Monthly Archives: September 2010
9:35 pm: The headline on the Islanders’ official team site blared, “Single Game Ticket Sales Sizzle,” after regular season tickets went on sale on Wednesday.
Business should be strong out of the gate and crowds should be large for the first three months of the season. Between the start of the season and Jan. 11, the team hosts only five games that do not fall on weekends or a holiday break. One of those games is against the Rangers. For the second half of the NHL schedule, the Islanders’ place in the Eastern Conference standings will dictate if the majority of fans stick around in large numbers.
As mentioned earlier, the Islanders’ decision to increase box office prices has been met with some sticker shock among the fanbase. While Islanders’ tickets are still low compared to what you might see in New York City, Chicago or Canada, prices have been raised considerably over the last few years. Except for the last five rows, the least expensive seat to be purchased over-the-counter is $65.
The die-hards who want to catch live action are advised to negotiate their best deal on a partial plan with the staffers in the Islanders’ sales office at 1.800.882.ISLES.
Here are the regular season ticket prices for the 2010-11 season. Among the games designated as “premium” are the three tilts at the Coliseum against the Rangers.
100s and 200s (bottom half of arena)
Lower Center: $150 ($170 for premium games)
Lower Corner: $105 ($120)
Lower Endzone: $95 ($110)
300s (top half of arena)
Upper Center rows A-E: $85 ($95)
Upper Endzones rows A-E: $80 ($90)
Center Mezzanine rows F-O: $75 ($85)
End Mezzanine rows F-O: $65 ($75)
Last 5 rows: $35 ($40)
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BOSTON 2 ISLANDERS 1 (OT)
The Islanders played much better Thursday in the second of back-to-back rookie games in Boston. Long Island’s own Tony Romano scored a first period goal. Ryan Spooner scored both goals for the Bruins, including one with 37 seconds left in overtime on a breakaway. The Islanders out-shot Boston 34-33.
Kevin Poulin was outstanding stopping pucks and feisty protecting his crease. Mark Katic was sharp on defense. Nino Niederreiter doesn’t play like a kid who just turned 18.
Travis Hamonic and Lane MacDermid exchanged big rights in front of the Bruins’ bench in the second period. Since it was Hamonic’s second fight of the two-game series, he was kicked out – as per Islanders-Bruins rookie game rules. Casey Cizikas sat out with a groin strain.
The Bruins announced a crowd of over 14,000 tonight after more than 11,000 yesterday. Tickets were just $5. The concession and merchandise stands were open. Think they’ll host a few more rookie games next year?
Dmitry Chesnokov tweeted tonight that Kirill Petrov is on Ak Bars’ four-game road trip. From that, Dmitry reasons that Petrov will “most definitely not be coming to the NHL this year.” Just passing it along.
On Friday, the rookies have a workout scheduled for the morning and then the main roster skates in the afternoon. Training camp begins.
Comments are welcomed. See you Friday.
New York Islanders 2010 training camp opens this weekend. No need for a lengthy preamble. When it comes to job competition, here’s the score for the maximum 23-man roster for opening night. “In” players are listed alphabetically.
GOALTENDERS
In (2): Rick DiPietro, Dwayne Roloson
Must Prove He’s Ready: Nathan Lawson
Prospects: Mikko Koskinen, Kevin Poulin
The Story: Not much more to add here that hasn’t been discussed for the last two years. If Roloson and DiPietro make it through camp with their health intact, it will be interesting to see if Garth Snow has three goalies in Bridgeport to start the season. One (Poulin?) could go to the ECHL.
DEFENSEMEN
In (7): Mark Eaton, Jack Hillen, Milan Jurcina, Andrew MacDonald, Radek Martinek, Mark Streit, James Wisniewski
Vet in a Battle: Bruno Gervais
Prospects: Calvin de Haan, Travis Hamonic, Dustin Kohn, Mark Katic
Depth Dman du Jour: Dylan Reese
The Story: Having eight players on one-way contracts minimizes the suspense, but Scott Gordon will give everyone their chance…To increase his speed and mobility, Gervais changed his workouts, monitored his nutrition more closely and lost ten pounds in the offseason. He knows he’s in for a fight to play every night…If there are injuries on the blueline, the Islanders have more solid depth at the position than they’ve had in years…Unless Jurcina has a breakout year under the tutelage of assistant coach Dean Chynoweth, the big club will continue to lack size and toughness on the blueline.
