THE POINT BLANK TOP PROSPECT RANKINGS
The NYI’s best in junior, college and Europe
In the junior, college and European ranks, the Islanders have built an unspectacular but very solid collection of prospects. Since their respective draft years, most of the youngsters have not surprised the scouting community and become much more than they were projected to be. Of course, in the case of the 2009 picks, it is still very early.
The Islanders’ first picks in 2006 (Kyle Okposo), 2008 (Josh Bailey) and 2009 (John Tavares) are regulars with the big club. What you can expect from the 16 players listed below is for six of them to emerge over the next 2-5 years as important contributors to the completion of the Islanders’ rebuild.
The Islanders’ prospect pool is still shallow when it comes to size and strength.
Other than Kirill Petrov – who is very hit or miss - do any of the Islanders’ prospects have the potential to break out as all-stars? Doubtful. But after inheriting little, Ryan Jankowski and the scouts have added significant depth to the roster via the 2006, 2008 and 2009 drafts.
A note about “Maximum Upside”: To be clear, this is a projection of what the prospect maxes out as if he completely fulfills his potential on a contending Islanders team. In other words, the best-case scenario.
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Honorable Mention:
LW Jason Gregoire: 8-4-12 in 16 games at North Dakota, sophomore; will likely play all four seasons at UND, giving the Islanders plenty of time to decide whether to sign him.
D Blake Kessel: 5-12-17 in 15 at New Hampshire, sophomore; not “the better Kessel” – to paraphrase Don Maloney – but the dman could earn a contract in a year or two.
C David Toews: 4-8-12 in 15 at North Dakota, sophomore; not “the better…” – you get the point – but a fair try with a third round pick. Has a ways to go.
C Casey Cizikas: 12-15-27 in 29 for Mississaugua St. Mike’s (OHL), 18 years old; doing his best to overcome the last two years of personal turmoil and play solid hockey.
C Anders Lee: 13-11-24 in 22 for Green Bay (USHL); still a year away from joining Jeff Jackson with the Fighting Irish, but standing out in the USHL.
G Stefan Ridderwall: 1.93 GAA, .928 save pct. for Djurgardens (SEL); just when it looked like injuries might do him in, Ridderwall is playing the best hockey of his career – giving the Islanders’ yet another option in goal, or the ability to move another goalie propsect as a trade chip.
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Your top ten Islanders prospects in junior, college and Europe:
10. Corey Trivino: 2008 second round pick is sinking like a stone in the prospect rankings – others have developed significantly better, while Trivino has only been average in his sophomore year at Boston University with increased opportunity. He is 3-6-9 in 15 games this season.
Maximum Upside: Third-line center
9. Anders Nilsson: 6-5 Swedish goaltender playing well with Lulea of the Swedish Elite League and will be the No. 2 goalie for his country at the WJC. Islanders surprise 2009 third round pick is ahead of schedule, but will eventually need time learning the angles in North America.
Maximum Upside: No. 2 goaltender
8. Matt Donovan: 2008 fourth round pick is in the final 11 for 8 spots for Team USA at the WJC. Defenseman looking sharp (2-5-7 in 13 games) as a freshman this year at University of Denver, where the Islanders have seen another player on this list develop extremely well.
Maximum Upside: No. 4 defenseman
7. David Ullstrom: 20-year old Swedish forward continues to progress impressively in Swedish Elite League. Told Point Blank last summer his goal was to join Islanders organization for 2010-11. The 2008 fourth-round pick (3-9-12 in 23 games) appears to be on his way.
Maximum Upside: Third-line forward
6. Kevin Poulin: The fastest-rising, most-improved prospect in the Islanders’ system. The fifth round pick from 2008 is 16-6 with a 2.36 GAA and .917 save percentage with Victoriaville in the Quebec League. Impressed Scott Gordon at team’s prospect camp.
Maximum Upside: No. 1 goaltender
5. Aaron Ness: His slow progress doesn’t have to be anyone’s fault. It just appears to be time for Ness to depart the University of Minnesota after his sophomore year and begin developing with Bridgeport in the AHL. The speedy, smart, skilled but very small and slight defenseman did not even make the last round of auditions for Team USA. Time for a change before it’s too late for Ness, 1-4-5 in 16 games this year with the Gophers.
