MacDONALD DELIVERED BY TED NOLAN
Also: Bailey back in NY for medical evaluation
Chris Botta on Twitter
Andrew MacDonald has not spoken to Ted Nolan in a while, but when he gets the chance in the offseason, the young defenseman has a lot he wants to say to his old junior coach.
“I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Ted,” MacDonald told Point Blank.
“Here” could have meant in the Islanders’ locker room, in the NHL, heck, even in professional hockey. It was Nolan who convinced MacDonald the best way for his skills to develop was to play in the Quebec Major Junior League. It was Nolan who gave MacDonald big minutes on the blue line with the Moncton Wildcats.
And if that wasn’t enough, it was Nolan – then the Islanders coach – who used his powers of persuasion to convince then-GM Neil Smith, the scouts and even team owner Charles Wang at the 2006 NHL draft to use a sixth-round pick on 19-year-old Andrew MacDonald. There’s a very real chance that, after first round pick Kyle Okposo, MacDonald will be the best Islander to come out of the 2006 draft.
“I’m well aware of everything Ted did to see that the Islanders gave me a chance,” said MacDonald, third on the team at plus-7 in 32 games this season.
Nolan believed in MacDonald when he recruited him to play for him with Moncton of the QMJHL. The defenseman, then 18, had been offered a college scholarship to play hockey at Bemidji State in northern Minnesota. Nolan told MacDonald he had the ability to someday play in the pros, but he would be best served by the long junior schedule. The Wildcats coach also pledged to provide the blueliner with the icetime and responsibility he probably would not get as a freshman and sophomore at Bemidji. As the host team, Moncton had an automatic invitation to the Memorial Cup.
Nolan also asked nicely. “Ted is a persuasive man,” said MacDonald.
The Wildcats lost in the Memorial Cup final, but MacDonald proved why Nolan had so much faith in him. He logged big minutes and racked up 46 points in the regular season and another 13 in the playoffs – impressive for a first-year junior player of any age.
After the Memorial Cup, Nolan was hired by the Islanders. Well before the scouts assembled at the draft, the new coach said that if the team had a late-round pick and no one the scouts were certain of, his support was completely behind MacDonald.
The Islanders had three sixth round picks in the 2006 draft, so they took Nolan up on his recommendation. The teenager from Nova Scotia thought he was so out of the picture when it came to NHL scouts that he didn’t even follow the draft. He did not learn of his selection by the Islanders until the morning after.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said MacDonald. “I honestly didn’t think I was on anyone’s radar – even Ted’s.”
Now MacDonald is the best Islanders prospect to emerge out of Bridgeport this season. Perhaps his steady arrival is because he has come through the system slowly and surely.
“The impressive thing about Andrew is that he has played at every level, and he has figured out with each step how to become a better defenseman,” said Islanders head coach Scott Gordon. “I’ve seen the improvement in his skating in just the year and a half I’ve been following him closely. I’ve seen improvement from game to game at the NHL level since he’s been here.”
“I think of a player I had in Providence – Mark Stuart, a first round pick with the Bruins. You could see that the more Mark practiced with the big club, he got better from the competition. Andrew is the same way. Since being with us, he has elevated his game in practices and in our games.”
MacDonald, who has averaged more than 24 minutes over the last six games, takes pride in his improvement throughout his journey in hockey. He played Tier II before joining Moncton. In his first year in the Islanders organization, he played 38 games with Utah of the East Coast Hockey League. That was just two seasons ago. He credits his progress at the AHL level to coaches Jack Capuano and Pat Bingham and development coach Eric Cairns. “They always have time to help me improve my game,” said MacDonald.
Now he’s in the big leagues, where he watched Tomas Kaberle, his favorite player growing up in Judique, Nova Scotia, and his idol – Hall of Fame defenseman Al MacInnis, who is from nearby Port Hood. “Mr. McInnis is still involved in our community,” said MacDonald. “He’s donated a lot of time and money to the rinks and our youth hockey programs. He’s someone to look up to.”
MacDonald knows he won’t be the big blueline scorer McInnis was in his heyday, but the next step in his NHL development is getting more involved on offense.
