The Islanders’ 2021 NHL Draft class from July featured six players. Despite having none of the first 50 picks in the draft, the Islanders made some valuable selections later on. All six prospects are having solid seasons and have shown improvement since the summer.

C Aatu Raty, Jukurit

Raty was once projected as the top pick in the draft, but his struggles at the top level in Finland plummeted his draft stock. Still a top-ranked prospect, it was expected Raty would get his name called on the first night. He did not go in the first round and fell well into the second round before the Islanders drafted him 52nd overall. 

Not long after being drafted, Karpat traded Raty to Jukurit Mikkeli six games into the season. Under Head Coach Olli Jokinen, a former Islander, Raty has been phenomenal. Raty has six goals and seven assists for 13 points in just his first 11 games, and his game has significantly improved. 

G Tristan Lennox, Saginaw Spirit

With their third-round pick, the Islanders decided to draft a goaltender. Ilya Sorokin is playing very well and so is Semyon Varlamov, but he is 33-years-old, and a replacement will be needed in a few years.

Lennox became the starter for the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL for the 2019-20 season. In 33 games, Lennox has a save percentage of 0.876 and a goals-against average of 3.63. These numbers may not look great, and they certainly aren’t ideal, but the average OHL game generally has more goals than an NHL game. Lennox remained with the Spirit after the draft, though, and has improved. Despite the team being off to a worse start than two years ago (the OHL had no 2020-21 season due to COVID-19), Lennox’s numbers have gone up. So far, Lennox has a 0.891 SV% and a 2.91 GAA in 13 games.

C, Cameron Berg, University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks

The Islanders drafted Cameron Berg, another center, with their fourth-round pick in 2021. Berg came from the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL. He was a star for the Lumberjacks, as Berg finished second in points scored on the team with 58 in 51 games. 

After being drafted, Berg decided to go play college hockey. Despite a number of good hockey programs in Berg’s home state of Minnesota, Berg went to the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He is also making a name for himself there, with six goals and five assists for 11 points in his first 17 games. 

LW, Eetu Liukas, TPS Turku

In the fifth round, Finnish winger Eetu Liukas was the pick for the Islanders. Liukas has been in the TPS organization in Finland since he was 15, moving up the ranks as he got older. He found success in the U16, U18 and U20 leagues in Finland. In 2020-21, Liukas got to play 19 games against professionals of all ages in the SM-Liiga and recorded three points.

Liukas turned 19 not long after the Draft and began another season in the U20 Finland league. He has been a top scorer in the league before, but Liukas took it to another level leading the team through 12 games with 20 points. After those 12 games, Liukas got the call up to play in the top league. He has two points in a depth role through 20 games.

D, Aleksi Malinen, JYP

The Islanders finally went with a defenseman when they drafted Aleksi Malinen in the sixth round. An underrated prospect, Malinen was good value for the sixth round. Malinen was the third Finn drafted by the Islanders, having already played 30 games in the SM-Liiga before the Draft.

Malinen had three points in those games and showed glimpses of stardom on defense. The blueliner has spent a majority of the new season back in the U20 league, where he’s performing better than ever offensively and defensively. Malinen’s 11 points through 19 games made him the highest-scoring defenseman on his team.

D, Tomas Machu, HC Vitkovice

Tomas Machu rounded out the Islanders’ 2021 Draft Class in the seventh round. The relatively unknown Czech prospect wasn’t on most draft boards. But with one of the last picks of the draft, taking a risk can’t hurt. Machu has played a few games in Czech Republic’s top league but mainly has showcased his talents in the nation’s U20 league.

In an article written shortly after the draft, I graded the Islanders’ draft as a B+. After all six players have impressed me to start their respective seasons, I would like to raise the grade to an A-. Hopefully for the organization, all the prospects make an impact for the Islanders in the future.

Ben Kule

Die-Hard Islanders fan and writer from Plainview, Long Island, NY. I have a passion and knowledge for this team and I enjoy sharing that with others