Maximum Upside: No. 3 defenseman
4. Rhett Rakhshani: Passed up chance to join Bridgeport this season so he could be captain at Denver in his senior year, and move is paying off. 5-11, 190-pound right wing is 11-9-20 in 16 games this season with the Pioneers. The 2006 fourth-round pick will be with the Sound Tigers next season.
Maximum Upside: Second-line right wing
3. Kirill Petrov: Just as Ness needs to say farewell to Minnesota, the Islanders will try to get Petrov out of the Kontinental Hockey League. The 6-3 forward is as skilled as ever – he’ll play for Russia at the WJC – but Kazan Ak Bars does not seem interested in developing the 19-year-old. After playing few minutes for them, Petrov was sent to the KHL’s second tier. The 2008 third round pick still has this season and two more on his Ak Bars contract. The Islanders should not wait that long.
Maximum Upside: Second-line right wing
2. Travis Hamonic: In his fourth year with Moose Jaw of the Western League, the 2008 second round pick continues to add offense from the blueline (7-28-35 in 30 games). In the NHL, he projects as a very good defensive defenseman with 30-point potential. The Islanders and Hamonic did not come to terms on an entry level contract last April, so he only worked out with Bridgeport for a week and his agent held him out of playing in games.
Maximum Upside: Shut-down defenseman
1. Calvin de Haan: Excellent hockey sense and skill, now adding strength as he continues to fill out. He is 3-14-17 in 25 games this season in Oshawa, behind last year’s pace, but he also no longer has John Tavares as a teammate (for the time being).
Will 100% be on the Islanders’ blue line by 2011-2012. Only question is whether de Haan over time becomes a top-pair defenseman or just a solid part of the corps. Considering the Islanders gave up five draft picks to move from 26 to 12 and draft him, de Haan must become an impact player.
Maximum Upside: No. 2 defenseman
Comments. Comment Guidelines. The Islanders have today off. As per Twitter must-follow Mike Fornabaio, DiPietro starts Friday in Springfield. LIer Matt Gilroy demoted to Hartford. Conversation continues on the current squad and the Islanders’ real estate situation in the following threads.
80 Responses to THE POINT BLANK TOP PROSPECT RANKINGS
The NYI’s best in junior, college and Europe
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Good stuff as always, CB. Glad to see there’s some light at the end of our defensive tunnel.
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Joey303 says:
I still cant believe the final tally for de Haan is 5 draft picks. After reading this, is it just me? Or does the future, at this point, not look any better?
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4theisles says:
Good report- but don’t know whether to be optomistic or not, but I guess Snow has mixed feelings as well.
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Hogue fanclub says:
What an excellent piece CB. This is what fans clamour over, the future. Thanks. I’d love to know more about Hamonic, and Ullstrom sounds intriguing.
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irish13 says:
Cam Fowler and Calvin deHaan should make for a nice defensive pairing.
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John says:
Will the development of Rakhshani cause the Isles to rethink the wings they currently have on this team. Still, based on your viewpoint, a lot of reaches by Snow in the last two drafts
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Since72 says:
CB – I still don’t get the Petrov situation. What do the Islanders see in him that Ak Bars does not, or why don’t they see what the Islanders see? Is it possible that his demotion has to do with their expectation that he will jump to the NHL and is not about performance?
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UIF says:
I understand the rationale behind “de Haan must become an impact player” because of what was given up for him. But at the same time, I don’t think I agree. It’s like the DP situation, except the reasoning is opposite there. With DP, we always hear that it’s not his fault he was selected first overall over Heatley and Gaborik, and it’s not his fault Wang signed him for 15 years, etc. Why is it not DP’s fault, but yet de Haan has to become an elite defenseman solely because of a situation that is not his fault either? He didn’t trade those picks, and he didn’t draft himself 12th overall.
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Iron Islander77 says:
Interesting- potential for a nice logjam in nets one day. Not just on the big club with DP Rollie and Matty Be-gone.
What’s going on with Trivino? Are the Islanders sending a guy named ‘Tony Knuckles’ over to his BU dorm room in the dead of night to remind him who owns his butt and how Uncle Charlie isn’t pleased by his lack of production?
Thanks for the unbiased, non-sugar coated assessment of the NYI future, CB.
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Will77 says:
Always love these articles, since these guys have a lot to do with our future, either by joining the big club or used in trades.
