New York Islanders Prospect Pyramid: Tiers 4-5

Back in 2016, a man by the name of Steve “Dangle” Glynn (you may have heard of him) took the first step to breaking away from the stereotypical prospect rankings. What he introduced was called “The Prospect Pyramid”, which breaks down the prospects in a team’s system into “tiers” rather than an arbitrary ranking. With that, I introduce you to the 2019-20 New York Islanders Prospect Pyramid.
Tier Five:

Tier Five is meant for players with moderate potential.

Jakub Skarek was a third-round pick by the Islanders in 2018 and spent the majority of last season as the starting goaltender for Pelicans in the SM-Liiga, where he went 6-8-7 with a .900 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average. This year, he made the transition to North America, and he is serving as the starting goaltender for the Worcester Railers. He won his first professional start on October 12th, stopping 24 of 25 in Worcester’s 5-1 victory.

Kyle Burroughs, 24 is in his fifth year with the Sound Tigers and his second as captain. He is viewed as a gritty player but is one of the main leaders on a younger Sound Tigers squad.

David Quenneville was the Islanders’ seventh-round pick in the 2016 Draft, and he spent all of last year in Worcester, putting up 5-16-21 in 55 games. He has yet to play this season as he has been scratched on the Sound Tigers.

Ben Mirageas, 20, was a third-round pick in 2017 out of Providence College. He has 10 goals and 32 points in 84 NCAA games.

Robin Salo was drafted in the second round in 2017 and has slowly dropped in prospect rankings. He is in the midst of his sixth season in the Liiga, but has not impressed much for where the Islanders drafted him (7-36-43 in 185 games). He is the biggest boom-or-bust player in the Islanders’ system when it comes to defensemen.

Christian Krygier was the Islanders’ seventh-round pick in 2018, and over 35 games with Michigan State, he has two assists, but his defensive game is where his strength is.

Blade Jenkins was the Islanders’ fifth-round pick in 2018, and he has started off this season strong with the Saginaw Spirit (3-5-8 in 11 games).

Bobo Carpenter has been in Islanders camp the past few years on a rookie tryout, but he finally inked a deal with the Islanders last March. He scored a goal in two games in Bridgeport to end last season after serving as the captain at Boston University last year, scoring 10-9-19 in 27 games. He is currently injured, but will likely slot into Bridgeport’s lineup when healthy.

Logan Cockerill is in his third season with Boston University, and he has been productive in a middle-six role. The 2017 seventh-round pick also represented U-20 World Juniors in 2018-19, winning a silver medal.

Cole Coskey was the Islanders’ seventh-round pick last year and has come out of the gate strong in his fifth year with the Saginaw Spirit, scoring eight goals and adding six assists in 11 games.

Jacob Pivonka was the Islanders’ fourth-round pick in 2018. He is playing in his second season with University of Notre Dame, and has totaled 3-8-11 in 42 games.

Nick Pastujov was drafted in the seventh round in 2016 and is in the midst of his fourth season at the University of Michigan. He has scored 17 goals and added 26 assists in 102 NCAA games. He also played for Team USA at the 2015-16 U-18s.

Collin Adams was drafted in the sixth round in 2016 by the Islanders and has spent the last three seasons at the University of North Dakota, scoring eight goals and totaling 16 points.

Tier Four:

Linus Söderström spent all of last year recovering from numerous lower-body injuries, and spent the 2016-18 seasons with HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League, compiling a record of 26-10-0 with a .923 save percentage and a 1.89 goals-against average. He is currently serving as Bridgeport’s third-string goalie behind Gibson and Jared Coreau and looks to have a strong first season in North America.

Sebastian Aho, 23 has put up outstanding numbers in his two AHL seasons, tallying 19 goals and 77 points in 111 regular-season games, and two assists in five playoff games. He also played in 22 NHL games during the 2017-18 season, scoring a goal and adding three assists.
Parker Wotherspoon is entering his fourth AHL season, and he has been productive on both sides of the ice. He has put up points, too, scoring 13 goals and adding 30 assists for 43 points in 128 regular-season games, and has one assist in seven playoff games.

Grant Hutton, 24, spent four seasons playing at Miami University (Ohio), scoring 29 goals and totaling 71 points in 144 games. On March 21st, he signed a one-year contract with the Islanders and he impressed the team at the end of last season, scoring a goal and totaling six points in nine games. He has spent this season playing alongside Thomas Hickey and Aho, and has improved defensively going into this year.

Samuel Bolduc was the Islanders’ second-round pick this past draft, and his most notable quality is his size. The 6’4″, 212-pound defenseman is entering his fourth season with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and has put up four assists in nine games. He has also been named to the QMJHL’s team for the Canada-Russia Series next month.

Mason Jobst has quickly become a fan favorite and impressed greatly in the preseason. The four-year center from Ohio State University totaled 69-95-164 in 150 games and earned himself a contract with the Islanders last April. Look for him to be a potential call-up later this year if the Islanders are in need of a forward.

Arnaud Durandeau is entering his first pro season after spending four years with the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL, scoring 85 goals and 196 points in 262 regular-season games, and 17-20-37 in 38 playoff games. He is starting this year with the Sound Tigers and has played one game so far, scoring his first professional goal.

Anatoly Golyshev was the Islanders fourth-round pick in 2016. The 24-year old signed a brand new four-year contract in April and has been one of the most prolific scorers in the KHL since his debut as an 18-year old with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (81-77-158 in 280 games, 6-5-11 in 30 playoff games).

Felix Bibeau was the Islanders’ sixth-round pick this past year and is currently serving as the captain of the Quebec Ramparts. He has gotten off to a strong start, scoring five goals and totaling 18 points in 10 games to start the QMJHL season.

Reece Newkirk was drafted in the fifth round last year and has had a strong start of the season with the Portland Winterhawks (1-9-10 in nine games). He looks to have another strong season in the WHL this year.

What do you think about this prospect pyramid for the Islanders? Would you make any changes? Be sure to come back tomorrow for tiers 1-3!

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