EAST MEADOW, NY — Oliver Wahlstrom is still a member of the New York Islanders, which is a tad bit of a shock after what general manager Lou Lamoriello said at the 2024 NHL Draft in Vegas.
“Wahlstrom’s been working very hard all summer,” Lamoriello said following the conclusion of the 2024 NHL Draft. “And if we can get him an opportunity because it hasn’t worked out, [we will], but we’re not just going to give him away.”
Related: Islanders To Qualify Wahlstrom, Open To Giving Him An Opportunity Elsewhere
From a player that seemed destined to be elsewhere, Wahlstrom is now in a battle for one of the final roster spots with one preseason game to go.
“I’m very happy with WahIstrom. He’s been playing really well,” Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. “He’s playing free. He’s got a shot. The goal that he scored against Jersey on that one-timer…I’m very happy.”
Wahlstrom hasn’t made the most of his ice time since debuting in the 2019-20 season. And a torn ACL in late December of 2022 didn’t help things.
The former 11th overall pick in 2018 missed out on the entire 2023 summer to train, and while he was “healthy” for the start of the 2023-24 season, he wasn’t game-ready, struggling to do much in his 32 games of action (two goals, four assists).
When Roy came aboard on Jan. 30, he shared that he “had time” to work with Wahlstrom, giving him a nine-game sample size before healthy scratching him the rest of the regular season and the entirety of their first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Related: Here’s What Islanders GM Lamoriello Said About Wahlstrom After Stint In Roy’s Lineup
But after the summer Wahlstrom just had, a fully healthy one to improve, there are no more excuses, and he’s not looking for any as he tries to make the team.
“I don’t want to put any excuses on last year and the year before, but this summer was huge. I got to work out like an athlete this year. I got to just train really hard consistently every day, no rehab. And it’s a huge difference.
“My ACL leg is 100 times stronger than my right, and I gotta work on my right. But it’s been good, so I’m excited.”
Over the last year or so, Wahlstrom has tried to add a physical element to his game. That may bode well for him if he gets a chance in the bottom six this season.
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“Yeah, adding physicality is a big part of it,” Wahlstrom said. “I find if I win those battles, I get the puck more, I get to go down and play more offense.
“And this whole camp, I only have been focusing on a couple of things and just controlling what I can control. I know if I honed in on the four or five things I’ve been working on this summer, I can be a contributor to this team.”
Confidence was something that Lamoriello pointed to regarding Wahlstrom when he got the chance to showcase something under Roy.
After the summer he had, his confidence may be the highest it’s ever been.
“Yeah, ‘100 percent,” Wahlstrom said on how important this past summer was for his confidence. “I had no expectations coming into this camp other than the three or four things I wanted to focus on in my game,” Wahlstrom said. “Honestly, you can’t pay attention to what management’s doing or lines or anything. You just control what you control. I think that’s the biggest thing, being a young player in this league, is staying in and keeping your cool. I think that’s the most important thing.
“And at the end of the day, just enjoy it. Have fun. I mean, this game was built for kids anyway when it first started. So that’s the main thing.”
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