Monthly Archives: June 2011
NOTE TO READERS: Only discussing NYI/draft here. Please hit the NHL message boards to talk about trades not made by the Islanders. Thank you for the cooperation.
6:00 pm: Point Blank spoke with a pair of prospects on the eve of the draft: No. 1 defenseman Adam Larsson of the Swedish Elite League and elite defenseman Ryan Murphy of OHL Kitchener. Here is the transcript of our discussion:
As hockey players, what do you think you do best?
Larsson: My hockey sense, I would say. I seem to know where to be at the right time, and I’m confident I know how to make the right play on defense and offense.
Murphy: My skating is my best asset. It enables me to get to where I need to go and make the play in all zones.
Before you play your first NHL game, what aspect of your play would you most like to improve?
Larsson: My shot needs to get better. I practice it almost every day, including the offseason. It’s getting there. It should be ready for the NHL.
Murphy: There are no perfect players, so there are always areas I will work on. I continue to work hard on my defensive zone coverage.
Do you believe you could play in the NHL this October?
Murphy: I’m a confident person, so I have no problem saying yes. But if my NHL team decided it would be best for me to play another year in the Ontario League, I would accept that and just come back a year older, wiser and better.
Larsson: I am ready.
Yes, but the big question surrounding you, Adam, is will you come to the NHL this season instead of playing one more year back home in Sweden?
Larsson: After two years in the Swedish League playing against many great pros, I’m ready for another challenge. If the NHL team didn’t think I was ready after training camp, I would go back to Sweden for one more season. But the NHL is my dream and I’m determined to make the club that draft me this season.
Did you guys meet with the New Jersey Devils?
Larsson: Yes. At the combine and then some extra testing with New Jersey around the combine. That’s how they do it, as far as I’ve been told. That’s a great organization.
Murphy: Same with me. They spent a lot of time with me on testing. It was a great experience.
Did you meet with the Islanders in New York?
Larsson: No. Just at the combine. Great meeting. Nothing too crazy. Nice guys.
Murphy: Yes. I know the rink is old, but I loved it. Incredible tradition on Long Island. Nice place to live. I also met with them at the combine and had already taken their test.
Ryan, which member of Islanders management did you spend the most time with in New York?
Murphy: I only saw Garth Snow briefly. The man who spoke to me the most was (scout) Trent Klatt. He seemed to be the leader with prospect stuff. I really enjoyed the visit there.
How many other teams did you meet with one-on-one beyond the confines of the brief sessions at the combine?
Larsson: Three – Edmonton, Colorado and New Jersey.
Murphy: I visited the Islanders and Boston, plus five other teams came to Ontario to spend extra time with me. I also took a lot of tests for teams like the ones I took for the Islanders.
Just for fun, what’s your favorite movie?
Murphy: Miracle
Larsson: Unknown
Favorite music?
Murphy: Rap. Kid Cudi is my favorite.
Larsson: Justin Bieber (Editor’s note: I don’t know Adam well enough to know if he was only kidding, but I do not think he was kidding. Perhaps the Devils’ or Islanders’ PR staffs will be able to clarify this in about 24 hours).
Any idea what team is going to draft you?
Murphy: Not sure, but I think it will be in the top ten. I’ve got it narrowed down to a few teams, including the Islanders and Bruins, I think.
Larsson (laughing): You would think I would know by now, but I have no idea. It’s exciting. I will know soon enough. I’ll be proud to join any team that selects me.
Comments. Only discussing Islanders/Draft here. Thanks.
11:45 pm: Imagine Gabriel Landeskog on the wing of John Tavares for over a decade. (Must. Trade. Up.) Or the electrifying Ryan Murphy quarterbacking the offense. The Islanders like both.
5:00 pm: Trade talk at the draft and more on Evgeny Nabokov, Brad Richards and others with TSN’s NHL Insider. Comments on this interview only in this thread.
FYI: Plan right now is to stick with the draft all week and write about latest arena issues when all details have been absorbed. 11:30 am: The big question for Friday: is it possible the great Adam Larsson slips to the fifth pick? Yes it is, but if he doesn’t, Couturier will be there. More later. Much more.
Last year, the “Hockey Night in Canada” and HNIC Radio host insisted Jeff Skinner would be the steal of the top of the first round. Here’s why the OHL observer believes Strome will win the draft for some fortunate team in the top ten.
9:00 am: After nine seasons with the Islanders, Radek Martinek will be free to sign with other NHL clubs when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, league sources tell Point Blank.
The 34-year-old Martinek and the Islanders, sharing mutual admiration, have not completely closed the door on his return to the team that picked the Czech in the eighth round of the 1999 NHL Draft. General manager Garth Snow, who has declined to make an offer to Martinek to this point, wants to keep his options open on the blue line. The well-respected Martinek will receive plenty of offers after the top players come off the market during the first few days of the UFA period.
