Casey DeSmith

Lore & Background

DeSmith played junior hockey for Berwick Academy and Deerfield Academy before joining the Indiana Ice of the USHL, where he posted a .911 save percentage and three shutouts in 64 games. He studied business at the University of New Hampshire and played for the Wildcats from 2011 to 2014, earning a .926 save percentage in his first season and being named to the Hockey East All-Rookie team. In September 2014, he was arrested for assaulting a woman who either was or had formerly been his girlfriend; he was suspended from the team and eventually permanently dismissed. He accepted a plea bargain in December 2014, pleading not guilty to all charges except one count of disorderly conduct, and was sentenced to a $124 fine and 12 months of probation. The NCAA denied his request for a transfer waiver to play elsewhere.

Reader's Guide

DeSmith's professional career began when he signed with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL in 2015 after the NCAA denied his transfer waiver. He played 13 games for the Nailers before being loaned to the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he set a franchise record for most saves in a playoff game in 2016. He signed an AHL contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in July 2016 and led the AHL in goals against average and save percentage during the 2016–17 season, sharing the Harry 'Hap' Holmes Memorial Award with Tristan Jarry. DeSmith signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins in July 2017 and made his NHL debut on October 29, 2017, against the Winnipeg Jets. He recorded his first NHL win on January 18, 2018, and his first NHL shutout on April 6, 2018. After five seasons with Pittsburgh, he was traded twice in the 2023 off-season and played for the Vancouver Canucks in 2023–24 before signing with the Dallas Stars. His career illustrates a path from an undrafted, undersized prospect through legal and eligibility obstacles to sustained NHL play.

Did You Know?

• He was a co-recipient of the 2017 Harry 'Hap' Holmes Memorial Award for the AHL's best goaltending tandem.
• He was arrested in September 2014 for assaulting a woman who either was or had formerly been his girlfriend, leading to his permanent dismissal from the University of New Hampshire hockey team.
• DeSmith made his NHL debut on October 29, 2017, after being recalled from the AHL by the Pittsburgh Penguins.