One of the foundational pieces of any professional sports team is the development of their younger players and prospects. For the New York Islanders, this is a priority for their success as players such as Mathew Barzal, Anthony Beauvillier, Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, and more were developed by Islanders staff. Now, it is time for the new era of Islanders youth to make an impact, so let’s take a deep dive into the Islanders’ prospects and where the farm system stands in general.

Forwards:

Heading the group of forward talent in the Islanders’ system are three former first-round picks in Oliver Wahlstrom, Kieffer Bellows, and Simon Holmstrom. Wahlstrom and Bellows both made their National Hockey League debuts during the 2019-20 season, playing nine and eight games, respectively, with Bellows scoring two goals and adding an assist. Both of them will be competing for full-time spots on the roster with the departure of Derick Brassard, who was on Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s wing, a now-vacated role, after the trade deadline. Wahlstrom is in the midst of recovering from an injury, but should be back soon, and will come back from the HockeyAllsvenskan prior to the start of the season. Holmstrom, the Islanders’ 2019 first-round pick, had a tough time adjusting to North American hockey but is using this time in the HockeyAllsvenskan to help grow all facets of his game.

Former second-round pick Ruslan Iskhakov departed the University of Connecticut in favor of playing professionally in Finland, and has had a strong start to the season. Ater playing 12 NHL games last year, Otto Koivula was loaned to the Liiga to play before the NHL season began, and has been lighting up the scoresheet. Anatoli Golyshev, the Islanders’ fourth-round selection in 2016, is off to another fantastic start in the KHL with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg in his age-25 campaign. With the departure of some of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers’ veteran players, three players who all spent time in the American Hockey League this season, in Arnaud Durandeau, along with two former college free agents in Mason Jobst and Bobo Carpenter, are all expected to be mainstays for head coach Brent Thompson in their forward group for this coming season.

There are also some new additions to the Sound Tigers forward core this year. 2018 fifth-round pick Blade Jenkins signed his entry-level contract this offseason after finishing off his third and final season with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League. Signing on the same day as Jenkins, with different circumstances, were the Islanders’ 2019 sixth and seventh-round picks, respectively, in Felix Bibeau and Cole Coskey. Both of them signed one-year deals to play for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers for this coming season, while retaining their draft rights, which expire after the coming season ends.

Continuing their career in the Western Hockey League is Reece Newkirk. Newkirk, the Islanders’ fifth-round pick in 2019, is currently playing with the Melville Millionaires of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League until the WHL season starts up. Jacob Pivonka’s junior season at the University of Notre Dame starts up next week when Big Ten hockey resumes. Collin Adams, who plays at the Univeristy of North Dakota’s season starts at the start of December, and Logan Cockerill, playing at Boston University, whose season starts in mid-November.

The final group of forward prospects are the three coming out of the Islanders’ 2020 draft class, in Alexander Ljungkrantz, Alex Jefferies, and William Dufour.

In addition to who was listed as a prospect, referring to the NHL’s qualifications, A.J. Greer, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Colorado Avalanche for Kyle Burroughs, and Mason Jobst will also look to make an impact this coming season.

Defensemen:

Noah Dobson, despite being the Islanders’ top defensive prospect, was considered a rookie after last season where he surpassed the games played mark to be considered a rookie. On the other hand, his 2018 draft counterpart on the blueline, Bode Wilde, is ready to take the next step and make a big impact wherever he plays next season. Wilde played for Bridgeport and Saginaw last season as since he has American/Canadian dual citizenship, he was eligible to play in the AHL and then return to the CHL if it was in the plans. The likely spot for Wilde to start next season is on a youthful Sound Tigers blueline which contains some of the more intriguing prospects in the Islanders’ system.

Four players are returning to Thompson’s defense next year in Sebastian Aho, Grant Hutton, Mitch Vande Sompel, and Parker Wotherspoon. Aho, after playing in 22 games in his first year in North America, has not seen the NHL since, and is in line to be the eighth defenseman for the Islanders this season, traveling on the potential “taxi squad” that teams may have on road trips. Hutton, another college free agent who signed alongside Jobst and Carpenter, has made strides in his game over the past two seasons and looks to be in line for a look in the NHL if there are significant injuries on defense for the Islanders. Vande Sompel and Wotherspoon seem to always get bundled together, and rightfully so. The Islanders’ 2015 third and fourth-round picks respectively, had been spending a lot of time on the defense together prior to last season, when at training camp, Vande Sompel suffered a season-ending injury after colliding into the net. This year will be huge for both of their development as they look to become options if someone gets hurt.

After signing his entry-level contract, Samuel Bolduc looks to make an impact with the Sound Tigers in his first year out of the QMJHL on a young, deep, Sound Tigers blueline. 2017 second-round pick Robin Salo is in the midst of his first full season in the SHL and is playing like the player the Islanders drafted. Three defensemen continue their college careers this season with Christian Krygier at Michigan State and Ben Mirageas at Providence College, who both start their seasons next week, and Misha Song, who continues his career at Cornell University, who has yet to announce a start date. Finally, Matias Rajaniemi joins the group of Islanders’ defense prospects after getting drafted in the sixth round this year.

Goaltenders:

All eyes are on Ilya Sorokin this year as he steps into the spotlight as the back-up to Semyon Varlamov. After years of waiting, one of the best goalies in the KHL over the past five seasons signed his contract with the Islanders in early July with enough time to get to Toronto with the Islanders and train in the bubble with the coaching staff. Up next for Sorokin is getting into an NHL game, which, as soon as the season gets underway, will likely come quickly with how Barry Trotz likes to use his goalies. In the case that the Islanders’ successfully sign Cory Schneider, the fourth goalie this year will likely be 2018 third-round pick Jakub Skarek, who spent last season going back and forth between Bridgeport and the Worcester Railers, the Islanders’ ECHL affiliate. Henrik Tikkanen was the Islanders’ final pick of the 2020 draft, and the six-foot-eight goaltender is playing this year in Mestis, the second-tier league in Finland.

Overall, the New York Islanders have had success developing their prospects and using them in the NHL, and with the depth that they have in the system still, more help is on the way.

SEF