“I have to use my attributes, which I think are strong skating, good positional play and moving the puck,” he said. “Let’s face it: I’m not the biggest guy so I’m not going to be a punishing defenseman. As long as I take care of my own end, I want to start contributing to some goals for us. I think I’m a good fit in Scott’s style of play, so I’m determined to do what I can to stay with the Islanders.”
And whenever the season ends, MacDonald plans on reaching out to Ted Nolan – the man most responsible for him being in the NHL and as an Islander. “That’s definitely a call I’ll be making,” said MacDonald. “I owe him a big thank you.”
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Nick Boynton was passed up by the Islanders and 28 other NHL teams. No biggie there. Next!*** In other news, Brendan Witt should be ready to go in one of the Islanders’ next 2-3 games. Dustin Kohn – who has played a combined 15 minutes over the last two games – is still with the team.
UPDATED at 1:50 pm - As tweeted by Katie Strang from Florida, Josh Bailey has an upper-body injury. He has left the team to travel to New York for a medical evaluation. Bailey missed a game morning skate last week, but has tried to play through a mysterious injury (shoulder?).
***In other words, we’re moving on.
Comments on Andrew MacDonald. Comment Guidelines.
52 Responses to MacDONALD DELIVERED BY TED NOLAN
Also: Bailey back in NY for medical evaluation
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mtrico says:
Sounds like a real good kid, like most of our youngsters do. Hopefully, within the next few years, we will see these quality kids develop into an elite NHL team.
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scottd says:
Terrific story. Take note of the fact that this is a kid who was drafted in 2006, was given time to develop properly, and is just now, four years later, beginning to find himself as player. (Same can be said for Okposo, btw). Keep that in mind when the next time you evaluate the play of Bailey or Tavares.
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Avolp55turgeonfichaud says:
home grown feel-good story. i love it
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Mike says:
Great, great story. I hope that the club can continue to draft and develop young takent. IMO I enjoy seeing guys that are developed from within, and become Islanders. You can have a team of winners and good character guys.
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JKP on LI says:
This reminds me of the kind of great stuff that you were doing with the blog every few days last year. (This year’s stuff is also great, just different.)
Did Al MacInnis mary Marty McInnis and take his name or something?
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MacDonald, Hillen and KO are the perfect examples of why PATIENCE is the real key to a successfully rebuild. Tavares, Bailey and others in the pipeline just need some time to mature to the NHL level.
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Willis says:
Nice, I didn’t know how Ted helped him along. And I wish Andrew success. Nice picture of him skating with his head UP.
I still think Bailey will be fine!
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Irish Isle says:
I love how much respect he has for those that helped along the way, and how he refers to Mr.McInnis
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orgaNYIzation says:
A pleasant surprise to say the least. Don’t know what our D would look like had Hillen and MacDonald not come along this season.
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Good Kid, Good Player, Good Character…
Nice Catch Ted- & Nice to See He Appreciates it/you………
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Anthony says:
Thanks for the nice story you shared with us about MacDonald and Nolan, and speaking of Nolan, what is he up to. I still think he was a great coach, and never understood why the Islanders got ride of him.
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MilburyRuinedMyLife says:
Man, I love Ted Nolan.
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akeem says:
Hey CB, any update on what Nolan has been up to? Is he still in hockey somewhere?
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Alex says:
Let’s hope Harmonic and De Haan can follow in AMac’s footsteps.
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terry says:
Mac has played well since his call up,it is a shame he has to play with guys like witt,gerv,meyer and takes a big chance of landing on IR with the way the other teams run our players with out chance of retribution with out any protection. Snow wins the wuss gm of the year award and gordon the wuss coach of the year award.
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JPinVA says:
Nice story. I’ve mentioned a few times tha that Nolan was due a “thanks” for MacDonald, but I had no idea how deep that ran.
I think Garth has done a pretty good job. But I was pretty upset when the New England Goalie Association took over the club… especially when they whacked Ted.
Maybe someday you can add your perspective to the whole situation… or would that just widen the chasm between you and the snowman… koo koo kachoo. -
Spartiarti-RVC says:
thanks ted, but im glad he not the coach right now. We would still be playing vets over guys like KO, Bailey Nielsen.
