Jack Hillen is messing up my story. I started this D analysis thing on Monday and had a real cocky opening. It went like this:

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If you’ve been following Islanders training camp in Moncton to see who’ll win the seven NHL jobs on the blueline, time to start looking for a different mystery. When the Islanders start the season in New Jersey on Oct. 10, they are almost certain to have the following seven defensemen on their roster:

Chris Campoli
Bruno Gervais
Radek Martinek
Freddy Meyer
Mark Streit
Andy Sutton
Brendan Witt

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I boldly wrote that these are the seven dmen the Islanders have on one-way contracts, and this is life in the NHL (it’s not the NFL, where you could just cut the guy and his non-guaranteed deal). I wrote that this was not horrendously unfair because the above seven were the best dmen on the Islanders’ roster.

But somebody forgot to tell that to Jack Hillen. Sure, in my initial draft, I mentioned Hillen had an outside chance of grabbing an NHL job. We all saw Hillen’s big-league debut after four years of college hockey in Colorado. Looking like he belonged in two games against the Rangers? Impressive. That said, I thought he was a near-lock to begin the year in Bridgeport.

Now I’m not so sure. My sources in Moncton say Hillen looks like belongs. Add him to the list. Eight defensemen – 7, maybe 8 jobs.  Well-done, Jack.

Here’s an alphabetical look at the first five of eight men most likely to be on defense at the beginning of the 2008-09 season. Included is the newly-installed Point Blank Player Rating system (explanation at bottom), whether the coaching change was a plus or minus for each player, observations from a pro scout from the Eastern Conference and my rebuttal or agreement with said scout based on the time I was in the organeyezation.

CHRIS CAMPOLI
6-0, 200 pounds, 24 years old
Rating (out of 5.0): 2.5
Coaching Change Effect (CCE): Plus. He eventually won Ted over, but Gordon’s guidance should enhance his development.
Contract: second year of 3-year deal signed in July, 2007
2008-09 salary: $625,000

Eastern Conference Pro Scout’s Take: “Islanders were smart to lock him up last year because he’s a kid with ability and a lot of teams would pounce…Not anyone who’ll  scare you physically, but he’s a very good all-around player…He’s not a big name, but I have him as one of the better young defensemen in the conference …I’m looking to see if he makes the jump this season to be a solid fourth defenseman.”

Point Blank: From the day he arrived as a 7th round pick, Campoli impressed me with his commitment and attitude. Some might call it a bit of cockiness, but I’ll take his confidence every day over the dozen of kids who came through the system with that humble “I’ll just do what’s best for the team” and then never came close to actually making the team. With some coaching, Campoli could be a 3 or 4 and stay with the Islanders for a while.

BRUNO GERVAIS
6-0, 200 pounds, 24 years old
Rating: 2.0
CCE: TBD. Let’s see him earn a regular shift first.
Contract: first year of 3-year deal signed this summer
2008-09 salary: $522,000
Scout’s Take: “I don’t know what Gervais is. He was an offensive defenseman in junior and in the AHL. He hasn’t shown it at this level and he has to soon…I was surprised the Islanders gave him three years one-way, but they know him better than the rest of us…He hasn’t been given much power play time and then he missed the end of last season…Needs to establish an identity and a regular spot this season.”

Point Blank: Having been with the Islanders from the day Gervais was drafted, I can tell you he’s one of those young players who will be here until he gets a complete chance. No, it’s not just because he does all the charity gigs with a big smile on his face. (Disclosure: when my son had heart surgery in ’07, Bruno – on his own – called him throughout the playoff push). He’s a good player, a smart player. He’ll play in this league and every Islander fan will be proud, because by then Gervais will have made friends with all of them.

JACK HILLEN
5-11, 200 pounds, 22 years old
Rating: 1.5
CCE: Plus. As a prospect, whether he’s in the NHL or AHL he’ll have a teacher.
Contract: second year of 2-year deal signed in April, 2008 (yes, you read that correctly)
2008-09 salary: $875,000

Scout’s Take: “Not much to go on from two games in the NHL. I was at one of them. He looked good…Small, but smart and an outstanding first pass.”

Point Blank: I met Hillen his first day on Long Island. He showed up, signed his contract, talked to the media and then practice and played not like he was at a fantasy camp, but like he believed he deserved to be there. Like Campoli, he has a good combination of skill and confidence.

RADEK MARTINEK
5-11, 200 pounds, 32 years old
Rating: 3.5
CCE: Even. Martinek just plays. Doesn’t matter much who’s coaching.
Contract: first year of 3-year extension signed on Oct. 5, 2007
2008-09 salary: $1.5 million

Scout’s Take: “Only thing standing in the way of Martinek being really underrated is he spends part of every season on the injured list…Smart, faster than he looks, positionally solid, doesn’t embarrass himself when he gets on the power play – although I don’t know why he wasn’t used more there…Even if he plays 60 games a year and is ready for the playoffs, his contract is a bargain.”

Point Blank: I’ll say it one more time: Radek Martinek is the lowest-maintenance player I ever worked with. Just shows up and plays, doesn’t get caught up in any BS. If every team had ten players like Martinek, coaching in the NHL wouldn’t be such an insane career choice.

FREDDY MEYER
5-10, 190 pounds, 27 years old
Rating: 2.5
CCE: Even. Won Ted’s trust, should win Gordon’s.
Contract: first year of 2-year extension signed on Jan. 22, 2008
2008-09 salary: $575,000

Pro Scout’s Take: “After that route he took last year (Islanders-Phoenix-San Antonio-Islanders) seems like Meyer’s in a good place. I think Snow gave him that contract because the guy was all over the hockey map and came back, didn’t whine and played hard. As an old journeyman myself, I thought what the Islanders did showed class…Not a bad player to have on your roster. He’s a 6 or 7 who can come down from the press box, play 20 minutes and be a second-unit power play guy.”

Point Blank: The Fantastic IVth, like Gervais, is one of those players the Islanders know is still a work-in-progress, but he’s theirs and they will keep him. How can you not respect a man who spent way too much time watching games in press boxes and video rooms across the league, then played 26 minutes and earned third stars for keeping players like Ovechkin off the board?

 

About the Point Blank Player Rating System
Players are rated on what they have shown in the NHL so far and what they bring to the Islanders this season. This is not a projection of what a Kyle Okposo will be. Experience, leadership, hustle and guts are also brought into the equation, but let’s be real: the rating system primarily serves as a conversation-starter and possible irritant.

 
(on Friday: Streit, Sutton, Witt)