FORWARDS
In (10): Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau, Trent Hunter, Zenon Konopka, Matt Moulson, Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo, Rob Schremp, John Tavares, Doug Weight
Maybe: PA Parenteau
Opportunity is There: Jesse Joensuu, Matt Martin, Nino Niederreiter, David Ullstrom
Fall-Back Man: Jon Sim
Heavyweight on Call: Trevor Gillies
The Story: The most intriguing job competition at camp, without question…Martin is going to be given every chance to make the club…Parenteau has a low-cost, one-way contract. He’s going to have to earn his spot on the team. If not, he could play in Bridgeport after he clears waivers or he could be moved…The Sound Tigers will have trouble finding goals (again), but in Andy Hilbert, Robin Figren, Micheal Haley, Rhett Rakhshani, Rob Hisey and others, provide the Islanders with decent bottom-six forward depth.
Your thoughts on the opening night lineup are invited. Please, no line combinations yet. Thank you.
9:35 pm: The saga of Islanders prospect Kirill Petrov is nearing the crisis stage. At risk: the proper development of a talented young hockey player who desperately wants to play in North America today.
Here’s where the story is now. Petrov’s team in the KHL, Ak Bars, has now played three regular season games in their 2010-11 season. Of the three, the 6-3 right wing has hit the ice for only one. In that game, Petrov played just 8:10.
In an email, a scout who attended the game wrote to Point Blank, “Petrov looked very, very good. He is young compared to most players in the KHL, but he did not look out of place. For the little time he got, I thought he was one of Kazan’s best players.”
Ak Bars is one of the deepest and dominant teams in the KHL. Petrov has two years remaining on the four-year deal he signed prior to the 2008 NHL Draft. The contract was the reason why such a skilled and powerful forward was available when the Islanders selected him with their third pick in the third round.
At Islanders prospect camp, Petrov stated that his wish was to join the Islanders organization this season. He has become fond of the franchise and comfortable with his teammates. Petrov insisted he had no problem with playing in the minors for a couple of years, if necessary.
It’s doubtful Petrov would have to wait that long. On the first day of rookie camp, one high-ranking member of the Islanders family told Point Blank, “I hope we get Petrov here. He could really help us – soon.” The implication was that Petrov was good enough to see NHL ice this season.
Despite the best efforts of agent Alexander Tynjynch, Petrov has so far been unable to secure his release from Kazan. Reached tonight on his cellphone, a frustrated Tynjynch said that he would continue to pursue a solution for his client “until next week. If nothing then, well…”
Few people, of course, are going to be sympathetic to Petrov. After all, he was the one who signed a committment to Kazan as an 18-year-old for the next four years of his life. He is earning enough money that one NHL team executive, in a conversation with PB, questioned his true commitment to the NHL. The Islanders also knew what they were getting into when they made the low-risk, high-reward pick of Petrov – after non-prospect David Toews and since-traded Jyri Niemi in the third round.
But here’s why this is news, and should be of concern to the Islanders and their fans. If his KHL team won’t set the 20-year-old Petrov free to at least attend Islanders training camp – during a time when Kazan has played him in a total of eight minutes in three games – why would anyone think Petrov will be made available to the Islanders a year from now?
If Petrov goes four years from his NHL draft date playing limited minutes in the KHL, the Islanders would have a poorly developed player by the time the summer of 2012 comes around. That would be a shame.
The good news? Point Blank asked NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly if the Islanders could bring the unsigned Petrov to New York at any time, even if the KHL season has already begun. Emailed Daly:
Petrov has to be free of his contractual obligation in Russia before he would be eligible to play in the NHL. But there is no time limit or date by which that must happen.
