As the 2019-20 NHL season is off and running, New York Islanders defenseman Devon Toews has been one of the major contributors to the team that is currently riding on an 12-game point streak. When talking about the success of the Islanders the obvious names of Barry Trotz, Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee all find their names involved in the conversation, but Toews most certainly can slide in due to his dominance on both sides of the ice.

The 25-year old appeared in his first NHL season late last December after being recalled from Bridgeport due to an injury to Thomas Hickey. His first career game came against the Dallas Stars.

Ever since he first appeared in the Islanders lineup, the organization and fan base could tell there was a truly special talent. One very noticeable thing about Toews’ play right away was the confidence and swagger he had, as Islanders head coach Barry Trotz had a lot of trust in the left-handed defenseman.

Right away Toews was given exclusive time on the power-play, no small feat for the gifted skater in his first ever NHL game. Toews would continue to impress and mature as a player that season. He finished with a total of 18 points and five goals in 48 games.

Expectations were set at a high bar this summer for the second-year player, but Toews has done nothing but exceeded these expectations right away. Toews’ highly touted speed plays a major role in his success night in and night out, but his offensive game has flourished so far this season, scoring a total of 10 points in 16 games which ranks fifth on the Islanders. To no one’s surprise, his defensive game has remained as dominant as last year, as Toews continues to grow under Trotz’s fantastic defensive system.

The Islanders have a surplus of solid NHL defensemen, which is shocking to even fathom considering the was by far the worst team in the league defensively only two years ago. But within the surplus, Devon Toews continues to impress the Islanders faithful with his phenomenal skill and maturity.

John Smark