Ryan Pulock is a statistical outlier.
Having a top-five pick in an NHL Draft seems to be the easiest way to add talent to an organization, and for many teams, this was the case throughout the past decade. However, from 2010 to 2014, Garth Snow led the Islanders down a different path. In four of these five years, the Islanders held a top-five pick in the NHL Draft. What resulted from these rare opportunities was a group of four players, Nino Niederreiter, Ryan Strome, Griffin Reinhart, and Michael Dal Colle, that has combined for a lackluster 1.2 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in 415 games on the Islanders.
In the other year, 2013, the Islanders drafted Ryan at 15th overall. Pulock, just for some perspective, has comfortably exceeded 1.2 Wins Above Replacement in each year of his career in which he played at least 16 games. Altogether, in a period of time in which the Islanders had failed previously to build upon their success in the 2009 Draft — having drafted John Tavares, Anders Lee, and Casey Cizikas, among others — Pulock was a home run for the organization.

The Good

It is an understatement to say that Pulock improved this season. Even in the shortened season, Pulock raised his WAR by an entire win, improving both his offensive WAR and defensive WAR. In fact, Pulock, with a WAR of 3.4, ranks second among all defensemen and ninth among all players in the NHL this season.
His ability to finish his chances in the offensive zone is as good as any defenseman’s, partially because of his powerful shot. Per MoneyPuck, Pulock’s shot has been 11.4% above the league-average shot this season, rendering his shot more effective than the respective shot of elite offensive defensemen such as Roman Josi, John Carlson, Brent Burns and Alex Pietrangelo.
Pulock’s dominant play in both zones has earned him a regular role on both the power-play and the penalty-kill, providing him with the opportunity to establish himself among the league’s best two-way defensemen.
The extent to which Pulock can continue to maximize his opportunities in the offensive zone and to prevent opposing opportunities in the defensive zone throughout his career remains to be seen, but as of now, he is the guy the Islanders always should and will rely on late in games regardless of the score.

The Bad

Although Pulock’s game around each net is phenomenal, his inability to drive the play and to create chances for his teammates holds him back compared to some other top defensemen in the NHL.
Per Corey Sznajder’s transition data, Pulock ranks in the bottom five on the Islanders in Carry-in%, as he carried the puck into the offensive zone, rather than dumping it into the offensive zone, only 27.5% of the time. Additionally, Pulock ranks in the bottom-five on the Islanders in Possession Exit%, as he exits the defensive zone with the puck only 29.7% of the time.
These two statistics show that Pulock, although he excels around each goal, is among the team’s worst players at moving the puck effectively from one end to the other. He evidently relies on his teammates to go after the puck after he clears it or dumps it in, as he seldom enters the offensive zone or leaves the defensive zone with the puck.
His inability to drive the play and create chances off the rush for his teammates is further reflected by his net Corsi, as it ranks second-worst on the Islanders’ roster. If the Islanders continue to rely on Pulock as their top defenseman, and there is seemingly no immediate alternative, they may have to swallow the fact that Pulock truly excels only in 70% of the ice.

The Expectations

With the relative fall of Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk came the relative rise of Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech. The latter pairing, a nightmare for opposing forwards, has emerged as a legitimate top pairing in the NHL over the past few years.
However, whereas Pelech primarily excels on the defensive side of the ice, Pulock has established himself as more of a two-way defenseman. Recognized immediately by the Islanders faithful for his hard shot and physical dominance, Pulock has become the team’s clear top defenseman for now and for the future. His WAR had steadily improved in each of the last two years this year, so one could only expect Pulock, entering his age-24 season, to improve in 2019-20.

The Moment of the Season

It is tough to neglect his overtime goal against the Vegas Golden Knights, but Pulock’s best moment of the season is his game-winning-goal against the Philadelphia Flyers in February.
The Islanders jumped out to a three-goal lead against the red-hot Flyers on national television, but the Flyers slowly came crawling back.
When Sean Couturier tied the game with 92 seconds remaining in the third period, it likely brought back memories of the pre-Barry Trotz Islanders, the team that seemingly could never maintain a lead.
Nonetheless, Pulock emerged as the hero, blasting the game-winning shot from well-behind the faceoff dot. According to Hockey Viz, the puck had approximately a 4% chance of going in based on the approximate location of his shot and the ability of the goaltender, yet Pulock worked his offensive-zone magic and made it happen in a crucial divisional matchup.

The Verdict

Ryan Pulock is the Islanders’ best defenseman, and he likely will be for years. Even at a relatively young age, Pulock plays certain aspects of the game, particularly around each net, as well as, if not better than any other defenseman in the NHL.
His elite play in these areas is incredibly promising with regards to his impact now and in the future. That said, Pulock’s transition game is evidently flawed, and as the team’s leader in Time On Ice, Pulock cannot let his flaws continue to spoil the Islanders’ chances off the rush.
Nonetheless, Ryan Pulock has already established himself as a top twenty defenseman in the NHL, and it seems as if he can only go upward from here as he enters his prime.
Grade: 94/A
All stats from Evolving-Hockey unless indicated otherwise.

Aidan Resnick

Aidan is a freshman at the University of Chicago, studying data science and business economics, and an aspiring sports analyst. In 2019, he attended the Wharton Moneyball Academy, the Carnegie Mellon Sports Analytics Conference, and the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, experiences that inspired him to pursue sports analytics. Aidan’s passion for sports analytics is best represented in his newest sports analytics book, “The Stats Game,” where he illuminates statistical tools and debunks myths in sports analytics, as well as in his victorious Diamond Dollars Case Competition project and in Resnick Player Profiles. A lifelong New York Islanders fan, Aidan always approaches his work with Drive4Five with an analytical mindset, focusing on the newest advancements in hockey analytics to maximize the precision of his content. Aside from sports analytics, Aidan is a dedicated violinist and chess player.