In other words, if Ak Bars decided – next week, for example – to set Petrov free, he could still become an Islander. For the sake of a high-end talent, hopefully the Islanders, Tynjynch and Ak Bars can reach a settlement.
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BOSTON 5 ISLANDERS 2
Nino Niederreiter and Robin Figren scored for the Islanders. Mikko Koskinen was sharp early, stopping 15 of 15 shots in the first, then looked human when the shots kept coming. Calvin de Haan will play better games, starting Thursday in Boston. Kid hadn’t played a game in a while. Travis Hamonic had an assist, won a fight and was iffy on defense. Niederreiter proved that he may want to wait a while until his next fight. David Ullstrom has certainly shown enough to deserve a good look when regular camp opens on Friday.
Like Steve Webb 15 years ago, rookie camp invitee Alex O’Neil is smart enough to make sure – love him or loathe him – everyone is going to know his name. He won his fight and threw a few hits. Jordan Caron had a hat trick for the Bruins. Best of all, as far as we can tell, no one on the visiting team got hurt.
Jack Capuano was the head coach behind the bench, with Eric Cairns and the outstanding teacher in Bridgeport, Pat Bingham, at his side.
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Illustration No. 147 that owner Charles Wang is as emotionally-invested in his team as any in the NHL: he traveled to Boston today to watch Islanders prospects play in a pre-season rookie game.
Let me go out on a limb and state that no more than three fellow NHL club owners will travel beyond a few miles to see their teams play in any level of exhibition games this month. It’s possible Wang, who a year ago personally scouted John Tavares and Matt Duchene, is the only one.
But sure, Canada, keep those rumors coming about the Islanders’ owner divesting himself of the team.
Comments about this post are invited. Please refer to these Comment Guidelines.
In one of the rookie games in Boston on Wednesday and Thursday, Mikko Koskinen is going to wear an Islanders uniform and start in goal. After a challenging first year in North America last season, Koskinen cannot wait to face the Bruins in an NHL rink.
“It’s going to feel good to play a game as an Islander, and really just play a hockey game again,” said Koskinen, the Islanders’ selection with the first pick in the second round of the 2009 draft. “Last year was tough at times, but it ended up okay and now I’m just looking forward.”
You can’t blame him. After playing only two games in Bridgeport (AHL), the 6-6 goaltender from Finland needed hip surgery performed by Colorado-based specialist Dr. Marc Philippon, who has operated on Garth Snow, Rick DiPietro, Mario Lemieux, Alex Rodriquez and many other professional athletes. Koskinen was off the ice for two months before rehabilitation began.
However, he ended his rookie year in the organization on a very optimistic note. In search of a place where the prized prospect could tend goal regularly and in a less-pressurized environment, the Islanders sent Koskinen to their East Coast Hockey League affiliate in Utah. Koskinen was unbeaten in six regular season games, posting a 2.50 GAA, and played well for the Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs.
While the biggest challenge for the Finn was expected to be the adjustment to North American rinks – specifically, the smaller ice surfaces and the different shooting angles that come with them – Koskinen is convinced that he has made the transition.
“These angles are not a problem,” he said with confidence. “These rinks in North America feel like home to me now.”
Most importantly, Koskinen made it through the conditioning stint without any pain or discomfort.
“I have to thank the doctors and the trainers,” Koskinen said at Islanders rookie camp. “I felt great playing in Utah and I feel stronger than ever now.”
A rookie game a few days before the official start of Islanders training camp is not going to make or break a prospect – especially a high-end goalie talent like Koskinen. But the games in Boston could provide head coach Scott Gordon with one of the few looks he’ll get at Koskinen during camp.
“With such a short exhibition schedule, there are only going to be so many opportunities,” said Gordon, referring to the Islanders’ NHL preseason slate of five games played on just three nights (two will be split-squad). “I look forward to seeing Mikko in action.”
Gordon confirmed that Koskinen and fellow prospect Kevin Poulin will each start a game in Boston.
