Casey Fitzgerald (ice hockey)

Casey Fitzgerald (born February 25, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who plays for the Charlotte Checkers in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the third round (86th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres.

Casey Fitzgerald
Born (1997-02-25) February 25, 1997
Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Defense
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Florida Panthers
Charlotte Checkers (AHL)
Buffalo Sabres
NHL Draft 86th overall, 2016
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 2019–present

Playing career

Amateur

Fitzgerald played youth AAA hockey with the Middlesex Islanders out of North Andover MA. Fitzgerald was a part of the 2014–15 US national under-18 team[1] of the United States Hockey League (USHL), where he won a gold medal and had the best plus/minus rating on the team at the 2015 IIHF World U18 Championships.[2]

Collegiate

Fitzgerald joined the Boston College Eagles ice hockey team for the 2015–16 season.[3] In his freshman year, he appeared in 39 games and scored 27 points, including 4 goals 23 assists. He was named to the Hockey East Pro Ambitions All-Rookie team at the conclusion of the 2015–16 season.[4]

Professional

Fitzgerald was drafted in the third round (86th overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. He made his NHL debut with the Sabres on December 17, 2021 and finished the game with an assist.[5][6][7]

After being a healthy scratch for 6 straight games during the 2022–23 season, Fitzgerald was placed on waivers by the Sabres on January 10, 2023, upon the return of defenseman Henri Jokiharju from injury. He was subsequently claimed off waivers by the Florida Panthers on January 11.[8]

Fitzgerald played just 4 games with the Panthers during the remainder of the season, but was called into action for the postseason. He made his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in Game 4 of the First Round against the Boston Bruins, subbing in for the injured Aaron Ekblad.[9] On July 17, 2023, he signed a 1 year contract extension with the Panthers.[10]

Personal life

Fitzgerald is the son of current New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald, and was born in Boca Raton, Florida when his father was a member of the Florida Panthers. As a result of his father's career, he grew up in Florida and Tennessee, before his family settled in North Reading, Massachusetts.[11]

Fitzergald's older brother Ryan was a teammate at Boston College. Ryan was drafted in fourth round (120th overall) by the Boston Bruins in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.[3]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2013–14 U.S. National Development Team USHL 52 3 9 12 43 — — — — —
2014–15 U.S. National Development Team USHL 57 9 16 25 67 — — — — —
2015–16 Boston College HE 39 4 23 27 46 — — — — —
2016–17 Boston College HE 37 5 17 22 46 — — — — —
2017–18 Boston College HE 36 6 13 19 45 — — — — —
2018–19 Boston College HE 39 2 12 14 26 — — — — —
2018–19 Rochester Americans AHL 4 1 2 3 0 — — — — —
2019–20 Rochester Americans AHL 25 2 6 8 30 — — — — —
2020–21 Rochester Americans AHL 22 2 9 11 34 — — — — —
2021–22 Rochester Americans AHL 28 4 8 12 43 10 2 5 7 11
2021–22 Buffalo Sabres NHL 36 0 6 6 36 — — — — —
2022–23 Buffalo Sabres NHL 23 0 3 3 4 — — — — —
2022–23 Florida Panthers NHL 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 10
NHL totals 6309940 200010
Medal record
Representing  United States
ice hockey
IIHF World U18 Championship
Gold medal – first place2015 Switzerland

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 United States U17 1st place, gold medalist(s) 60222
2015 United States U18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 71344
2017 United States WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 70336
Junior totals 2018912

References
  1. "2014-15 U.S. National Under-18 Team roster and statistics". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  2. "NHL Draft 2016: Sabres take Casey Fitzgerald at #86". SB Nation. www.diebytheblade.com. June 25, 2016.
  3. Olsen, Becky. "Casey Fitzgerald Eager to Team up With Brother Ryan at BC". USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. www.usahockeyntdp.com. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  4. "Hockey East Names 2015-16 Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team". Hockey East Online. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  5. Vogl, John (June 25, 2016). "Sabres select Boston College defenseman Fitzgerald in third round". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  6. Moritz, Amy (June 25, 2016). "Second time's the charm for Fitzgerald". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  7. Harrington, Mike (December 18, 2021). "Casey Fitzgerald has memorable and eventful debut on Sabres' defense". The Buffalo News. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  8. "Florida Panthers claim defenseman Casey Fitzgerald off waivers". Florida Panthers. January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  9. "Bruins 6-2 Panthers (Apr 23, 2023) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  10. "Panthers Agree to Terms with Casey Fitzgerald on a One-Year, Two-Way". NHL.com. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  11. "Florida Panthers Homecoming is a Family Affair for Casey Fitzgerald". floridahockeynow.com. FLAHOCKEYNOW. January 13, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
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