The Gophers men’s hockey team on Monday received a verbal commitment when Carter Casey, a former Grand Rapids High School goalie, announced on the X social media platform that he has chosen Minnesota.

Casey will forgo his senior season with the Thunderhawks and instead play for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League in the 2025-26 season and could join the Gophers for the 2027-28 season.

The 17-year-old went 10-9-1 with a 2.72 goals-against average and .912 save percentage as a junior for Grand Rapids in 2024-25. He then joined Waterloo of the USHL and led the Black Hawks to the Clark Cup Finals, where they lost 3-2 to Muskegon in the best-of-five championship series.

Casey, 6-2 and 174 pounds, was outstanding in the playoffs, going 10-3-2 with a 2.53 GAA, .918 save percentage and two shutouts. He made 30 or more saves in six of 15 playoff games, including a 44-save effort in a double-overtime win over Sioux Falls.

He signed with Medicine Hat in June. Under new NCAA rules, players from Canadian major junior teams, such as Medicine Hat, no longer are considered professionals and are eligible to play American college hockey.