The 18-year-old Casey grew up in the Florida Keys - you're reading that right - but "moved up to Fort Myers when I was still decently young and that's when I started playing." And while Casey's childhood hockey rearing came in the shadow of palm trees, his family heritage is New York/New Jersey with, as you may have guessed with his name, a splash of Ireland through his mom.
"I'm super pumped," said Casey of his family connection to New Jersey, "my dad was really into hockey and he got me into it down in Florida (but) we have a ton of family (in New Jersey) and they're all Devils fans.
"When (the pick came) I had a feeling it could have been New Jersey and I was tapping my Dad and said 'this could be it'…I'm just so happy."
Dennehy made the point that Casey could have went much higher and some independent thinking ahead of the draft confirmed that way of thinking.
"He's got very good four-way mobility," said Red Line Report chief scout Kyle Woodlief, who compared Casey to Nashville Predators defenseman Dante Fabbro in his final draft recap.
Casey is headed to Michigan and that is interesting because of Luke Hughes and Ethan Edwards, two

Hayes, a 6-foot-2, 177-pound native of Westland, Mich., scored 49 points (19G, 30A) in 65 games for the Flint Firebirds in the OHL last season, his first at the major junior level. He competed for the U.S. at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, scoring three points (2G, 1A) in four games. 

CUTTER GAUTHIER
POSITION: Left Wing
TEAM/LEAGUE: U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP)
VITALS: 6'2", 189 lbs.
BIRTHDATE: Jan. 19, 2004
BIRTHPLACE: Skelleftea, Sweden
SHOOTS: Left
•   Recorded 65 points (34g-31) in 54 games for the USNTDP, his first full season with the team… He ranked second on the team with his 34 goals.
•   He helped lead Team USA to a silver medal at this year's IIHF U-18 World Championships recording nine points (3g-6a) in six games.
•   Also played for the U.S. National U-17 team where he posted 20 goals and 37 points in 44 games
•   Is committed to playing for the Boston College next season (2022-23).
•   Was born in Sweden where his father, Sean Gauthier, was a goalie in the Swedish Elite League.

Scouting Report: 
Corey Pronman - The Athletic
"Gauthier has the tools that can make you easily envision him in the NHL. He has a thick [6-foot-2] frame and can skate like an NHL player. With his size and speed he can overpower opponents to force turnovers or in how he attacks the net. Gauthier can create with his skating and skill, but his main offensive weapon is his shot. He can pick corners from distance with a powerful wrist shot."

With the 111th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the Rangers selected forward Noah Laba. Laba, 18, skated for the Lincoln Stars in the USHL in 2021-22, notching 15 goals and 24 assists for 39 points in 50 games and a plus-7. With Lincoln last season, the Northville, Michigan native ranked tied for fifth in goals, sixth in points and seventh in assists. The 6-2, 191 pound forward has accumulated 58 points (24G-34A) in 96 games with Lincoln over the course of two seasons. He was named to the USHL All-Academic Team in 2020-21.

• With the 159th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the Rangers selected defenseman Vittorio Mancini.
• Mancini, 20, completed his first season with the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks in 2021-22, playing 38 games. The 6-3, 215 pound defenseman finished with five assists.
• The Saginaw, Michigan native split his 2020-21 season with the Green Bay Gamblers (USHL), Hanhals IF (HockeyEttan), and Frolunda’s J20 team. With Green Bay, he posted four goals and nine assists for 13 points and a plus-5 rating in 33 games.