March 21, 2015
MapleLeafs.com: Maple Leafs Sign Free Agent Forward Casey Bailey
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State men's hockey junior forward Casey Bailey (Anchorage, Alaska) will forgo his senior season in Hockey Valley, signing with the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night on a two-year entry level deal. Bailey is the first Nittany Lion to sign an NHL contract and could be with the Leafs on Monday for their game against Minnesota.
"I'm extremely happy for Casey," head coach Guy Gadowsky said. "He's a great guy and a great player who had a great year. He deserves a lot of credit for his commitment to our objectives with and without the puck, and for the amount of work that he put into the weight room this summer and throughout the season with (strength & conditioning coach) Cam Davidson.
We obviously would have loved to have him back next year, but at the same time this is a great step for our program. We will all follow Casey's success in the NHL with great pride."
"I am truly fortunate and humbled by this opportunity to sign with such a prestigious Original Six organization, the Toronto Maple Leafs," Bailey said. "I would also like to acknowledge how thankful I am for all of the love and support I have gotten over the years from my friends and family. I would not be where I am today without them. Also I would like to sincerely thank all of my coaches, teammates and staff at Penn State for getting me prepared for the next stage of my career."
A 2014-15 All-Big Ten First Teamer, Bailey had a tremendous junior campaign scoring a Big Ten-leading 22 goals along with 18 assists for Penn State's first 40-point season. A Hobey Baker Award candidate, Bailey was among the top 10 scorers in the country all season long and leaves Penn State as the all-time leader in goals (45) and points (80).
The junior came into preseason camp as fit as ever and it paid off all season long, tallying a point in 12 of the first 15 games of the year. Bailey tallied multiple points on 12 occasions along with three multi-goal games. He had 20 multi-point games in his career.
Known for his powerful shot, Bailey led NCAA Division I men's hockey with 211 shots, averaging 5.7 shots per game. Bailey bagged five power play goals, two game-winners this season and a plus-11 rating.
For his career, Bailey played in 96 games scoring 45 times with 35 assists. Bailey attempted 454 shots, had a minus-9 rating and accumulated 91 penalty minutes. He registered 13 power play goals in his three years.
One of the standout nights of the year was Jan. 9 vs. Ohio State where Bailey led a four-goal Nittany Lion comeback with a third-period hat trick, including the overtime-forcing goal. Bailey became the second Nittany Lion to record a hat trick.
Bailey's scoring prowess came against some of the best teams in the nation, tallying three goals vs. No. 4 UMass Lowell (Nov. 14-15) en route to a Big Ten First Star of the Week honor. Bailey kept it rolling two weeks later at Michigan, scoring a beauty of a goal in a 3-2 win on Nov. 21, while adding an assist.
Bailey was at it again Jan. 31 against No. 14 Vermont, scoring and an assisting an empty-netter for a two-point game in a two-goal comeback that led to a 3-2 win. Three weeks later, Bailey's primary assist on the overtime game winner gave the Nittany Lions a historic 4-3 win against No. 15 Minnesota.
The sniper's final goal for the Nittany Lions came in a situation Penn State fans have come accustomed to: a slap shot from the left point. Bailey uncorked a rocket on the power play to give PSU a 3-0 first-period lead during a 6-4 win over Michigan on March 6.
Bailey leaves Penn State to join Toronto along with Jake Gardiner, brother of outgoing senior Max Gardiner (Deephaven, Minn.). The Maple Leafs face Ottawa tonight and Bailey could join the team in time for Monday night's home game against Minnesota at 7:30 p.m. The Leafs play three-straight at home along with Thursday's matchup with Florida before taking on Ottawa next Saturday, March 28.