Considering that there was, even just for a minute, some consideration for de Haan sticking around, any chance they use the up to 8 games window and bring him up if another dman goes down, or is that now allowed once he goes to juniors?
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felix says:
stay the course. do not ship out prospects or picks right now. unless it is for a blockbuster young player signed for a very long time. after next year we will be in a solid position and can start navigating the fee agent waters.
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admin says:
(9) UIF: I think you’re taking it too literally. It’s not about the kid having to take it upon himself to meet the expectations the franchise put on him. The point is, by giving up so much, the Islanders had to get this right…CB
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cody says:
UIF- i think CB meant for Garth Snows sake, and the fans sake. De Haan needs to be an elite defenseman. No one will blame him if hes not, we will blame garth.
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Brian in VA says:
Garth has set the Isles up well! Looks like 2021 until we become a 6th seed…
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Wizard of Isles says:
DeHaan- It doesn’t bother me they used draft picks to trade up and get who they wanted in mid first round. I wish they employed that strategy in ’08 and grabbed another prospect w/ decent upside. If you look back at past drafts after 1st round it becomes a real crapshoot.
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Dan says:
THis makes me sad. For being so bad for so long we have no “can’t miss” prospects on the farm.
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blue chip bonzo says:
Petrov’s maximum potential is a first-liner if Rhett Rhakshani’s maximum potential is a second-liner.
Petrov’s size and skill is clearly superior, as is his pedigree and junior experience.
By the end of the month, this list will need to be augmented.
Ullstrom makes the team before R.R. too.
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CB, Cody – thanks for the clarification – I see the point there. I won’t hold anything against de Haan, just like I didn’t hold my disagreement with the Bailey call in ’08 against the player himself. But I can see how the organization certainly puts itself in a position to have its judgment put on the line when it makes those out-of-the-box calls. And maybe more so w/ de Haan since they did give up, rather than add picks on that one.
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Joe in Massapequa says:
CB, did the emergence of Kevin Poulin suddenly happen this season? If it has been known that this kid has a good chance to pan out, why would Garth still draft two goalies the last draft? That still frustrates the h*ll out of me.
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uconn husky says:
Cb, do you think at the end of the year they will let De Hann have his 9 games up here with the big club similar to what KO did a few years ago. And if they do and lets say they do make the playoffs if he played in the playoffs would that count towards the 9 games or not?
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Spartiarti-RVC says:
that too bad with Trivino. I know there was high hopes for him. Ness might be in just a bad place. Lets see what change of scenary does.
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Um says:
Were any of you a fan of this team three years ago? The farm system, and youth on this team looks so much better. Three years ago, our farm was gutted, having basically just one good prospect(Okposo), and the team had one good young player(DiPietro). Under Garth’s direction, we still have both of the mentioned players, along with the young stud Tavares, some pretty nice youngsters on the current roster, and a much improved farm system from what it once was.
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kabbage says:
Nice article Chris. I think we all wish that the Isles were contending for the cup this year with the top prospects not in the NHL on their prospect list. The fact of the matter is that the cupboard was pretty much bare three to four years ago and the team was not competitive. It takes time to build it up and to make your present team “competitive.” Could things have been done differently? Could they have drafted differently? Of course. The Islanders have chosen this course of action. They have a plan and are sticking to it. Good on them. I do applaud their patience. It is a lack of patience that got this organization in trouble in the first place.
Hamonic and deHaan will be very good defensemen for us. Ness will likely also be. I am hopeful for Petrov and Rhakshani to develop as we need scoring wingers.
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In my opinion, I still think Hamonic will be better than De Haan, and more of an impact player. Im speaking overall. De Haan may turn out to be a better offensive player but in the end, Hamonic will be more bang for our buck.
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Islesfan99 says:
Hey it looks like next year we might not draft any goalies!!! We could use some defensmen and forwards at the draft this year….
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Glad to hear about Poulin….I thought he was completely off the radar. Maybe I was thinking of Weslosky…who I think is.
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IslesAl says:
lol, the one on the list with potential #1 status is a goalie, and the organization passed on scoring talent in the 2nd round because they had a crisis at goal. And they passed on power forwards to take deHaan. If either Bailey or deHaan is not as good as Del Zotto, this could be Mr Snow’s legacy.
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Poulin looked good in the only preseason game I watched when the Isles were in Edmonton. His glove hand in particular stood out.
