Islanders Energizer Bunny Casey Cizikas Appreciates The Way Matthew Maggio Plays The Game
Following the second training camp scrimmage, Stefen Rosner spoke with Casey Cizikas about playing with prospect Matthew Maggio
EAST MEADOW, NY — Through two days of scrimmages at New York Islanders training camp, prospect Matthew Maggio has found himself in unique positions.
For the first game on Friday, the 21-year-old lined up a center for the first time ever, skating alongside Riley Piercey (Worcester Railers) and Tyce Thompson (Bridgeport Islanders).
Maggio played extremely well. He was in the right place at the right time, got shots off when he could, and was just a menace on the ice like he usually is.
He scored a penalty shot goal on likely Bridgeport starter Marcus Hogberg:
Then, for game two on Saturday, the Islanders had Maggio lined up at left wing, his off-wing. But this time, he skated with Casey Cizikas, who is gearing up for his 14th NHL season, and Julien Gauthier, who has 180 games of NHL experience.
Although Maggio didn’t find the back of the net, he was like the energizer bunny out there, getting shots off, jumping on loose pucks, stripping pucks, and most importantly, keeping his head up when a play didn’t go the way he envisioned.
He really did look like a mini Cizikas out there, so after the game, I asked No. 53 about what it was like playing with Maggio.
“He works hard. He's a water bug,” Cizikas said. “He's hounding the puck. He’s strong on the puck. He's not the biggest guy out there, but he plays big, and I think that's the biggest thing. He's not afraid to to take a hit or give a hit and he's willing to get into the dirty areas, so that's a big key part to his game.
“And no, I didn't just notice it this year. I noticed it last year in camp as well with him. And you respect the way that he works.”
Maggio’s size, 5’11 and weighing 189 pounds, is something that gets him overlooked by many. Cizikas, who is also 5’11 and weighs 190 pounds, constantly proves that size isn’t everything and that a tremendous work ethic is one way to overcome it.
“He's trying to do what he has to do to get noticed. And he's doing a good job,” Cizikas said. “It’s not always easy in those types of games. Sometimes, the scrimmages are a little crazy, a little helter-skelter out there, and it's just different because everyone has their job to do. Their job is to try and get noticed and do what they can. I thought Maggio played well. He was strong on the puck, he made plays. And even when he didn't, he was trying. And that's what you appreciate from him.
“If he turned the puck over, he didn't get down, he didn't shy away. He kept trying to do it over and over again, and he didn't quit on the play. If it got turned over, he was back checking for it, and not giving up on the play. So that that goes a long way.”
While all the prospects at Islanders camp have the lofty goal of one day being NHL players, there’s no real opportunity to crack the roster, at least right now.
But as we saw with Kyle MacLean in 2023-24, impressing at training camp can be the difference between being the first player called up and third on that depth chart.
And right now, Maggio, who is entering his second professional season with Bridgeport, is doing what he can to be one of the first call-ups this season.
So far, head coach Patrick Roy has liked what he’s seen.
“I like his grit. I like his work ethic,” Roy said. He's a kid who only knows one thing: pedal to the metal. That's what I've seen from him, and I’m very curious to see him in the exhibition game.”