The Islanders currently have five veteran defensemen locked up on one-way contracts for the 2011-12 season: Mark Streit, Mark Eaton, Mike Mottau, Milan Jurcina and Andrew MacDonald. Impressive youngster Travis Hamonic is on his two-way Entry Level contract, but is a lock to make the team out of training camp. That’s six defensemen, not counting restricted free agents Jack Hillen, Ty Wishart and management favorite Bruno Gervais, who played 53 games for the Islanders last season.
Snow could also be in the market for a significant upgrade to his defensive corps.
Through 453 regular season games with the franchise, Martinek was deeply appreciated by ownership, teammates and a long list of coaches. He has plenty left in the tank and – despite a career in which he has suffered some serious breaks, bruises, sprains and strains – has often matched up effectively against some of the most talented forwards in the Eastern Conference. If 2010-11 was his last season with the Islanders, consider this irony: his 64 games tied Hillen for the most played by a defenseman on the team.
There is no animosity. This appears to be a simple case of both sides professionally agreeing to take their time to do what’s best for them. In the most likely scenario, however, Martinek has played his last game as an Islander.
Comments on this. Draft talk continues below and will eventually re-start above with some SNY pieces.
5:10 pm: Some pertinent facts about top-8 draft prospect Dougie Hamilton after a phone coversation today with the Niagara (OHL) defenseman…
Isles Likey: Hamilton has spent more time with Islanders personnel than any other team. He met with the Islanders at the scouting combine. He had lunch with scouts in Ontario outside of the combine. He visited the Islanders on Tuesday.
About That Long Island Trip: “It was a nice day,” said Hamilton. “Mostly all business. Nothing on the ice. Medical testing, some talks with a few of the hockey people at the practice facility. They took me out to a good dinner. I met with Garth Snow and Eric Cairns.” Although Hamilton will visit with more teams in Minneapolis this week, the Islanders were the only team he visited at their home base.
The Other Guest: Hamilton’s visit over-lapped for a few hours with one from another top propect: high-scoring forward Sean Couturier of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Psych Test: He took the Islanders’ psychological exam, which – contrary to overblown internet legend – was not created by the team nor is anything out of the ordinary. “It was fine, but it was loooong,” Hamilton said with a laugh. “I’ve taken so many from NHL teams. Most of them are the same with subtle differences. You take them on-line. During the school year, they can be annoying and exhausting, but I understand why they’re necessary. It will all be worth it in the end. No complaints.”
Good Genes: Dougie’s mother, Lynn, was a member of the Canadian Olympic basketball team in 1984. His father, Doug, was a rower in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. His brother Freddie also plays for Niagara and was drafted by the San Jose Sharks last year.
Awesome Attitude, Grades: Hamilton was this year’s OHL Scholastic Player of the Year. He scored a 99.something in Calculus. “Me and my brother, we have the same approach to everything. No matter what you’re doing – hockey, school, personal interests – be the best you can be.”
The Typo: “That was funny,” Hamilton said about a temporary NHL typo that led website readers to believe the already-big defenseman was 6-6.5. “I heard from so many buddies and people in hockey about it. I’m 6-4 and a half, so I’m still okay in the size department.” Hamilton said he’s currently 193 and would like to be slightly over 200 when he plays in the NHL.
On Ryan Strome: “He’s one of the most talented offensive players you’ll ever see,” Hamilton said of his Niagara teammate. “He was pretty dominant in our league this season. Great kid and a good friend of mine.”
Favorite Players Until Now: “Changed a lot when I was young,” he said. “Steve Yzerman…Shane Doan. Then when I focused on defense, I liked Jay Bouwmeester and Scott Niedermayer.”
Comparisons: “I think my game is similar to Brent Burns or Rob Blake. I hope I can reach their level some day.”
The Suit: Just before we spoke, Hamilton’s suit for the draft – arranged by his agent – arrived at his Ontario home. “I’m putting it together now. Giovanni? I’m really looking forward to a special night with my family.”
If he was chosen by the Islanders…”I’d be really happy. I’d be a good fit there and they have so much young talent. I’ve also gotten to know management pretty well the last few weeks, so I’m familiar with them. The organization has treated me with a lot of class and I’ll always be grateful to them for that. It would be an honor to be drafted by the Islanders.”
POINT BLANK TAKE: The Islanders are very interested in Hamilton, but they are just as enticed by the talents of a half-dozen other players. Top defense prospect Adam Larsson could slip to the fifth pick if the New Jersey Devils are so bold to pass on the Swede at 4. Ryan Murphy will be available. Enormously talented forwards like Strome and Couturier – at least one – will be available at five, and they would be very difficult to pass up. Hamilton would be another key piece to the Islanders’ rebuild, but they could move back to picks 7 or 8 to get him and acquire more assets.
Stay tuned all week for Islanders’ draft coverage. Lots more to come over the next 72 hours. Comments.