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thepolishprince says:
Koskinen played like 2 games and got hurt (hip). I believe Poulin’s development was this season. Disappointed to hear that Trivino is having such a subpar year. I hoped he would make big strides this year. Overall a solid but underwhelming group of prospects. Sad.
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Brian from Massapequa says:
CB – For us who are ignorant about the set up in the KHL, what does second tier mean? Is it minor pro-hockey like the AHL/ECHL. Or is it more akin to junior hockey like OHL/QMJHL/WHL?
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Some decent prospects but you can really see Snow’s questionable draft strategies shining through.
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bergie20 says:
ahh, my bad. i didn’t realize the list didn’t include signed prospects. i’m really happy to see poulin’s growth. suddenly we have a very good group of young goalies. a liability is now an asset. isles need to add some size in the 2010 draft.
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It’s true that Garth and co. has done a good job in comparison to the previous regime, but the argument can be made that they could have done a better job. And maybe they over-valued some of their prospective picks. Let’s face it, we were all dissapointed when dehaan’s name was picked. Most of us wanted a power foward maybe Kassian who was picked at 13. Pajarrvi Svenson was also someone I thought they were after. Bottom line is Dehaan was a surprise and now Dehaan must surprise us again!
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JPinVA says:
Wow… that is a slap in the face. When some of us called for the signing of some UFA talent over the summer THIS is what we were talking about.
Who replaces Sutton, Park, Weight and (dare I say it) Sim next year.
Sutton almost has to be resigned or they will have to overpay in July for a 20+ minute defenseman that can play in this aggressive system.
Park may be the most valuable of our bottom six players… but the big mistake was not giving Bailey AHL time to develop while you had a Park to play the third and fourth line center spots. They will suffer next year, because bailey doesn’t seem to be getting any better. He’s young, and he has talent, but he just isn’t ready… who knows if he’ll be there next year.
As much as this board hates Jon Sim, he has been nothing but kicked around by this organization and he’s just played through it. People may have had a different perception of him had he been utilized in the system for which he signed up for. He is clearly not a fit here anymore… but now that he has proven he can take the rigors of playing 12 mins every night he might fetch something at the deadline… not much… but something.
Weight isn’t going anywhere this year, and hopefully will allow the team to give Bailey some AHL time (gonna beat that horse until it’s tender). But I can’t see him in an Isle uni next year… not as a third line center, or a LW and PP point guy. This team will win again when he’s back (along with Sutton), but they won’t contend for anything until they can go weeks without those guys and play above .500.
they aren’t there yet, and by CB’s assessment, it is my opinion they won’t be there any time soon without SPENDING SOME MONEY!!! -
Leviticus says:
Actually this paints a positive picture. In addition to KO, JT and JB… And the Hillen FA signing, we have JJ, Martin, and Koskinen in BP, 2 possible top 6 forwards, 2 more possible top 9 forwards, 2 more #1-2 goalies, a shutdown D, and 3 more possible top 4 D men. Plus all the others in the mix. It would seem to be if even 1/3 of those turn out at their max and 1 or 2 others achieve somewhat less, we are WAY better off than we are now and these drafts will have been sensational! Not sure I get the pessimism.
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Ethan K says:
It’s still kinda too early to judge Snow’s job in the drafts. We have to see what becomes of these players, but it’s a good sign if our fourth and fifth round draft picks are being mentioned as actual NHL prospects.
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By the way, what the heck are we doing with all these goalies should Dipietro come back strong and be an all star goalie again? He’s got a long time left on that contract.
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19 Isle in NJ 22 says:
Sobering … yet another realistic view of the Isles’ prospect pool. I think another top 6 forward prospect and a top pair defensive prospect is a MUST!!
Surprisingly the Isles are all of a sudden strong in net. For the time being that is.
Can we consider DP a prospect once again? It seems instead of a long wait for him to develop, we are now waiting for him to come back healthy and effective.
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Chris says:
We need to trade Sutton, Park, and Weight for more draft picks and then draft abt 10 prospects in next years draft. We need to keep drafting like crazy.
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mtrico says:
Good insights as always CB, but it does not appear as though there is too much to be optimistic about right now.
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Completely agree with #39… Trade all the vets for prospects and younger players or picks.