Asked if he was ready to be the No. 1 goaltender in Bridgeport this season, Koskinen smiled and said, “Definitely.”
Notes: Islanders regular season tickets are on sale at the Coliseum box office and through Ticketmaster on Wednesday beginning at 10:00 am. To those of you who emailed with tales of “sticker shock” when you saw the increased over-the-counter prices on some seats, one solution could be to inquire about discounted partial plans. Call 1.800.882.ISLES and tell the Islanders’ sales force 1. Point Blank sent ya and 2. StubHub already has plenty of seats available for the home opener and Game 2 against the Rangers. Hopefully, they’ll make you an offer you cannot refuse.
As I tweeted on Tuesday, rookie games are good for fans and people in the business starved for hockey, but ultimately mean very little in the big picture. As an example, this week’s tilts in Boston will include top prospects like Calvin de Haan, Travis Hamonic, Nino Niederreiter and Tyler Seguin, but they’ll also feature some unsigned youngsters who will never even see the AHL. Yesterday in Traverse City, Carolina whipped Columbus, 8-1. Think that means anything? (Okay, Jeff Skinner did get five points, which is cool).
Anyway, Point Blank will have an educated pair of eyes at the games. If anything significant comes out of the games, I’ll do my best to publish a short post.
The Islanders’ lineup will be culled from this group of youngsters skating this week in Syosset:
G: Koskinen, Poulin
F: Casey Cizikas, Justin DiBenedetto, Robin Figren, Kirill Kabanov, Niederreiter, Rhett Rakhshani, Tony Romano, David Ullstrom, plus invitees Alex O’Neil (Brampton, OHL) and Justin Taylor (London, OHL – unsigned Capitals sixth round pick).
D: de Haan, Tony DeHart, Hamonic, Mark Katic, Anton Klementyev and invitees Corey Syvret (Guelph, OHL – unsigned Panthers sixth round pick) and Steven Tarasuk (London, OHL).
Bostonbruins.com is streaming both games, and no doubt newyorkislanders.com and Newsday will have complete reports. Hey, no matter how you look at it, hockey is back. That’s a very good thing.
Unheralded Islanders prospect to watch – David Ullstrom. More on him later. If Alex O’Neil plays, chances are you’re going to hear his name a few times on the broadcast.
The Islanders and Bruins have a rule this week: once a player has been engaged in two fights, he’s out of the two-game series. For example, if an Islander fights twice in the first period of tonight’s game, he is ejected and has to sit out the rookie game on Thursday. That’s sensible. There will be some fights, but not so many that it gets ridiculous.
Comments thread closed. See you later.
FanHouse: Why training camp tryouts can be a good idea
2010-11 New York Islanders Preview
During the first week of July, Calvin de Haan was just like every other faithful follower of hockey. The Islanders’ skilled defense prospect was as absorbed by the free agent frenzy as anyone else who cares about the sport. Of course, de Haan had a vested interest.
“I want to play here, right”? de Haan asked rhetorically in a talk with Point Blank.
The 12th overall pick in the 2009 – the more high-end of the Islanders’ pair of top blueline prospects with Travis Hamonic - learned via the internet that Garth Snow signed Mark Eaton for two years and Milan Jurcina for one. Add Eaton and Jurcina to the team’s returning six defensemen on one-way contracts, and the bright 19-year-old knows eight could be more than enough.
“It’s going to be tough with the good D we added and the good D we already had,” said de Haan. “There’s no question about it. But I’m not going to sit back and approach this like I’m not going to make the Islanders. At my age, with my contract signed, I have two options – I can’t play in the ‘A’ (American Hockey League), so it will be either the Islanders or another year of junior. I’m going to fight as hard as I can to stay with the Islanders.”
A year ago, de Haan impressed head coach Scott Gordon with his poise, polish and puck-moving ability. In the mind of management, de Haan was not a no-brainer to be returned to the Oshawa Generals. After they said goodbye, the young defenseman won a coveted spot with Team Canada at the World Junior Championships and played well for Oshawa.
