Was really impressed with the kid there last night. He looked nervous to me in the first few games. Last night was the first night he looked like he was comfortable out there, and he drove the net, shot the puck, and forechecked hard. Good signing by the recently departed. Strikes me as someone who could turn into a middle-sixer. He's certainly got the size, skill and shot. He's been largely developing on his own/with the college, so lets see what he can do after an offseason of training and development with an NHL team
Agreed.
When he initially signed, his shot was something that was mentioned by Nonis at the time. For a winger like that, who works to find the soft spots of the ice to get into shooting position, adjusting to the NHL would probably be a bit troublesome at first, what with the less amount of time and space available.
Last night, Casey looked to be moving his feet and was active along the wall, while going hard to the net when warranted. He certainly didn't look out of place, IMO.
As some have mentioned (including Horachek), he can definitely still work on his explosiveness and first step.
If he can do that, as well as learn the nuances of finding the soft spots and high slot in an NHL environment, I feel he could be a solid Middle 6er.