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Eric says:
The cupboard was ridiculously bare 3-4 years ago. It takes time to bring that up to snuff. Besides, how many impact players do other teams have in their systems? Where is there a prospects ranking system for the entire NHL? So best case scenario for these top 10 prospects according to CB gives us a #1 goalie in Poulin, a #2 goalie in Nilsson, a #2 Dman and pp qb in DeHaan, A shutdown Dman in Hamonic, 2 more top 4 Dmen in Ness and Donovan, 2 top 6 forwards in Rakhshani and Petrov, and a 3rd line forward in Ullstrom. Not bad in my opinion.
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Bob says:
My problem with the draft is the size issue, if you are going to draft mediocre players at least make them big mediocre players.
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Lakewood Islander says:
Disappointing that they dont have top line talent in the system. Hey CB,maybe do a topic on a long term development plan for the Isles to not just draft 3rd tier bodies but instead get the Jeff Carter/Mike Richards caliber forwards?
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Brian B says:
CB…wouldn’t the best case scenario be that each player turn into all-stars!!!
No but seriously, the question I have is, what are the chances Calvin DeHaan makes the Isles next year? The Isles have shown they are not shy of bringing OHL guys up early(Bailey), and from what I saw in training camp, he does have some skill.
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ken says:
if your going to consider how deep we are with prospects, you have to include JT, Bailey and KO. Under normal circumstances, those guys could still be in the minors. Obviously they are NHL talents, but they are still at prospect ages.
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Eastonhockey says:
With this prospect pool..wangs penny pinching will anyone be surprised if isles are still a bottom 5 team next year? Or year after?
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Maybe they should close this thread before Tavares reads it and realizes what his future will look like if he stays w islanders.
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#45….Both Jeff Carter and Mike Richards were 1st rounders. It’s not like the Flyers drafted them in the later rounds and developed them into stars through their system. We have 4 of our former 1st rounders on our squad right now in Okposo, Tavares, Bailey, and Bergenheim. The early returns on KO & JT looks like they’re top line talent. The jury is still out on Bailey but I agree with CB, he needs to be centering the 2nd line with some finishers to complement his playmaking ability. Bergie is who he is. A great skater who can pot 10-15 goals, play on any line and kill penalties.
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JTorBUST says:
I just don t get why we keep drafting the same type of player. Everyone of our defenseman prospects are undersized. Does Gordos system only work with undersized non physical d men? If they are building the farm around this system we are stuck with Gordo for a long time to come-
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mrlbem says:
Very difficult to try and project how college players will pan out in the NHL. While I am hopeful for Rahkshani, I can’t help but think of another Denver Pioneer we once had high hopes for—Ryan Caldwell.
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Frank nyc says:
Thanks CB, i always look forward to the prospect rankings. Hope to see Hamonic soon.
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RD says:
In response to #51, Rahkshani is a very good skater with offensive upside. In today’s NHL, those skills are at a premium. Isle’s lack speed and his speed would be welcomed. He can take Sim’s spot if anything.
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Just to further drive home the point about Philly developing stars from lower round picks….They don’t. Of their top 15 scorers, 9 are former 1st rounders. Of those 9 1st rounders only 5 were selected and developed by Philly. The others developed elsewhere. Also in that top 15 are a 2nd rounder and 2 3rd rounders(none of them drafted or developed by Philly). There’s a 10th rounder in there(K.Timonen 1993 draft, LA Kings), and a 7th rounder(I.Laperriere 1992 draft, STL Blues), obviously they developed elsewhere. Their top 7 scorers are all former 1st rounders. THey have one college FA(Powe) who is 12th on the team in scoring(6g, 0 asst). Their starting goalie Brian Boucher is a former Flyers 1st rounder(1995) who is in his second stint with the team after bouncing around the league the last 6 years. Overall they have 11 former 1st rounders on the team. 6 of which they drafted and developed. The rest of the team that has played in at least half of the games are all former 2nd and 3rd rounders. The goalie Emery was a former 4th rounder drafted and developed by Ottawa.
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dalcy says:
teams always need goaltending. nice trading chips.
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John from ATL says:
Eighteen months into the rebuild and its seems to be moving slowly but in the right direction. A number of you have pointed this out but, when looking at the Isles prospects you must include the NHL roster players that are going to be part of the long term solution. #36 did a good job of this and listing the depth the system has now, that it didn’t three years ago.
