Latest news with #CaseyOBrien
Yahoo
27-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Casey O'Brien Embraces New York Spotlight After PWHL Draft
The New York Sirens' first-round draft pick, Casey O'Brien, has been busy since the PWHL Draft. She took a 'media tour' across New York, attending sporting events, marching in the NYC Pride Parade, inspiring young hockey players, and more. A New York native, O'Brien wasn't expecting to be selected by her hometown team. The Sirens held the first overall pick in the draft and selected Kristýna Kaltounková. The second pick went to Boston, and the third to Toronto. But when O'Brien heard that New York had traded up for the third overall pick, she said, 'My whole family kind of looked at each other like, 'Oh my god, wait. Could they pick me?' Indeed, the Sirens selected O'Brien with the third pick in a trade that sent Ella Shelton to the Toronto Sceptres. While the moment was emotional, O'Brien had little time to process it. Less than 24 hours later, she was on a flight to New York. The draft took place on Tuesday, June 24, in Ottawa, Canada. By Thursday morning, O'Brien had woken up in New York City and was on her way to her first interview as a New York Siren. 'Waking up, I was like, I can't believe that this is real, that this is my life now,' O'Brien told The Hockey News. 'And how many different organizations and people wanted to talk about women's hockey and the Sirens was so special to me. It was such a whirlwind, I needed a few days after that whole week to fully process what just happened.' Over the next week, O'Brien attended a wide range of events and met people from all over. She met John Legend on The Morning Show, visited NHL headquarters, appeared on numerous talk shows, and more. Still adjusting to her new title as a professional athlete, O'Brien also attended a Yankees game (MLB) and a New York Red Bulls match (MLS). For her, the most surreal part was revisiting places she had gone as a child. 'The last time I had been to Yankee Stadium, I think, was 2009 for the World Series. And going back there, I texted my family, and they sent me pictures from when I was there as a kid,' O'Brien said. 'It just doesn't feel real.' She also attended the NYC Pride Parade for the first time. 'It was basically a giant party, and it was just so cool. You could feel the love in the air. I know a big part of the PWHL fan base and community is part of the LGBTQ+ community, so I know how much that means to our sport and our fans,' she continued.'To be part of something like that—especially partnering with the NHL—was so special, and I had the best time.' O'Brien's final stop on her New York media week was a visit to the Prudential Center, home of the Sirens and New Jersey Devils, where she met with players from the Jersey Girls Hockey Club. According to the Jersey Girls Hockey Club is 'a cross-ice recreation league for novice-level girls ages 5–12 who have graduated from a New Jersey Devils Learn to Play program.' The club's mission is to give young female players the resources to grow in the sport—and, ideally, become professional players themselves. O'Brien spent time with the girls, sharing stories and answering questions. 'It was super cool to meet them all and spend some time with them, because, you know, I kind of saw myself in them,' O'Brien said. 'A lot of them had questions about what the next steps are in pursuing their passion in hockey as well.' The program, launched after the 2024 Stadium Series, has grown over the past two years. Girls from across New Jersey, New York, and surrounding areas come together to play at the Prudential Center. Traveling outside the city to play hockey is something O'Brien is all too familiar with. Growing up in New York City, she often had to go to New Jersey for ice time. 'We'd drive literally right after school, and we'd wait three hours in the parking lot just so we could miss the traffic,' she told The Hockey News. 'Then we'd practice, and my family would drive back.' For O'Brien, traveling to New Jersey was one of the only ways to pursue hockey seriously. Today, the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center continue to expand programs for young girls in the game—so players like O'Brien can have a place to play closer to home. The New York Sirens have not yet released their 2025–26 schedule, but fans can expect to see Casey O'Brien taking the ice at the Prudential Center, proudly representing girls across the region who love the game. 'Being able to come back and hopefully make an impact on the ice, and probably more importantly, off the ice, and help grow the youth game in New York and New Jersey, it's so special to me. It means everything.' Photo Credit: © Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Future on the Ice: Devils and O'Brien Nurture the Next Generation of Girls' Hockey
Newark's newest first-round draft pick, Casey O'Brien, has already made an impact on New Jersey Devils fans. O'Brien was selected third overall in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) by the New York Sirens.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Future on the Ice: Devils and O'Brien Nurture the Next Generation of Girls' Hockey
Newark's newest first-round draft pick, Casey O'Brien, has already made an impact on New Jersey Devils fans. O'Brien was selected third overall in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) by the New York Sirens.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Dream come true': Casey O'Brien back in New York to start PWHL career with hometown Sirens
NEW YORK — Looking out over the Manhattan skyline Thursday afternoon, Casey O'Brien saw both her past and future. The 23-year-old was literally at the Top of the Rock in midtown for a photo shoot two days after the New York Sirens made a bold move to trade up and select O'Brien with the third overall pick in the 2025 PWHL Draft. Advertisement For O'Brien, the chance to play in The Big Apple is personal. The highly-skilled center grew up in New York until she was 10-years-old, and skated at Chelsea Piers overlooking the Hudson River as a young girl. That she could see Chelsea Piers from her perch atop Rockefeller Center was not lost on O'Brien. 'Chelsea Piers is my home,' O'Brien told reporters at her introductory press conference. 'It's the rink I learned to skate on. That's really the rink that built me, so to be able to come back and reconnect with this community and be a part of New York is just a dream of true.' O'Brien is at the center — literally and figuratively — of a fairly major retooling of the Sirens roster this offseason. Veteran forwards Alex Carpenter and Abby Roque, the first players New York signed ahead of the PWHL's inaugural season in 2024, are among those not returning. And neither is star goalie Corinne Schroeder, who signed with expansion Seattle. Advertisement Sirens general manager Pascal Daoust then charted a new course for the franchise at the draft Tuesday. With the first overall pick, the Sirens selected Czech phenom forward Kristyna Kaltounkov, and that wasn't even their biggest move of the night. Just moments after picking Kaltounkov, the Sirens traded star defenseman Ella Shelton to the Toronto Sceptres in a deal that landed them two draft picks, including No. 3 overall. With that newly acquired selection, the Sirens drafted O'Brien. 