2023-08-07 19:07:28
By acquiring goaltender Casey DeSmith on Sunday, the club has added to its roster an athlete who experienced an abrupt end to his career at the University of New Hampshire a decade ago. His team then suspended him.
The story is not straightforward, and DeSmith has previously mentioned that the actual facts that ended his time in college hockey differ from what may have been circulating. Various witnesses had also corroborated his version. Then 23 years old, DeSmith had therefore been accused of physically assaulting a woman when he was attending the University. Following his arrest, he had avoided more serious consequences, pleading guilty to one count in exchange for a reduced sentence. He was eventually tried for “disorderly conduct”. The caretaker had been put on probation and community service. He also had to undergo an alcohol and drug awareness program.
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Even if the alleged actions date back a decade, this return to the past is embarrassing for the CH organization, which is barely recovering from the scandal that followed the selection of defender Logan Mailloux in the 2021 draft. In the case of Mailloux, he had been found guilty of having shared sexual images taken during a relationship with a partner, in Sweden. Regarding DeSmith’s case, the assault was never officially recognized and that is probably why he was then able to relaunch his career.
Rehabilitation
The notion of rehabilitation prevailed in the Mailloux file and this same logic could obviously have applied to DeSmith. Despite some success in goal in New Hampshire, DeSmith missed the 2014-15 season due to his suspension. The NCAA had also refused to transfer him to another university to play a final campaign in the college ranks.
DeSmith was never drafted by a National Hockey League club. In July 2015, DeSmith turned pro. After a short stint in the ECHL with the Wheeling Nailers, the goaltender earned his stripes by achieving success with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American League starting in 2016.
Congestion in net
Recall that the CH got their hands on DeSmith in a three-club trade involving the Pittsburgh Penguins and the San Jose Sharks. In return for Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick, the CH got DeSmith, veteran defenseman Jeff Petry, forward Nathan Légaré as well as a second-round pick in the 2025 draft.
DeSmith has 135 games of NHL experience, including one in the playoffs. In 38 games with the Penguins last season, he went 15-16-4 with a 3.17 goals-against average. In Montreal, DeSmith joins Jake Allen, Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau among the organization’s top goaltenders.
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