Plus the way this season is going they should get another top 5 pick in the 2010 draft. And the 2010-11 team will probable be not much different than last night team. Sutton, Weight and Sim gone. MacDonald, Comeau and the 2010 #1 pick on the roster. Which means another high #1 pick in the 2011 draft. By then some of the prospect will be ready to fight for roster spots. I think the rebuild is only half way done. Patience.
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Sean says:
I want to find a way to blame Milbury for this? Can I point the finger?
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Lance79 says:
The list gives us mixed impressions. While Rakshani’s development is a pleasant surprise, we are sorely lacking in size and sizable talent. For the next draft(s) our priorities have got to be:
1. Physical wingers with speed and skill (e.g. Bobby Ryan, Hartnell, Penner)
2. Tough, big all-around defenders with mobility (e.g. Marc Staal) – Harmonic can’t do it all
3. Pure scoring talent – between Bailey, Nielsen, KO and Schremp, we have way too many playmakers right now and no real scorers after JT and Moulson. Bergy and Comeau aren’t going to cut it.
The biggest x-factor in our list has got to be Petrov because I think nobody knows what exactly he can bring to the table, if anything. He just might be (1) and (3) all in one but its way too risky to count on him while he’s in Russia raw and unproven.
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Mike L says:
I know anything could happen in the next couple of years, but I have a hard time believing that it will be a tough decision for the Isles to sign Jason Gregoire. He’s the top goal scorer on the team and he’s only a sophomore. At this pace it should be a no brainer. And it looks like the entire BU squad is struggling. At least Trivino is keeping his numbers with the better members on teh team.
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Ricky T says:
I’m still steaming that we didn’t hold onto our picks in the 09 draft. What ever happened to the BPA theory. We would have had at least three more solid prospects. And you still don’t draft a goalie with the first pick of he second round. It’s probable that we could have picked DeHaan and Koskinen without any of the trades and deepened the prospect base.
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Eric #53: Thats alot of research, do you work for the Flyers or something? Just kidding.
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Smokey a.k.a. Botta is God says:
Why are people talking about the Flyers, who are going on almost three decades without a Stanley Cup and just changed coaches? What’s so great about what the Flyers are doing?
Anyway CB, you sleep on Shane Sims. By the time he’s out of THE Ohio State University, I think he will be a solid bottom-pairing guy and probably deserved to be on honorable mention. Plus he actually has a little size.
As for the system lacking top line talent, it’s already in the NHL. Snow has been here for three drafts and already has two guys playing NHL hockey and a bunch of prospects to help the team long-term. That’s a decent job to me.
Don’t act like the rebuild is done either. Snowy will unload some vets at the deadline, load up on some more picks, and continue building positive momentum.
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Rob P says:
Gotta love Travis Hamonic putting on nice size and hopefully getting even bigger… The point production is very nice to see!!
Hamonic and DeHaan are perfect #2 and #3 D-men for the future (hopefully)..The report on Trivino is quite depressing..Hopefully Trivino finds his game in his junior and senior seasons at BU, as he fills into his body..
David Ullstrom would be a great third line player for us… He has size, speed and some skill.. We don’t have any third line type players that have his combo of size/skating ability..
Kevin Poulin panning out was the last guy I was worried about.. With the drafting of Koskinen and Nilsson last year, along with DP on the rehab route, and the signings of Roloson and Biron, another goalie prospect wasn’t a top priority… I don’t even know if we have enough affiliates to develop all these guys..
Speaking of goalies… With Nilsson exceeding expectations, and having 6’5 size, how could his upper-level limit be that of a #2 goalie?? If he projects as a #2 goalie at best according to you CB, what was the point of drafting him?? Certainly the Isles must view his upside differently, otherwise they wouldn’t have taken him.. I don’t think the Isles are looking to stockpile #2 goalies…Lastly, I think the nicest surprise, is the development of Matt Donovan… He was drafted in the 4th round from middle America where hockey is an after thought, and Donovan had little size to work with. He is playing great as a freshman for Denver, certainly his time in the USDL helped greatly… I hope he makes the US junior team…. He is a right-handed shot which we dont have many of in our defensive ranks, and along with DeHaan and Hamonic would make up a great young nucleus on our D-line…
Things are looking up…
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Glenn Pacitti says:
59: College/Junior rankings. If AHL players were included I’m not sure anyone outside of Koskinen would have made the list.