I liked Andy Mac from first game he played. He has already leap frogged Bruno bigtimes. I think that fact tha Bruno is nice guy is only reason why he still on this team.
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What a nice story! Thaks for sharing CB.
akeem (13): Nolan is the VP of Hockey Operations for the Rochester Americans. I think the position is a great fit for his personality (the fewer bosses Ted has, the better lol) but he is a fine coach so in a way some players are missing out on that.
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MIkey Pants says:
I think MacDonald’s doing a great job for a Rookie Blueliner. If there was a draft of Islander Players and even if they were the same age, I’d take MacDonald over Gervais any day. The guy is steady and sometimes he even makes great plays. It’s amazing that he has been such an unexpected surprise.
Best of Luck Andrew MacDonald!
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DoubleW says:
VP of Hockey Operations in Rochester Mr Nolan currently is. As well, he spends a lot of time with the Ted Nolan Foundation
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EJ-1since40 says:
Bring back Ted Nolan as Coach AND Neil Smith as GM, now we are talking. How about CB as team president? Oh Yeah, what a trifecta that would be…
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beatlebailey says:
I get that Ted Nolan made the huge recommendation on the pick but I sense a slight tinge of a tweak at Garth Snow ( formerly the Monkey and Maven) with this article. The kid had to be developed by the Islanders organization. And it was the kid who did the most to get here. So credit Ted Nolan with the find but after the inital pick, credit for development goes to AMAC and the Islanders.
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nystrom23 says:
Great story…kid has shown indeed that he can play at this level
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IslesRock says:
It’s stories like this that make Point Blank such a great Blog and source of information for Islanders fans. Thanks!!
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Scott VanVoorhees says:
Just because of his size, he can’t be a punisher? Kaspiritis anyone? Hit the weights on the off season, eat well, and learn the hip check. (lost art) Don’t give up on a part of the game by making a lame excuse. Work on the weakness and make the strenghts stronger.
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admin says:
Post updated with Katie’s news from Florida about Josh Bailey.
(25) Scott: You cannot possibly compare MacDonald’s frame to Kaspar’s. Darius was a truck when he was 18. Ask guys like AMac and de Haan to punish and see their careers end in less than three years…CB
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EAF says:
So looks like Bailey is out and Tamby is in???
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Hope its nothing serious with Bailey. Maybe that is why he has been less effective recently.
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Ethan K says:
There’s a difference between being a punisher like Phaneuf or Shea Weber, and someone who puts in an honest effort to finish checks and keeping people from getting the position they want. AMac has done well so far doing the latter, and that’s all he has to do. Freddy Meyer is another good example of that- he finishes his checks and pins players to the boards nicely. You have to use the skills you’ve got. Hamonic is the kind of player that you hope can develop into a power checker.
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Staten Islander says:
Bailey looked like he got his shoulder crunched against the glass in the Florida game
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Smitty031 says:
Bailey didnt miss a game last week CB.
He’s missed one game this year, the famous healthy scratch. -
Jon in Chicago says:
Wow, an injury to Bailey leaves this team even more devoid of offense if at all possible. Gonna be tough to avoid having the bottom fall out if he’s out any length of time.
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isles72 says:
someone even signed andrew in my fantasy hockey league last week
you made it to the bigs kiddo
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UIF says:
Nice AMac story. And I’ll never say a bad word about Nolan. He made a believer out of me during that 06-07 season, which was a fun ride from the miserable beginning all the way to Dubie’s poke check and some horrible goal/no-goal calls in the playoffs.
Tough news on Bailey. I though he, KO and Schremp looked really good out there together.
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JoeRiverside says:
CB- Thanks for this great story. These are the types of stories our local papers should cover. For some reson Hockey has fallen behind beach soccer in order of importance. How this came about, I’ll never know. When I was younger, you could count on much more media hockey coverage. Thanks again CB. Keep up the great work!
JoeRiverside -
isleBwatchingU says:
Watch, they’ll recall Gilles before they let Tamby suit up.
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Oh crap. Hope its nothing serious.