Late in the season, de Haan suffered a serious shoulder injury that required surgery. His rehabilitation extended into Canada’s WJC evaluation camp in August, but this week at Islanders rookie camp, de Haan has been able to play at 100% efficiency.
“The shoulder is healed and strong,” said de Haan. “I’m healthy and that’s behind me. In no way should it stop me from being my best at camp.”
Gordon said he’s excited to see what the prospect can do when the Islanders’ main training camp begins on Friday.
“Calvin’s a smart player and a talented player,” said the head coach. “Last year, he was impressive enough that we had a long discussion about what would be best for him and the team. This year, with us adding some very good depth on defense, it’s going to be a challenge for him.
“I think it’s harder at the NHL level for young defensemen compared to forwards, like Josh (Bailey) and John (Tavares). As a forward, you can get away with some mistakes as you’re developing. With defensemen, you have to be ready physically and mentally or the mistakes are going to be glaring and costly. Calvin is going to be with us for a long time. It’s just a matter of whether this is the right time. He’s going to get a chance to prove himself.”
If de Haan – whose personal goal is “to continue to get faster and stronger” – doesn’t make the big club, he understands that he is still in a good position to progress.
“If I’m back with the Gens, I’ll have the chance to play a lot of minutes,” he said. “I’ll also have a shot at another World Juniors. You’re not going to hear any compliants out of me. I just don’t want to think about that now. I want to make the Islanders, right”?
Notes: Islanders single-game tickets go on sale exclusively today from 5-9 pm at the Team Store in the Broadway Mall in Hicksville. Trent Hunter is signing autographs during the first hour. All fans will have the chance to purchase tickets at the Coliseum box office and through Ticketmaster beginning Wednesday at 10:00 am.
Congratulations to Trent and Terri Hunter on becoming parents again in July.
David Toews, one of the team’s third round picks in 2008, is expected to miss camp with a shoulder injury. The 20-year-old Toews, who left North Dakota after two poor seasons to play junior hockey in the WHL, is the brother of Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews. Injury or not, he has a long way to go and not much time to prove that he is at least a mid-level prospect worthy of a contract.
Prodigal son Kirill Kabanov was welcomed on the ice at rookie camp today. Kabanov, who was benched Monday after reporting late for camp, skated hard – some on his own accord, some with direction from a coach.
John Tavares did not work out with the veterans today because he had another commitment. Along with Sidney Crosby, Eric Staal, Drew Doughty and other stars, Tavares is taking part in the NHL’s media availability in New York with league media partners.
Comments regarding this post are welcomed. See you later.
Chris Botta on TwitterCB’s Islanders Preview for Fanhouse
If they haven’t already, the coaches of the Portland Winterhawks might want to eliminate NIEDDEREITER from the season-opening forward lines on their dry-erase board. At least for the month of October. Almost certainly, Nino Niederreiter is going to be in New York for a while.
In a conversation after the first day of rookie camp, Scott Gordon left the door wide open for the Islanders’ 2010 first pick to make the big club at the age of 18.
“If you look at our history, we have given our top draft picks a chance as teenagers,” Gordon told Point Blank. “Josh (Bailey) had the opportunity because of some injuries we had at the time. He made the most of it when we looked at him for those nine games (before a year would come off his Entry Level contract). John Tavares making our club last year wasn’t a surprise to anyone. He earned it. Nino is going to get the same chance.”
The Islanders’ third-year coach detailed why the 6-3 left wing from Switzerland is quite possibly in a better position to succeed at the NHL level than even his skilled first pick predecessors.
“Nino has a few things going for him,” said Gordon. “He has God-given ability and he’s a better skater than Josh and John were at this stage. He also has the big body, so he won’t have any problems physically. No one is going to expect him to be as prolific offensively as John out of the gate. We won’t put that pressure on him. We just believe that, whether it’s now or in the near future, Nino has a lot to give.”
In the end, whether Niederreiter makes the 2010-11 Islanders will come down to a pair of factors. Here are two direct quotes from the head coach:
- “We have to measure his ability to contribute in all three zones against the highest level of competition.”
