored two goals in a close loss 
to tournament champion Sweden 
and had a total of nine points in six 

tournament appearances.
And for McGroarty, having that 
sort of influence in the locker room 
doesn’t change his approach to the 
game.
“I feel like I’m a good leader in 
the locker room and I come to the 
rink every single day ready to work,” 
McGroarty said in an interview with 
The Daily. “It was obviously very 
rewarding being named captain, but 
it didn’t really change much who I 
was in the locker room.”
Alongside his strong leadership 
abilities, McGroarty has a similar 
play style to his teammate Nazar. 
He combines his physical attributes 
with his raw talent and mature 
understanding of the game.
“What separates (McGroarty) is 
his high IQ and the ability to make 
players around him better,” his 
father Jimmy told The Daily on May 
13. “He can make plays but also play 
a 200-foot game.”

ICE HOCKEY

COLE MARTIN 
Daily Sports Writer

CONNOR EAREGOOD 
Summer Managing Sports Editor

Devils select Seamus Casey in 
second round of NHL Draft

ICE HOCKEY

After forwards Frank Nazar III 
and Rutger McGroarty were selected 
earlier in Thursday’s first round of 
the NHL Draft, the Michigan hockey 
team saw a third incoming freshman 
go in the NHL Draft’s later rounds.
Seamus 
Casey, 
a 
5-foot-10 
defenseman who will play with the 
Wolverines this fall, was selected 
46th overall by the New Jersey Devils.
“I have a ton of family in New 
Jersey, so I know they’re all pumped 
up there,” Casey said after the 
selection. “They’re huge Devils fans 
and so am I, so this is the best day of 
my life.”
Casey’s offensive game and puck 
handling earned the praise of many 
NHL scouts. While some analysts 
questioned the extent of his skills in 
his own end and his shorter height 
in comparison to most NHL-level 

defenseman, Casey’s selection shows 
that the Devils believe he can be a 
piece of their team in the future.
With Michigan rising sophomore 
defensemen Luke Hughes and Ethan 
Edwards already in its defense 
pipeline, New Jersey chose Casey 
based on his potential. While he is 
still a few years away from viability at 
the pro level, Casey’s puck handling 
and offensive vision seemed to sway 
the Devils to pick him as a long-term 
project prospect.
While playing for the US National 
Team Development Program last 
season, Casey scored 33 points in 48 
games for the Americans. He was also 
a whopping plus-32 on the season, 
most of which he played alongside 
Ohio State commit Tyler Duke. 
Casey’s role with the Wolverines 
will likely utilize the same offensive 
skills that factored into his second-
round selection in the draft. While 
he struggled to create offense in an 
exhibition game against Michigan 

back in February, he consistently 
quarterbacked offensive chances for 
the NTDP the rest of the season.
In that matchup against the 
Wolverines, he also showed his 
tenacity on defense, skating hard 
into the corners shift after shift and 
winning battles for the puck. While 
woes about the defensive side of his 
game exist, he showed few reasons 
for concern in that exhibition.
All of those skills will play an 
important role for Michigan next 
season as it looks to replace Owen 
Power 
and 
Nick 
Blankenburg, 
who combined for 17 goals and 61 
points, on its back end. Finding 
that offensive spark from other 
contributors will be key if the 
Wolverines want to defend their Big 
Ten Championship, and Casey can 
play a major role in doing that.
And as he makes that contribution, 
the Devils will be watching to see 
what their second round pick could 
bring to them down the line.

GABBY CERITANO/Daily

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