'Obviously, I didn't know that they would make the trade… I think I blacked out,' O'Brien said. 'I was trying to stay calm, not be too nervous. And then the trade happens and I was like 'oh my god, am I going to New York?' Obviously, I didn't know that my name was going to be called next, but I knew there was a possibility of it, so it was just a lot of shock and a lot of excitement.' Advertisement It was a bold move by Daoust to trade Shelton, who finished fourth among all PWHL defenseman with 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) last season and scored the first goal in League history on Jan. 1, 2024. But the chance to select O'Brien, widely-regarded as the best prospect in the 2025 draft class, trumped that. Daoust doubled down on the Sirens youth movement and came away with two of the top three selections in the draft. Related: Final 2025 NHL Mock Draft: Who follows after Islanders select Matthew Schaefer with No. 1 pick 'That's the dream': Casey O'Brien excited to join Sarah Fillier with hometown Sirens Credit: Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Playing for the Wisconsin Badgers, O'Brien led the NCAA in scoring with 88 points in 41 games, and won the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Award, presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey. She was also named WCHA Player and Forward of the Year. Advertisement More importantly, O'Brien helped lead Wisconsin to the National Championship. 'Every year at Wisconsin was unique,' said O'Brien. 'It depends on the team, and there are different formulas for success, but I think I can take everything that I learned, especially as a leader there, and bring it to New York.' O'Brien helped Wisconsin win the NCAA title three times in her five seasons (one extra season per the COVID-19 exemption). She is Wisconsin's all-time leader in points (274) and assists (177). Her career points total is eighth-most in NCAA history. Her resume speaks for itself. And now the Sirens bring in a talent of her magnitude to add to a young core that is continuing to look more and more dynamic. Advertisement In each of the past two seasons, the Sirens finished last in the PWHL standings. But Daoust has a vision of building a youthful group that could be explosive down the road. O'Brien seems to be fully bought into this vision. 'I think people have to be talking about what Pascal just did in the draft,' O'Brien said. 'He kept his D-core intact for the most part and completely transformed the forwards. 'I think this team is going to be something special. I think if I was looking at each roster now after the draft, and what players they have, I would want to be on New York 100 percent.' It was just about one year ago when the Sirens drafted forward Sarah Fillier with the first overall pick. Advertisement Fillier tied Hilary Knight for the PWHL scoring lead with 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) this past season, and won the League's rookie of the year award. However, Fillier's individual success did not translate to team success, and the Sirens tied for the fewest goals scored (71) in the League over its 30-game season. Now, Fillier gets some much-needed scoring help with the addition of O'Brien and Kaltounkov. O'Brien is excited to not only play on the same team as Fillier, but maybe even be paired on a line with the emerging superstar. 'That's the dream,' O'Brien said about playing with Fillier. 'I mean growing up, even when I was little, I was hearing her name. I was watching her play youth hockey and then into Princeton and Team Canada, wherever it may be. I'm a really big fan of her game. She can score, she can pass, she can set people up, she can kind of do it all. I'm really excited for the opportunity to play with her, and I hope we can be linemates at some point.' Advertisement O'Brien is really living out the dream. She has the opportunity to play with some of the most talented women hockey players in the world and gets to do it where her hockey journey all began in New York. She's already accomplished so much throughout her hockey career thus far, yet now the real work truly begins. 'It's been an absolute whirlwind,' O'Brien remarked. 'I didn't pack for this, I wasn't expecting this, so to hear my name called by the city that I grew up in, and then to be here in person a few days later, it's surreal. It's amazing.' Related Headlines
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bold Trade Brings Casey O'Brien Home To New York
Casey O'Brien has dreamed of playing professional hockey since she was little. And that dream started in New York City learning to play in Manhattan at Chelsea Piers. "It's amazing, I grew up skating in Chelsea Piers," O'Brien said on CBS Mornings. "New York is my roots, it's the rink that built me. So to be able to come back here and give back to the community and try to built the youth game in New York is so special and so important." Advertisement O'Brien moved to Boston around age 10, but still considers New York home. After the Sirens selected Kristyna Kaltounkova first overall, and Boston chose Haley Winn second, O'Brien thought the chances of playing in either of her home towns was gone. That was, however, until New York general manager Pascal Daoust pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade sending defender Ella Shelton to the Toronto Sceptres for the third overall pick and 27th overall pick. With that third choice, New York snagged O'Brien, who led the NCAA in scoring this season and was named the NCAA's top player winning the Patty Kazmaier Award with the University of Wisconsin. "It's so special, the fact that they traded up for me means even more," said O'Brien following her seelection. "I grew up in New York City so it's a little bit like coming home. I've seen how New York can rally behind its sports teams, and so I'm really excited to be a part of that and get to New York and meet the fans and meet my teammates." Advertisement Alongside Kaltounkova, PWHL Rookie of the Year Sarah Fillier, a strong defensive corps, and other young players including 2025 draft pick and O'Brien's former Wisconsin linemate Makenna Webster, New York looks like an exciting young team. After two straight seasons finishing at the bottom of the standings, New York will look to climb up the ranks of the PWHL. If they don't, their team will look even more dynamic following a stacked 2026 draft, but O'Brien, a player used to winning at Wisconsin, should go a long way toward making the New York Sirens a better team on and off the ice.
