During the NHL’s COVID-19 pause at the holidays, it was announced that no NHL players would be going to China for the Winter Olympics. There have been a few former members of the New York Islanders organization who were touted as possible replacement Olympians, so let’s see who could go to Beijing to represent their country.

Most of the Olympians will consist of players on AHL deals or are playing in Europe, as well as NCAA players.

Likely: Aaron Ness, Team USA

Among the first round of invitees to Team USA’s camp was a former member of the New York Islanders organization. Aaron Ness was drafted in the second round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and played parts of five seasons in Bridgeport following his time with the University of Minnesota. He was named captain in his final year with the Sound Tigers. Ness was touted as a top defensive prospect, with a pool of players including Calvin de Haan, Ryan Pulock, Matt Donovan, Scott Mayfield, and Adam Pelech. Ness played in 29 games for the Islanders in the 2011-12 and 2013-14 seasons, scoring a goal and adding two assists.

After the 2014-15 season, Ness signed with Washington, and spent the next four seasons between the Capitals and Hershey Bears, in which he helped the Bears defeat Bridgeport in the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs. Following that playoff run, Ness once again was a free agent and signed a two-year contract with the Arizona Coyotes. He played for both Tucson and Arizona in 2019-20; however, Ness spent the entire 2020-21 season on the taxi squad, and up until the final week of the season, he had yet to play in a single game for the franchise. Coyotes Head Coach Rick Tocchet rewarded Ness for his hard work and perseverance and put him into the lineup for the Coyotes’ last game of the season, a 5-4 overtime victory over the San Jose Sharks. “I never really planned on getting games,” Ness said. “I’m here for the team and I will do whatever they need. I’m not one to complain. This is my job to stay ready and go where I am asked to go.”

In the offseason of 2021-22, Aaron Ness was not signed to any team up until training camp time, when the Seattle Kraken signed him to a PTO, but was released during the first round of cuts, and wasn’t signed to an AHL deal with Charlotte. Ness signed with the Providence Bruins on an AHL deal and is getting love from his teammates on the Team USA opportunity.

Rumored: Chris Bourque, Team USA

Chris Bourque only spent one season in the Islanders organization, the 2018-19 season. Before that, Bourque had represented Team USA in the 2018 Olympics and has been rumored to rejoin Team USA. The 35-year-old Bourque is currently playing for Ingolstadt ERC in the DEL (Germany) and is still putting up good numbers, with 29 points in 35 games. In 2018-19 with Bridgeport, he led the Sound Tigers in points with 15 goals and 39 assists. Bourque will give Team USA Olympic experience if he is selected.

Rumored: Valtteri Filppula, Team Finland

A major piece to the 2018-19 New York Islanders squad, Valtteri Filppula has also been one of those lucky Olympians in his career, suiting up for Team Finland during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. After spending the last two seasons in Detroit where his career began, Filppula is now playing in the NLA (Switzerland) with Genève-Servette HC and has also played with the Finnish national team already this year in three games. Filppula could give the Finnish team leadership, experience and scoring punch. Even at 37, he has averaged a point a game in 30 games this year for Genève.

Rumored: Leo Komarov, Team Finland

After being released by the New York Islanders, Leo Komarov went to play for SKA-St. Petersburg in the KHL, which will make him eligible for the Olympics, and like Filppula and Bourque, he has previously played for his nation in the Olympics. He played for Finland at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. While Leo is also not the youngest player, he can bring toughness and leadership. In 18 games for SKA, Leo has six points, not bad for a bottom-six player.

Rumored: Jeremy Smith, Team USA

In the first 15 players invited from Team USA, only one of them is a netminder. There will likely be three goalies on the roster, so there will need to be two more invited. Jeremy Smith suited up in the Islanders organization for Bridgeport in the 2018-19 season and is currently the only US-born goalie playing in the KHL, playing for Kunlun Red Star. He put up solid numbers in Bridgeport while being in a tandem with Chris Gibson. Smith has struggled in the KHL, but that is with possibly the worst defense in the KHL throughout his three seasons there. Smith could most definitely be an option for the Americans in goal.

Rumored: Tomas Marcinko, Team Slovakia

Another skater who never played with the Islanders, Marcinko was a fan favorite in Bridgeport in his four seasons with the Sound Tigers. Marcinko is 10th all-time in games played for the Sound Tigers (under the Sound Tigers name). While he didn’t rack up the points, the 2006 fourth-round selection by the Islanders was a skilled two-way forward, but his career blossomed when he left Bridgeport following the 2011-12 season, where he has since played in the Slovakian and Czech leagues, with a season with Kunlun in the KHL slotted in the midst. His career took off enough for him to be selected to both the 2014 and 2018 Slovakian Olympic hockey teams, and will mostly like it to make it three times this year.

Placed on the Long List: Josh Ho-Sang, Team Canada

It has been somewhat of a comeback story this season for Josh Ho-Sang. The former Islanders’ first-round pick was in the organization last year but played in Sweden. He was not re-signed by the Islanders and signed an AHL deal with the Toronto Marlies after spending training camp with the Leafs. In 24 games played, Ho-Sang has 10 goals and seven assists. Ho-Sang was put on Team Canada’s reported long list and could be another one of the Olympians who were formerly with the New York Islanders.

Put on the Long List: Chris Terry, Team Canada

There may be a current member of the Islanders organization who will be in Beijing. Current Bridgeport Islanders’ leading scorer Chris Terry is someone who will likely be a future AHL Hall-of-Famer, like Chris Bourque, and is off to a great first half of the season with the Islanders. If there was an All-Star game this season in the AHL, Terry might’ve been Bridgeport’s representative. He did play in the preseason with the NHL club on a PTO, and he is currently on an AHL contract, therefore he is eligible to go to Beijing. Terry has 11 goals and 15 assists in 29 games for the B-Isles and was put on Hockey Canada’s long list along with Josh Ho-Sang and is under deep consideration to go to the Olympics.

Conclusion

There could be more Olympians who are either in the New York Islanders organization in some way or another including Jake Pivonka for Team USA or ex-Sound Tiger Yanick Rathgeb. With the Olympics upcoming, it will be exciting to see who will make the teams with another year of no NHL players ahead.

Christian Gardecki

A Native of Danbury, CT. Christian is one of the longest tenured Drive4Five writers, Christian Gardecki began writing for Drive4five In May of 2017. Christian covers Minor League Hockey and the Bridgeport Islanders for Drive4Five. Outside of Drive4Five, Christian was the captain of his High School Hockey team and currently attends Hofstra University with a major in journalism. Christian was the play by play broadcaster for the Danbury Westerners summer collegiate baseball team during their 2021 NECBL Championship. Christian also was the Public Address Announcer for the Danbury Hat Tricks Minor Pro Hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League and NAHL Junior team from 2019-21.