The New York Islanders are certainly a team in a competitive window that is experiencing a minor influx of young talent. Players such as Kieffer Bellows, Oliver Wahlstrom, Robin Salo, and especially Noah Dobson, have brought some new life to a roster that mixes aging veterans who are struggling immensely this season with skilled players that are not only impact players on the ice for the Isles. but some of the top talent in the league. One sector of the roster that seems to have some question marks surrounding it is the defense core, as outside of Dobson and the duo of Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech, it consists of Scott Mayfield, who has two years left on his bargain contract he signed back in 2018, and the aging Zdeno Chara and Andy Greene. The defensemen on the Bridgeport Islanders which serve as organizational depth behind Salo and Sebastian Aho have been mainstays there for years, so now it should be time to seriously ponder where some of them may fit in the future plans for the Isles.

Samuel Bolduc, 21, was the 57th selection in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He has had a rough time in his second season with the Bridgeport Islanders. After scoring six goals and adding eight assists in 24 games in his first year playing professional, he has no points in the same span. The 6-foot-4 defenceman is a reliable two-way defender at the AHL level and could be the same at the NHL level, too. Bolduc has likely been surpassed by Robin Salo on the Islanders’ depth chart after the two were competing with Sebastian Aho for a spot on the opening-night roster, but that does not mean he will not have a chance at making the NHL roster this year or down the line.

Grant Hutton made his NHL debut this season due to the Islanders’ COVID-19 outbreak. The undrafted free agent out of Miami University (Ohio) played in five games with the NHL club this year, recording zero points. The 26-year old has played parts of four seasons with Bridgeport and has been a key asset to their defensive unit. In 22 AHL games this year, he has scored five times while totaling nine points. His defensive game has been something that has needed to be worked on during his development in the AHL, and despite having rough numbers in the AHL, he was an even player during his stint with the Isles this season. He is still currently residing on the Islanders’ taxi squad, and could definitely step into the lineup again this year if need be. For the future, the Islanders need to make a decision on Hutton as he is a restricted free agent at season’s end, and should they re-sign him, he has been and could continue to be a viable depth option.

Mitch Vande Sompel has had a bounce-back season with the Bridgeport Islanders thus far. Vande Sompel, 24, was the Islanders’ third-round selection in 2015 He played the majority of the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons and was set for a make-or-break 2019-20 campaign that could have tracked him for a stint with the Islanders before suffering a shoulder injury in training camp. He played in 20 of Bridgeport’s games last year recording five assists and a very telling -19 but has already doubled the assist total with 12 in 25 games this season, recording a -7 over that stretch. Vande Sompel is also a restricted free agent at the end of the season and could continue to serve as depth in the AHL while potentially getting a call-up in the future. He certainly has been passed over on the depth chart by numerous defensemen he has played with on the Bridgeport Islanders, but that does not mean he would not be worth keeping around.

Parker Wotherspoon has been around the American Hockey League for a lot longer than people believe to be true. The 24-year-old was the Islanders’ fourth-round selection in 2015, the same draft they took Vande Sompel. He is 13th all-time in games played for the Bridgeport organization with 237, three shy of 12th, and seven away from the top ten. He has been the most consistent defenseman for the AHL team since his full-time debut in 2017-18 (he played 10 combined regular-season games in 2015-16 and 2016-17 following the conclusion of his seasons with Tri-City in the WHL, and also played in two playoff games in 2015-16) and continues to show development into a player that can serve as a depth defenseman at the NHL level. Wotherspoon, like Vande Sompel and Hutton, is a restricted free agent at the conclusion of the year, and he would likely need to finish out this year and possibly take most of next year in the AHL before becoming a true option.

SEF