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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