- “For us to keep him here this season, Nino has to be more than a fourth-liner for us.”
Niederreiter said today that he arrived on Long Island a month early to prepare himself to be at his best and make the team. “I love Portland,” he told Point Blank. “The team and the fans were very good to me. But right now, all of my determination is on staying with the Islanders this season.”
POINT BLANK TAKE: Niederreiter just turned 18 years old last week. With the Islanders playing five preseason games in three nights (two are split-squad), Niederreiter only has three games to prove himself. As a witness to dozens of rookie games like the ones scheduled his week in Boston, I can tell you they are overrated as barometers for top prospects.
Since management won’t have enough time to properly evaluate Niederreiter, he’ll be here for at least the first nine games of the NHL regular season. By then, they’ll be able to look at his production and how much icetime he deserves before deciding whether he should return to Portland.
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Notes: As I posted on Twitter around 1:30, the Kirill Petrov saga is not over. According to a source, the Islanders and Petrov’s representatives are still trying to get the talented 2008 third round pick out of his KHL contract and into NYI training camp. The Islanders do not want the 20-year-old playing eight minutes a game – if he’s lucky – with Ak Bars. Give this one more week for the Islanders to kidnap him find a solution.
As first reported by Kevin Allen of USA Today, the Islanders informed agents last month that experienced NHLers were welcome in Nassau on a tryout basis. As of now, there may not be any takers.
One player you should be able to cross off the potential tryout list: Miroslav Satan. Looks like the former Islanders winger is getting an NHL contract somewhere.
Should have mentioned this in the first post of the day. Like Matt Martin, Jesse Joensuu is skating with the NHL guys. This is his third full season in North America, so the big Finn isn’t skating with the rookies anymore.
Islanders rookie camp continues on Tuesday at Iceworks. The rooks will have their morning skate on Wednesday in Syosset before getting on the bus to Boston for the two rookie games that night and Thursday.
So nice to be back at the rink today, see some very good friends and re-connect with the incredibly loyal Point Blank readers. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do this for a third season.
As always, comments relevant to this post are heartily encouraged. Comment Guidelines. More info from day one of camp is below.
CB’s Islanders Preview for Fanhouse
Matt Moulson on Twitter: Follow the 30-goal man
Say this for Kirill Kabanov: he did not disappoint. The 2010 draft pick with all the tools but a few screws loose reported late to the first day of prospect camp.
Say this for Islanders hockey ops staffers: they did not sweep Kabanov’s tardiness under the rug. The Russian winger was kept off the ice for the first day of camp. The easiest thing to do could have been to let it slide – and keep it out of the news – with a warning to Kabanov. Instead, the Islanders know they don’t have a perfect kid on their hands, which is why he was available in the third round in June.
Good on Garth Snow for putting the hammer down. Of the strikes (we learn about) on Kabanov’s way to earning an Entry Level contract, let’s see how many the kid gets.
Notes: Kirill Petrov is not here…Calvin de Haan (shoulder surgery) participated in all on-ice drills – often to the left of Travis Hamonic…While the prospects’ practice began at 10:30 am, the veterans were planning to hit the main rink at Iceworks around 1:00 pm…The workouts are not open to the public.
Unlike many of his Bridgeport brethren, Matt Martin was not part of the rookie session. He has graduated to the big boy training camp…Scott Gordon is in his teaching element at the rookie camp. Commonly heard over the glass at Iceworks: “Faster,” “You don’t have all day with the puck,” and “What’s your job here”? (translation: what is a player’s assignment on a particular play). Tony Dungy would be happy to know Gordon keeps it fairly clean.
Jon Sim, back with the team on a two-way deal, likes what he sees of his young teammates: “A lot of skill,” said Sim. “The guys are ready to ramp it up a few notches.”
Josh Bailey on his draft day in 2008: 6-0 (“about”), 185 pounds. Bailey now: 6-1 (“one and a half”), 200. “I wanted to put on more weight this summer,” said Bailey. “I needed it to be more effective in the corners.”
More later. Comment Guidelines.
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