The New York Islanders are today’s focus in the ongoing NHL prospect pool overview series.
Tony Ferrari examines the Islanders’ strengths and weaknesses, gives a quick overview of their latest draft class, shows their positional depth chart and examines who could be next in line for an NHL chance.
A player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer considered a prospect for these exercises, except in very specific cases.
First Thoughts
The New York Islanders’ prospect pool lacks in many ways.
Before the 2024 NHL draft, they lacked substance and skill all over the pool, aside from a couple of nice pieces on the back end and a few complementary scoring forwards. Even then, none of them are guaranteed to make the NHL.
Thankfully, this summer’s draft did a very good job of building on what they had.
William Dufour has been the player everyone expects to make the jump to the NHL next. But after a step back last year in the AHL, the 22-year-old is focused on getting back on track and finding his groove again to be a solid support winger when he gets to The Show.
LETS GOOO DUFOUR!! pic.twitter.com/UFreot3jua
— Bridgeport Islanders (@AHLIslanders) January 21, 2023
Dufour has a very good shot that he can get off from everywhere. His skating is good, but there is room to grow so that when he applies pressure on opposing players as he typically does, he isn’t shaken off as easily. Dufour can be a menace when fully engaged, turning pucks over in the offensive zone and getting a scoring chance off the turnover.
Matthew Maggio will look to build on a solid rookie season with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders and become an impact player. Always looking to push the envelope, Maggio is a quick player in small areas, and he does a great job of getting to the scoring areas. He has a very good shot, and he fights through traffic to get it off. His motor helps make up for some of the mobility concerns. Maggio’s adjustment to pro hockey was an up-and-down experience, but it was an excellent step forward for the former OHL MVP.
Matthew Maggio.
Alex Jefferies.
William Dufour.Three players will have to produce in 2024-25 to help fill the skates of Ruslan Iskhakov, who is headed to the KHL @TheHockeyNews #Isels https://t.co/yg7Ic611rr
— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) July 10, 2024
Danny Nelson and Quinn Finley both had solid freshman seasons in the NCAA and helped Team USA win a gold medal at the World Junior Championship.
Nelson is a fleet-footed bottom-six forward with a knack for pushing play up ice. His game isn’t incredibly skilled, but he always seems to be making an effective play. Finley is a shooting threat in the offensive zone, but he needs someone to help get the puck up ice. He’s a depth scorer who can be a solid power-play option as well. Nelson and Finley are very different players, but they both fill a role in the bottom six.
After struggling to find his footing in the Finnish Liiga and dealing with injuries throughout the season, Jesse Nurmi is slated to play his age-19 season in the OHL with the London Knights. He will get ample opportunity in London as the team always looks for older players to help push them over the edge and into championship contention.
#Isles 2023 4th rd pick Jesse Nurmi signed his ELC on June 10 before being selected by @LondonKnights with the 58th overall pick at the 2024 CHL Import Draft on July 3.
The 19-year-old signed with London on Thursday, so he'll officially play there for the 2024-25 season.
— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) July 26, 2024
Nurmi always seems to be skating around and trying to get involved. He should fit in nicely in London, giving them a complementary scorer who can attack off the puck and get himself into good scoring areas.
On the back end, the Islanders have a few interesting names, even if they have question marks.
Calle Odelius is a very intriguing puck-mover who can set up play and drive some offense from the blueline. His passing is crisp and accurate, allowing him to find teammates through traffic. He missed most of last season with an injury, and he will look to put together a healthy season where he can use his skating and passing ability to get himself involved at the men’s level. Odelius is the highest-upside defender the Islanders have in their pipeline.
After a very solid NCAA career, the Islanders signed free agent defender Marshall Warren, who has always found a way to drive positive results. He moves well, has some nice hands for a blueliner, and he always finds a way to string positive plays together. Defensively, he uses his feet to cut plays off and offensively jump into the rush when the opportunity presents itself. He won’t be a top-pair guy in any world, but he could provide steady, stable minutes as a third-pair defenseman.
Look at this nasty goal by New York Islanders new signee and LI native Marshall Warren pic.twitter.com/9YqdNrcxJF
— Greater Long Island 📰 (@Greater_LI) April 16, 2024
They have plenty of other defensemen who are longer shots, such as the physically gifted Isaiah George, who can play some steady defense and skate at a high level. Dennis Good Bogg never really found stability last season, but he showed some solid traits across the five teams at the three levels he played at last year.
In net, the Isles don’t have to worry for a while as Ilya Sorokin should be holding down the crease for the foreseeable future, but Tristan Lennox is a solid prospect. He reads play and tracks the puck quite well. His movement is solid in his crease, and with some patience, he could be a very good backup in the NHL. Lennox had a very good year in the ECHL and should find himself getting starts at the AHL level this year.
U-23 Players Likely To Be on the NHL Roster
Simon Holmstrom (LW)
2024 NHL Draft Class
Round 1, 20th overall – Cole Eiserman, LW, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
Round 2, 54th overall – Jesse Pulkkinen, LD, JYP (Finland)
Round 2, 61st overall – Kamil Bednarik, C/W, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
Round 4, 115th overall – Dmitry Gamzin, G, Moscow (Rus.2)
Round 5, 147th overall – Marcus Gidlof, G, Leksand Jr. (Swe.)
Round 6, 179th overall – Xavier Veilleux, LD, Muskegon (USHL)
With a lacking prospect pool overall, the 2024 NHL draft was an important one for the Islanders.
A trade with Chicago a few weeks beforehand was an excellent want to add an extra second round pick. The Islanders traded picks 18 and 50 for 20, 54 and 61. Moving back a couple of spots in each round resulted in an additional pick for the Islanders.
