Prospects News & Rumors: Casey, Eiserman, McQueen, Misa & More – Hockey Writers – NHL Prospects

The start of the 2024-25 season has seen many opportunities shine in their respective leagues. From the first goals in the NHL and NCAA to the best players from the few eligible for the 2025 Draft, the first column of Prospects News and Rumors has a lot of interesting things to talk about. Let’s dive in!

Seamus Casey Scores First NHL Goal in Highlight-Reel Fashion

The NHL regular season kicked off in Prague, Czechia on Friday between the New Jersey Devils and the Buffalo Sabers in the first game of the Global Series. With injuries to Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes, the Devils blue line had some open spots and Casey took advantage and won one of those opening night spots. He played 13:14 in his start with zero points, as the Devils beat the Sabers 4-1.

Related: Devils’ Seamus Casey Makes His Debut on Global Series Stage

Casey’s second game was eventful. He had little ice time, finishing with 12:09, but scored his first NHL goal on the power play when he dragged his toes past a defender and flicked it into the top corner past Devon Levi.

The Sabers ended up taking the game 3-1 after goals from Paul Cotter and Timo Meier, and Casey was named Player of the Match. Devils legend Patrik Elias presented him with the award, capping a night he won’t soon forget.

McQueen and Misa Get Out of the First Blocks

Roger McQueen and Michael Misa have already raised their draft stock early in the season. Both prospects are eligible for the 2025 Draft and make an early case to be top-10 (or top-five) picks. McQueen has eight goals and 11 points in six games for the Brandon Wheat Kings and Misa has scored double digits with 10 goals and 12 points in five games for the Saginaw Spirit. Misa currently leads the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in goals by a wide margin; five ahead of Cooper Foster of the Ottawa 67’s. Meanwhile, McQueen leads the Western Hockey League (WHL) in goals but is one behind Shea Van Olm of the Spokane Chiefs.

McQueen started the season with a four goal game against the Moose Jaw Warriors and is currently on a six point streak. He failed to score in just one game – the Wheat Kings’ 5-1 win over the Regina Pats where he had two assists – and recently extended his goal streak to four games after another game in which he lost 4-3. Swift Current Broncos on Saturday (Oct. 5).

Misa has scored a goal in all the games he has played so far. In fact, the Sarnia Sting are the only team to stop him from scoring more than one goal. He has four multi-goal games, including a hat trick in the Spirit’s 6-4 win over the Soo Greyhounds on Sept. 27, and is coming off a three-point game Saturday in which he had two goals and an assist. The team’s 7-3 victory over the Erie Otters. Thanks to Misa’s dominance, the 2024 Memorial Cup champions are 4-0-1 to start the season.

As of this writing, the latest draft rankings have McQueen going between fifth and 10th (THW’s Peter Baracchini has him 10th in his preseason rankings), while Misa is ranked between third and seventh.

Eiserman, Hage and Hutson Start Their NCAA Careers With a Bang

The NCAA began its season on Friday with six matchups. Montreal Canadiens forward Michael Hage made his debut with the Michigan Wolverines as the prestigious school took on the Minnesota State Mavericks. They fell 5-2, but Hage grabbed his first two points as a freshman with a few assists. The next day, the two met again, but this time it was the Wolverines who walked away with a 4-1 victory. Hage scored his first NCAA goal and now has four points in his first two games.

Cole Eiserman, the New York Islanders’ 20th overall pick in 2024, also made his debut over the weekend. He suited up for Boston University and hit his first home run at the collegiate level on the power play against College of the Holy Cross. His shot was already on target as he one-timed a pass over Ryan Greene from the right circle. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of the same game this season from him.

But it wasn’t all fun and games for Eiserman in his debut. Late in the second half, he was assessed a foul for a header and was sent off. He finished with a goal and 17 penalty minutes after a big fight and a 10-minute game misconduct to go along with his two-minute foul from the first half.

In addition to Eiserman, Cole Hutson also scored his first in the NCAA after being selected 43rd overall by the Washington Capitals in this year’s draft. It was a good goal, too, as he burst past defender Mack Oliphant and slotted it five past Thomas Gale. Older brother Quinn also had a night to remember, notching three assists.

That’s a wrap on the first edition of Prospects News and Rumors. stay tuned Hockey Writers all season long as we bring you exciting performances from every top prospect – draft and eligible – through this column and from some of the top writers on the site.

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