Tamby time. -
TuxTax says:
Been extremely impressed with Andy Mac so far. Hope the boys are having fun with thier little midseason team vacation in sunny Florida. Hopefully they come out of the funk they have been in with a little team bonding.
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thepolishprince says:
Hope it’s nothing serious with Bailey – a good kid become a good hockey player.
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I never saw Kaspiritis as a truck, but he sure hit like one. Paired up with Vladdy, they were fun to watch. Maybe the game has changed, and smaller faster guys can be more effective, but I’m still a believer in delivering the blow when it’s called for. Believe me, the small guys can get their center of gravity down and take big men out. I don’t think it’s a part of the game he should give up on. If he learns the right way to do it, he’ll have a longer career, not shorter.
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Brother Rat says:
Hm, great to see MacDonald progressing, but I hope you don’t think the ship has sailed with the other Isles 2006 prospies: JJ may still develop, Doug Rogers led Harvard in scoring last year, and Rhett Rakhshani turned down Bridgeport to captain the Univ of Denver to a national championship. Looks like Rhett’s in a good place so far, as U of D is now the #1-2 ranked team in college hockey (was #1 in Jan, now back to #2) and Rhett’s the leading scorer. CB, are the Isles pleased w/ how Rhett’s developing?
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dose says:
great stuff on this kid. if they have/get a couple more like him (maybe kohn is 1) the d-corps will be well on it’s way. solid and smart on the backline is everything.
and it’s nice to read something positive about ted nolan too. -
big dally mac says:
Good Cape Breton boy. From one MacDonald to another congrats on making the big leagues. Our kids from the Cape have someone to aspire to be be like, just like I did watching Al MacInnis.
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Lorne says:
The Olympic Break can not come soon enough, everyone on the team needs a breather. Just hope we are still hanging around the playoff race by
Valentines Day.Hope nothing serious or at least too serious with Bailey.
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RD says:
Damn, this team is falling apart fast! Who needs the playoffs and a 1st round exit anyway. Maybe a top 10 or 12 pick would suit us better. We need talent. This is very evident with guys like Park, Gervais, and Meyer still on the team. We can clearly do much better. This team can compete with anyone but the lack of talent in some areas always leaves us a step behind. In 3 years, this team will be amazing.
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Bjorn Holland says:
As a fan in Europe – so I dont have to pay to attend games – I am hoping for a top three pick this year. Then hopefully Martin, Donovan, De Haan and Hamonic will develop in the new D guys. That will take a couple of years though. Isn’t Patrick Marleau a UFA this year?
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JKP in Halifax says:
I love seeing the Nova Scotians make it in the NHL, especially when they’re Islanders!!!!
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NYICHAMP39 says:
Its turning into Australian cencorship on this site CB. One joking comment about Tambi not cracking the line-up and its removed. You didnt even chuckle? Wasnt being malicious or anything…
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raul17 says:
THANK YOU, CHRIS!! Finally, a positive Ted Nolan article!!!
–> #8 Willis: Please re-read the article. Nolan told MacDonald that he had the ability to play; conviced him he would develope if play Jr hockey instead of sitting a year or two in college; he received playing time; and was drafting by the Isles when he probably wouldn’t have been drafted at all and might not have been signed as a free agent (like Jack Hillen).
–> #18 Sartiarti-RVC: Nolan was the coach that “blooded” Okposo, Nielsen, Comeau and Chris Campoli! If I’m not mistaken, they weren’t receiving 4th line/crash/energy either!
Don’t know why Wang tossed him, I thought Nolan got a bad deal from the Isles.
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Franko says:
from cape breton west islanders (major midget)to ny islanders,way to go drew.we’re all cheering for you.
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judiqueflyer says:
Andrew is what makes us proud to be a Cape Bretoner. Very professional. His success besides good mentoring from Nolan and others comes from a strong family and parents. That solid background has prepared Andrew for the success he has had. All the best Andrew.
Also, glad to see that MacDonald recognizes how much Nolan meant to his career. Nolan was a great addition for the Islanders and he seems like he was very genuine to his players. Glad to see his draft pick from that year paid off.