With their first-round pick, the Islanders added the kind of talent they simply do not have in the system. Cole Eiserman fell into their laps, giving them the player many felt was the purest goal-scorer in the draft.
Cole Eiserman – 126*
Cole Caufield – 126*
(* @USAHockeyNTDP career goals)
🤯🫣#U18Worldspic.twitter.com/x4gxgl7gps— FloHockey (@FloHockey) May 4, 2024
Eiserman’s game certainly has its flaws when it comes to defensive effort and intensity, but offensively, Eiserman is a threat at all times. His shot from a distance is a bullet, and he attacks rebounds to score from in tight. Eiserman has been given the reputation as a one-shot goal-scorer, but he really is so much more than that. His playmaking is much better than it’s given credit for as well. When Eiserman uses his teammates effectively, he can be a true dual-threat offensive player.
With one of their two second-rounders, the Islanders took arguably the top overage player in Finnish defenseman Jesse Pulkkinen. The 6-foot-6 blueliner plays a unique, offensively driven game that is tough compared to many high-end NHLers. He has a huge shot, and he loves to activate and get into the play. Pulkkinen often tries to create and make things happen. His defensive game can suffer at times because of it, but the power-play utility in his game is impressive. If he can round his defensive game out, even just a bit, he could be a really interesting depth defender who can help run the power play.
Jesse Pulkkinen’s draft stock keeps rocketing. #2024NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/LUA9EgRC4L
— Lassi Alanen (@lassialanen) December 29, 2023
Kamil Bednarik was their second pick in the second round, and he immediately became one of their more promising prospects. Bednarik is a smart player who really understands how to mesh with his linemates and adapt to their skill sets. He plays an intelligent game, reading the play and looking to find the gaps in coverage. He puts forth a solid effort defensively, engaging physically when needed. Bednarik is a bit of a jack of all trades and master of none, but he has the goods to make it work as he heads to the NCAA, where he will play with Eiserman at Boston University.
Teddy Stiga (2024) pots his second of the night and goal No. 2⃣1⃣ on the year. Kamil Bednarik (2024) with the feed. @USAHockeyNTDP jumps back in front. #USHL pic.twitter.com/9roh4PZ41s
— Ryan Sikes (@ryan_sikes10) February 2, 2024
In the fourth and fifth rounds, the Isles took a swing on a couple of goalies. Dmitry Gamzin is a 21-year-old in his final year of draft eligibility who put together a very solid season at the pro level, split between the KHL and VHL in Russia. At 6-foot-3, he has a good frame, and when he adds some strength to his body, he should be more explosive as well.
The Islanders went back-to-back with netminders by taking Marcus Gidlof in the fifth round. At 6-foot-6, Gidlof can look massive in the crease. He was very strong for Leksand this season at the junior level, and heading into next year, he will look to get some action in the SHL. In a weak draft class for netminders, taking two late makes a ton of sense.
To cap off their draft, New York took a swing on a defender who consistently tries to make things happen but lacks the extra level of skill or physical tools to do so at a high level. Xavier Veilleux is generally making smart decisions with and without the puck, but sometimes he sees a play that his physical tools can’t keep up with. He will look to add some pace and zest to his game at Harvard over the next couple of years.
Strengths
The Islanders’ prospect pool’s biggest strength is the 2024 NHL draft class.
It’s not really targeted at one spot, but their three best prospects at this point all likely come from the latest crop, with Eiserman, Pulkkinen and Bednarik all having legitimate NHL upside.
The Isles have plenty of mid-low-level prospects, but the 2024 class brought in a few players who jumped to the top of the heap.
Weaknesses
This might be the easiest weakness of any prospect pool to identify.
The Islanders have no legitimate right-handed defense prospects.
They have plenty of left-shot players on the back end, but they have no players who project anywhere close to NHL caliber on the right side.
Aidan Fulp and Tomas Machu are the only two players who really fit the mold of what a prospect could be, but neither looks like a future NHLer.
Fulp is a 24-year-old AHLer who hasn’t found a way to be a true impact player at either end of the ice. Machu is a 21-year-old who played in the USHL and is heading to Providence College in the fall, but he’s been a slower developer to this point. He’s a big body but lacks the puck skill to play more than a glass-and-out defensive role.
Next Man Up: William Dufour, RW
The Islanders could use a player with some one-shot scoring ability. Until Eiserman is ready to step into the lineup after what will likely be a couple of solid NCAA seasons, Dufour could fill that role. He can score from all over the ice, whether unleashing his heavy release from distance or digging to bury a puck from around the crease.
Dufour must continue improving his engagement in his own end and adding some versatility to his game, but he could easily slot into the lineup on Day 1 of this upcoming season in a depth role. Maybe he finds some chemistry with a player like Barzal or Horvat, and he can play higher in the lineup, allowing them to drive play and giving Dufour some insulation to play an attacking role.
Prospect Depth Chart Notables
LW: Cole Eiserman, Jesse Nurmi, Quinn Finley, Eetu Liukas
C: Kamil Bednarik, Danny Nelson, Cameron Berg
RW: William Dufour, Matthew Maggio, Alex Jefferies
LD: Calle Odelius, Marshall Warren, Zach Schulz, Jesse Pulkkinen, Isaiah George, Dennis Good Bogg
RD: Aidan Fulp, Tomas Machu
G: Tristan Lennox, Marcus Gidlof, Dmitri Gamzin, Henrik Tikkanen
For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Future Watch and upcoming Yearbook print editions in The Hockey News. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.
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News Summary:
- NHL Prospect Pool Overview 2024-25: The New York Islanders Got Much-Needed Help in Vegas
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.