Being that only scouts have really had the opportunity to watch Petrov extensively I find it hard to invest too much faith in him developing into a first liner as of now. He NEEDS to develop in North America if he is going to crack the Islanders lineup anytime soon.
The emergence of Jack Hillen as IMO our best defencemen in the past weeks shows me that smaller defencemen like Ness and Katic can make an impact at the NHL level. I’ve watched Ness play dozens of times and its hard to ignore his fluid skating ability and tape to tape passing.
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mmm22 says:
Hillen is good but he gets out-muscled quite a bit down low.
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tool123 says:
I think its too early to say that Trivino has only 3 line potential at best. There is still time to bloom as junior and senior years for both juniors and college are crucial. Same can be said about Cizikas! Todd Bertuzzi didnt tear up the OHL until his senior year! example!
I love to imagine Ullstrom as a mini-me Messier type center of the future as we already have our Gretzky (Tavares) hahaha call it wishful thinking!!!
I agree with Poulin! Everyone is talking about the twin towers as nice Goalie additions and as possible future replacements for Dipi but Poulin is going to surprise fans I feel!
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Ben says:
Size and Strength! WE talk about it and we read about it practically every day.
Size – it is what it is – it’s in the genes
Strength – that can be developed and should be on the top of every players list. I’d wouldn’t mind having a d-man who is strong as an ox and gives up 3-4 inches. After all, this isn’t soccer!
My 5 cent bet is that Garth has a plan in mind with surplus goalies. I also think that we may end up in the bottom 5 come draft time and that we may move up in the lottery with any luck of the draw.
I like #59′s read – right on!
I like #61 read. I would have taken alot less to move up into the second round for several prospects than paying so much for the #12 pick. That was bad wheeling and dealing – almost MM-like.
Wow – 15 goals for Taveras already – that projects out to about 40? for the season?
I can’t wait to see how aggressive and how creative Garth is if he were to move several players at the the deadline! Almost as exciting as the draft . . .
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Oops! Sorry Garth! Merry Christmas. I’m sending a shovel for you to use at the trade deadline. Feel free to try it out at any time though. there is plenty of cleaning of the stalls to be done and there won’t be too many people complaining.
Enjoy!
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Mario says:
Guys that’s why its called prospects. If they are cant miss guys, we wouldn’t have an AHL team. They have to develop into something. Guys dont last last into the third round if they are cant miss guys.
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isles316 says:
This rebuild is going to take a very long time. It’s frustrating and stinks at times, but teams don’t turn it around in a year or two if they are building through the draft. The Kings haven’t made the playoffs in 7 years and as good as they are now, they will only get better because their prospect pool is very good still. It took them, Chicago, Pittsburgh (and they got malkin and crosby) years and years.
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RichM says:
Obviously the Islanders will need some smart free agent signings to become a consistent playoff contender. What would you consider Bailey to be? 3rd line???
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shinkdew says:
I’m not sure why anyone is complaining about size. Out of the 8 skaters listed in the top 10, 6 of them are 6 feet or bigger. And of those 6 the lightest is 180lbs., not exactly small.
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TimQ says:
It’s nice to see a couple of reasonable prospects coming through the system, but the only we this works is by supplementing with some big, tough wingers and dmen through free agency.
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JKP on LI says:
Wait, in your intro, you implied Petrov has the potential to be an all star. But then in the rankings, you said his maximum potential was as a second liner.
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Viper says:
Excellent stuff, Chris. Thank you!
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Awesome article thank you.
Everyone singing “the cupboard was bare” a few years ago is an understatement. Bruno was actually a prospect of ours. He’s the one I have the biggest problem with. But there is a list. I hope Hamonic and DeHaan turn out solid. Excited for JJ! -
CB, the stats you listed for Ridderwall are incorrect. Ridderwall has a 1.93 GAA and .928 SV% in his 14 starts, which are thankfully much better than the stats you listed!
Thanks for the cool article though! Nice read…
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Darren says:
How many other NHL teams have their prospects ranked high as well.Its a crap shoot.All the Isles can hope for are the diamonds in the ruff that maybe if we’re lucky they can hit on 1 or 2.So don’t be trading 5 picks Garth for a maybe.DeHaan may also turn out to be the next Campoli or even worse Lachance.
Nice article. Thanks for doing this CB. It’s very hard to keep up on the prospects. Had no idea Hamonic was developing that well.