Throughout his career, Casey Cizikas has certainly experienced some ups and downs with the Islanders.
There’s been some playoff success, including back-to-back trips to the NHL’s final four in 2000 and 2001 and there’s been other playoff appearances. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s also been seasons where the Islanders failed to make the playoffs…
…including last season when the Islanders stumbled down the stretch after being in a playoff spot for most of the season.
And that has been a sense of motivation during training camp with the regular season coming up quick next week.
“To come up short that way was…there’s no other way to put it other than it sucked,” said Cizikas after a training camp practice Thursday at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow.
“It was disappointing but we have a chance to redeem ourselves this year and that’s what our goal is.”
For Cizikas and the Islanders, this has been a training camp like no other in previous seasons.
Camp is only two weeks long and there are only four preseason games including home games on Friday night against the Rangers and Saturday night against the Devils that will close out the exhibition slate.
And just like that, the focus will shift to the start of the season.
“It’s a sprint,” said Cizikas. “Camp is short so you have to go over everything and we’ve done a good job of trying to nail down all three zones of the ice, special teams, and faceoffs. It just puts an emphasis on being ready before camp starts. You have to make sure that you’re pushing yourself every opportunity you get on the ice and taking advantage of the games that you’re in.
Players with at least 100 NHL games played can only play in two pre-season games and that has given some of the younger players in the organization a chance to prove themselves during training camp.
A lot of eyes have been on players like Victor Eklund, Cole Eiserman, Keshawn Aitcheson, and Daniil Prokhorov and it’s the infusion of youth into the organization that has created a very competitive training camp.
“You see it every day,” said Cizikas. “You see these guys come to work, you see them leaving it all out on the ice and making the decision for the coaches hard. That’s all they need to focus on and its fun watching them.”
Watching over all of the players in camp is new Islanders Head Coach Peter DeBoer who got a small taste of the returning players when he replaced Patrick Roy with four games remaining last season. DeBoer has enjoyed a lot of playoff success during his coaching career and the hope is that he’ll push the right buttons to get the Islanders back to the postseason.
So far, he’s getting his message across.
“He demands a lot out of his guys,” said Cizikas. “He expects a lot from us. We’re pushing in camp to prove to him that we got this down pat and we believe in what he’s preaching.”
Cizikas enters his 16th NHL season, all with the Islanders, on the precipice of a significant milestone. He has played in 978 career games, so once he plays in his 22nd game this season, he will reach 1,000 career games.
It’s something that’s on his mind, but helping the Islanders win games is a bit higher on his to-do list.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it, but it’s not my main focus,” said Cizikas. “It’s not something that’s constantly on my mind. It’s definitely a milestone that I’ll be extremely proud of when I get there. 22 games is still a long way away. You have to prove yourself every single night in this league to earn a spot on the roster.
If Cizikas plays in the Islanders’ first 22 games of the season, the milestone 1000th game will be on Saturday November 21st against the Red Wings in Detroit.
He’s had a terrific career with the Islanders, including his run playing with now retired Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck on the famed “Identity Line”. Cizikas has played with grit and a tenacity over his career that has made him a tremendous leader on and off the ice.
“What really stands out from then until now is just his work ethic and team-first mentality that does really anything each night in order to get the two points,” said Islanders forward Brayden Schenn who played in many games against Cizikas before he arrived on Long Island last season.
“He’s hard to play against. He’s good defensively. He’s strong, he’s physical, and good at the faceoff dot. He’s learned from a lot of good leaders in this locker room. What you see on the ice is how he is off the ice too. He works extremely hard in the gym and takes care of his body.”
Cizikas will lead the Islanders into the season opener on the road next Wednesday against the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.
The focus is to get off to a fast start and the opener comes in a city that is very special to Cizikas.
“What better way than getting to play in my hometown at the start of the season in front of family and friends,” said Cizikas “It’s always important to get off to a good start. You never want to be chasing at the end of the season.”
When Casey Cizikas signed a new contract in 2021, he made it clear that he didn’t want to play for any other team saying “I want to die an Islander.”
He has been a true Islander since being selected in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Draft. Through almost 1,000 games played for the blue and orange, he’s been through everything with the franchise…
…good seasons, bad seasons, giving back to the Long Island community, and what seemed like a never-ending road for the franchise to find a new home.
He’s a future Islander Hall of Famer who needs just one thing happen to dot the I’s and cross the T’s on his career and that’s to help the Islanders win the Stanley Cup.
“We have a chance to redeem ourselves this year, and that’s what our goal is.”
“We have a chance to redeem ourselves this year, and that’s what our goal is.”
