The Future on long island is bleak. Currently, the Islanders are one of the older teams in the NHL with an average age of 29-years-old. Their cap situation is also questionable with several big ticket contracts with term for players such as Anders Lee, J.G Pageau, Brock Nelson, Casey Cizikas, Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech and even Matthew Barzal who will begin his 8 X $91.50 Million contract next year.
The prospect pool offers little relief in the future as the Islanders have not drafted in the first round since 2019 when they selected Simon Holmstrom 23rd overall. Their draft record is littered with bust picks as well including Bode Wilde, Kieffer Bellows, Michael Dal Colle, Josh Ho-Sang, and Griffin Reinhardt.
Don’t count on the Islanders embracing a rebuild any time soon as the team just traded away their 2023 first-round pick, their top prospect (Aatu Raty), and a young roster player for Bo Horvat.
1. William Dufour, RW – Bridgeport Islanders (AHL)
Age: 21
Ht/Wt: 6-2/216
Drafted: 2020 round five, 152nd overall by New York Islanders
It speaks volumes that their top-ranked player is a fifth-round pick. But the upside to that is they found a good player in the fifth round. There are some red flags on this file, such as skating, and he played on four different QMJHL teams in four years.
But there is lots to like as well, such as the 56 goals he scored in Saint John, the seven goals and eight points he scored in the Memorial Cup to help the Sea Dogs win the Memorial Cup as the host city. He scored seven points in seven games at the WJC to help Canada win Gold, and he was named the QMJHL MVP. His AHL rookie season has been impressive and he is on pace for 24 goals and 44 points. The big winger was even recalled to the NHL where he played his first career game.
The upside is a top-six NHL winger, the floor is a career AHL player. You would hope for something a little more reliable as your top prospect!
2. Calle Odelius, LD – Djurgardens IF (HockeyAllsvenskan)
Age: 18
Ht/Wt: 6-1/185
Drafted: 2022 round two, 65th overall by New York Islanders
The Islanders’ first selection in 2022 came in the second round and they choose the Swedish defender. In Odelius, the Islanders have a player with a high probability of playing in the NHL.
He is very mobile, has good size and plays an advanced defensive game. The question on his file is what could his offensive upside be? He is good at starting transition with breakout passes and can join the rush, but his offensive numbers in Allsvenksan and the WJC are not overly impressive.
The wait time on his development could be a long one and he may have a ceiling of a middle-pairing defenseman, but he should have a long career and play a lot of minutes every night.
3. Simon Holmstrom, RW/LW – Bridgeport Islanders (AHL)
Age: 21
Ht/Wt: 6-1/203
Drafted: 2019 round one, 23rd overall by New York Islanders
The Islanders were criticized by some for reaching on Holmstrom with a first-round selection over other options the likes of Philip Tomasino, Arthur Kaliyev or Jakob Pelletier. The jury is still out but after a breakout season in the AHL where Holmstrom scored 43 points in 68 games, things were looking good.
Holmstrom has split time this year between the NHL and AHL and while his production has dipped, his 24 NHL games played is promising. Still only 21 years old, there is time for Holmstrom to develop into a regular NHL player, the question now may be will he play in the top six?
4. Samuel Bolduc, LD – Bridgeport Islanders (AHL)
Age: 22
Ht/Wt: 6-4/220
Drafted: 2019 round two, 57th overall By New York Islanders
A big, mobile, two-way defender. Bolduc is having a breakout third year in the AHL, on pace for a 45-point season. He has evolved into one of the best young defenders in the AHL and is finding his offensive game at the pro level as well.
His play has earned him a NHL recall where he played in four games. His NHL upside is likely as a bottom-pairing player, but he could carve out a lengthy career.
