After signing a new three-year contract extension in January of 2019, the last thing Casey DeSmith probably expected was to be sent down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL for the following 2019-20 season.
That new contract, though, was one of the factors that got DeSmith re-assigned to the AHL just eight months after signing it.
Entering the 2019-20 season, DeSmith and Tristan Jarry were battling in training camp to earn the backup spot behind Matt Murray in net. The Penguins were also strapped for cash, though, and Jarry's $675,000 entry-level cap hit was nearly half of DeSmith's new $1.25 million hit.
Jarry was given the No. 2 spot, and DeSmith was put on waivers, eventually clearing and being sent down. Jarry had an All-Star season, and DeSmith spent the entire year in Wilkes-Barre.
After an entire season of grinding it out in the minors, DeSmith earned his way back to the NHL and had a strong regular season, posting a 2.54 goals-against average, .912 save percentage, and two shutouts in 20 games.
On Monday, the Pittsburgh chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association announced that it had voted DeSmith to be the Penguins' nominee for the NHL's Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the "player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."
DeSmith and the nominees from the 30 other teams will now be voted on by the entire PHWA for the award.
DeSmith met virtually with members of the PHWA to reflect on the past two seasons and the path that got him back to the NHL.
"The hardest and the lowest point was right after preseason when I was told I was getting sent down, after I thought I had a really good year," DeSmith said. "I wasn’t really worried about potentially being sent down. And then it happened. It was kind of a shock to the system a little bit."
DeSmith said he looked to "fight through it, persevere and do the best considering the situation I was in."
He credited working with his goalie coaches -- Mike Buckley in Pittsburgh and Andy Chiodo in Wilkes-Barre -- with helping him get through that year. DeSmith also worked closely with TC Cummings, a mental coach and former U.S. Navy SEAL based out of San Diego, someone with whom DeSmith has had a relationship throughout his entire career so far.
"He’s been a continuous part of my life and someone I lean on on a weekly basis," DeSmith said of Cummings. "I give him a lot of credit for keeping me positive last year and helping me make the best of last year and then leading into this year, keeping my confidence high."
DeSmith said that the exercises with Cummings are always changing, and aimed at making the best of the situation that he's in.
"Maybe I’m not the starter on the team," DeSmith said. "But just trying to be the best teammate and bringing the most I can to the rink every day, whether it’s on the ice or off the ice in practice or a game. Just kind of supporting guys around me and just staying positive. I think the positive mindset and just having fun at the rink with whatever I’m doing, I think that’s a big part of being able to persevere even when things aren’t going my way."
DeSmith said that when he got to Wilkes-Barre last season, he was able to stay positive from the start of the year.
"I was down there with a lot of guys I played with before," he said of the experience. "We had a great group in the locker room. I got along with everyone. It was a really fun locker room and a really fun team to be a part of. I think that was a really big positive for me going down there. I had a lot of close friends and a really good room to fit into right away."
Wilkes-Barre as a team struggled that year, and was on its way to missing the playoffs before the season shut down in March. After a slow first two weeks or so of the season, DeSmith rebounded and had a strong year for Wilkes-Barre, recording a 2.92 goals-against average, .905 save percentage, and three shutouts.
"Obviously, the team wasn’t a Calder Cup-winning team," DeSmith said. "We had our ups and downs as a team, and me personally as well."
I asked Wilkes-Barre head coach J.D. Forrest, who was an assistant coach in Wilkes-Barre last season, what he remembered about how DeSmith handled the re-assignment.
"It was a tough situation for him," Forrest said. "He had just signed that contract, he had a good season, and it was a little out of the blue. But the way he handled it, in the month of November I think he was 9-0-1 and something like that. Certainly he worked closely with our goaltending coach here Andy Chiodo, and built a nice relationship there. He's a professional and made the most of his time down here. I think he's the type of guy that he doesn't really rest, he continues to work no matter what the situation is. That's how he's gotten to where he is. He didn't really change from that standpoint and made the most of his time. We're really happy to see what he's been able to do this year for Pittsburgh."
DeSmith said that he thinks "perseverance" is a word that could apply to most of his professional career.
DeSmith started out his professional career on an ECHL contract with the Nailers in 2015-16, and didn't even get into a game until December 5 of that season. He was the third goaltender behind career minor-leaguers Franky Palazzese and Brian Foster, who split most of the starts. Then-Nailers coach Clark Donatelli would use DeSmith as a threat, telling Palazzese and Foster when they were struggling that if they didn't turn things around, DeSmith would get his shot.
Injuries and call-ups finally gave DeSmith his first professional start in Wheeling, and then only a few weeks later an opportunity in Wilkes-Barre. Foster struggled in his chance in Wilkes-Barre, and after Palazzese played in one game, the Penguins turned to DeSmith. DeSmith played well when he was finally given the shot, and never went back down to the ECHL. Two seasons later, he was in the NHL, making his NHL debut in October 2017. He split that year between Wilkes-Barre and Pittsburgh, then spent the full year as a backup in Pittsburgh 2018-19, earning 36 starts and the contract that would eventually play a role in his return to the AHL.
Now, he's worked his way back up to the NHL once again.
"I obviously had a unique journey and the path that I’ve taken to get here," DeSmith said. "I’m fortunate with how that path has taken me. To be here now, I feel very fortunate. I’ve come a long way since the first year of my pro career. I think perseverance has played a big role in that."
