Casey DeSmith - G - UNH Wildcats

[Pay Carl]

Casey DeSmith
Born: August 13, 1991
From: Rochester, NH
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 180 lbs
Catches: Left Handed

This guy is a beast... Posted a shutout against UMass Lowell and made 44 saves on 45 shots yesterday against Boston University... .986 save percentage on the weekend

Only a sophomore, last year when he was a freshman he beat out one of the most highly touted goalies in all of college hockey. He the Hockey East all-rookie team last year too.

He won Hockey East defensive player of the week FOUR TIMES already this year.

This guy could be really good some day... Has future number one potential in the making

 

[Small Brain Presence]

Maybe he'll turn into another Curtis Joseph or Eddie Belfour, a couple of guys who played their first years of college hockey as 21 year olds. What accounts for his late start as a 20 year old freshman?

 

[Pay Carl]

he played with the Indiana Ice until last year when he was a freshman, maybe he didn't really consider the college route until he did well there? maybe he wanted a few extra years? not entirely sure

some kids just do that, Kevin Roy is a freshman this year but judging by his birthday he probably could have started college the year before

 

[IkeaMonkey*]

Big USHL and UNH guy...I don't see it with DeSmith.

Dicky seems to always get his goalies playing well, regardless of who they put back there in the last two decades. I mean seriously, it's a whose who of Wow college goalies who did nothing in the NHL...Ayers, Conklin, Pietrasiak, Regan...

 

[Pay Carl]

Big USHL and UNH guy...I don't see it with DeSmith.

Dicky seems to always get his goalies playing well, regardless of who they put back there in the last two decades. I mean seriously, it's a whose who of Wow college goalies who did nothing in the NHL...Ayers, Conklin, Pietrasiak, Regan...

Doesn't mean he won't get a chance

I mean Conklin got more than a fair share of exposure internationally and with the NHL

He did pretty well in the USHL too

He seems pretty talented to me, especially how he pretty much saved last years season after Di Girolamo was disappointing to say the least... And he gave them a chance in the post season too, they could have easily beaten BU

I know what you mean about Umile seeming to make certain goalies look pretty good, even Di Girolamo may have just been a product of the system

Its too early to tell cause he is so young, but witht he success of American goalies in the NHL, and judging off his amazing start this year and very solid last year I wouldnt be surprised to see this guy get drafted or maybe just invited to a few camps once hes graduated... but I might be a little biased since he is from my hometown haha

Good to know there is another UNH fan on here though haha

 

[IkeaMonkey*]

Doesn't mean he won't get a chance

I mean Conklin got more than a fair share of exposure internationally and with the NHL

He did pretty well in the USHL too

He seems pretty talented to me, especially how he pretty much saved last years season after Di Girolamo was disappointing to say the least... And he gave them a chance in the post season too, they could have easily beaten BU

I know what you mean about Umile seeming to make certain goalies look pretty good, even Di Girolamo may have just been a product of the system

Its too early to tell cause he is so young, but witht he success of American goalies in the NHL, and judging off his amazing start this year and very solid last year I wouldnt be surprised to see this guy get drafted or maybe just invited to a few camps once hes graduated... but I might be a little biased since he is from my hometown haha

Good to know there is another UNH fan on here though haha

Ha...Jason Krog is the reason I got (big) into hockey...seriously...

As for DeSmith, I saw him a bit in Indy and I like his athletic tools a bit, but I'm not sure how much it will translate at the next level, say the AHL. His tandem with Providence goalie Jon Gillies was pretty stellar on an offensive team, but Gillies has way better physical tools than DeSmith has.

DeSmith's success could potentially be attributed to the fact he's...so old.

 

[john g]

make that another UNH fan (and graduate) as well. amazing how the goalies at UNH do in fact overachieve possibly on their abilities, when it's appeared to me that the one of the downfalls of UNH (beyond their ability to win that big game when they need to) has been their defense. over the past 20 years that I can recall watching the 'Cats their defense has been mediocre in it's best years and usually is downright terrible.

that being said, I wonder if the rink size has anything to do with UNH goalies failures at other levels. just like some goalies from Europe having trouble adjusting to the smaller NA rinks and vice versa. granted UNH plays half it's games on what is perceived 'normal' size ice, so it'd be interesting to see the differences in goalie home vs. away performance at UNH.

 

[IkeaMonkey*]

that being said, I wonder if the rink size has anything to do with UNH goalies failures at other levels.

Not just other levels...

The Frozen Four too

 

[Pay Carl]

Ha...Jason Krog is the reason I got (big) into hockey...seriously...

As for DeSmith, I saw him a bit in Indy and I like his athletic tools a bit, but I'm not sure how much it will translate at the next level, say the AHL. His tandem with Providence goalie Jon Gillies was pretty stellar on an offensive team, but Gillies has way better physical tools than DeSmith has.

DeSmith's success could potentially be attributed to the fact he's...so old.

I will always love Krog haha, when you were talking about UNH players that didn't make it as a pro I thought of him. I was a kid during the Krog era and thats when I had seasons tickets so I remember that era of players fondly. Kind of funny that he and Haydar played together after UNH

Also isnt it kind of funny UNH seems to get the crappy brothers? Like we had JVR for a year, but now we have his alright little brothers. And we have Scott Pavelski... Had Blake Kessel.. Brian Yandle... haha

Being a student in NY I dont get to see UNH games as often as I'd like considering they are stingy and make you pay unlike Providence and Northeastern, but I try to go to a few over Winter break and usually listen to every game I can on the online radio (and the guys that call the UNH games on radio really sell DeSmith in their calls haha), so I appreciate both of your insight

Guess we will have to wait and see.. Yeah he is a little older than most sophomores (he would be a senior) but even if a senior was putting up these numbers, some NHL clubs would definitely be trying to get him to sign a contract. Also UNH really doesnt seem like that good of a team on paper especially after losing Moses, so I think the fact that they are kind of over achieving is in part attributable to him

 

[Pay Carl]

Not a good weekend for Casey but he got the job done