5. Ruslan Iskhakov, C – Bridgeport Islanders (AHL)
Age: 22
Ht/Wt: 5-8/165
Drafted: 2018 round two, 43rd overall by New York Islanders
Drafted out of the MHL in Russia, Iskhakov then came to North America for two years of development in the NCAA at the University of Connecticut where he had back-to-back 21-point seasons. After his junior year, the pandemic arrived and he stayed in Europe for the following two seasons playing in the Liiga in Finland, and the DEL in Germany.
His absence may have put him out of mind for many in North America making him a forgotten prospect, but he is back in a big way playing in the AHL and on pace for a 54-point season.
The undersized pivot is highly skilled, soft hands and crafty and deceptive plays keep him producing. Defensively, he is smart and has a motor that helps him retrieve pucks and force turnovers by taking away the opponent’s time and space. His size is an issue, but his skill may be able to overcome it.
6. Matthew Maggio, RW – Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Age: 20
Ht/Wt: 5-11/183
Drafted: 2022 round five, 142nd overall by New York Islanders
Maggio was overlooked in his draft year, the OHL did not play in his D+1 season and he was limited to 19 games in Sweden. When he returned to the OHL, he had a breakout year scoring 85 points, and was finally drafted by the Islanders in the fifth round. The Islanders decided to make up for the lost year of development and return him to Windsor in the OHL for his overage season and he is leading the league in scoring.
The teams addition of Shane Wright has been a boost and both players have been unleashed by Head Coach Marc Savard, who knows a thing or two about offense. If Maggio can carry his production from the junior level into the AHL next year, the Islanders may have a late blooming gem on their hands.
7. Quinn Finley, LW – Chicago Steel (USHL)
Age: 18
Ht/Wt: 6-0/179
Drafted: 2022 round three, 78th overall by New York Islanders
Back for a second tour of duty with the Chicago Steel in the USHL, Finley will have a shot at a Clark Cup before embarking on his NCAA career. It is a great development move for him going from the bottom of the standings to the top. The experience with the Steel should help prepare him for the NCAA, where he has committed to the university of Wisconsin to play for Head Coach Tony Granato.
Finley is a skilled and offensive winger with an above-average shot. His defensive game is still under construction, and he will need to hit the gym to bulk up. Finley will need several more years of development in the NCAA and AHL before we know if he will be an NHL player.
8. Isaiah George, LD – London Knights (OHL)
Age: 18
Ht/Wt: 6-0/198
Drafted: 2022 round four, 98th overall by New York Islanders
George is a mobile, defensive defenseman. His tool set should see him develop into at least a bottom-pairing NHL defender. He can use his size and skating to shut down attackers in such a way that translates to the NHL. That’s the worst-case scenario. There is a chance that George has a breakout fourth season as a senior with the Knights and his offensive role and production spike, similar to what we saw from Alec Regula when he was a Knight.
With some more AHL development, George could develop into a solid middle-pair that plays big minutes in a long NHL career. Great value either way from a fourth-round pick.
9. Alex Jefferies, LW – Merrimack College (NCAA)
Age: 21
Ht/Wt: 6-0/194
Drafted: 2020 round four, 121st overall by New York Islanders
Jefferies has quietly turned into a sleeper prospect for the Islanders. He is a skilled offensive player but does not really have a skill set that stands out as elite, or even above average. Yet he keeps producing.
He does exhibit a strong hockey sense, he creates time and space, and plays with pace. He is scoring at over a point per game pace in his junior year and could return for his senior year and finish college. Jefferies will need a tour in the AHL to adjust to the professional level and even faster pace. There is some NHL upside here as a middle-six at best.
10. Jakub Skarek, G – Bridgeport Islanders (AHL)
Age: 23
Ht/Wt: 6-4/205
Drafted: 2018 round three, 72nd overall by New York Islanders
The Czech goalie is now in his fourth year of development in the AHL and has not developed significantly where he should be challenging for a NHL job. He has been good, but not improving year after year.
Skarek is in the final year of his contract and Semyon Varlamov is also on an expiring contract. The opportunity for Skarek to play his way into the backup role to Ilya Sorokin is there, but he needs to walk through that open door.
