SNY POINT BLANK TV: MARTY WILLIAMSON
Niagara GM/HC on Strome, Hamilton, CdH and Cizikas
The NHL scouting combine over, look for the Islanders to have meetings between now and the draft with the following top-10 draft prospects, among others: Jonathan Huberdeau (gone before 5), Gabriel Landeskog (same), Adam Larsson (maybe not), Ryan Strome, Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Murphy, Sean Couturier, Sven Bartschi and – per the AP – Mika Zibanejad. If the Islanders pick in the 5th spot, Strome and Hamilton will be among four or five very strong prospects in the discussion. The IceDogs GM and coach discusses his players – Hamilton and Strome – and shares high praise for Calvin de Haan and Casey Cizikas. Niagara beat de Haan’s Generals and lost to Cizikas’ Majors in the OHL playoffs. Comments on this and the top of the draft are welcomed.
96 Responses to SNY POINT BLANK TV: MARTY WILLIAMSON
Niagara GM/HC on Strome, Hamilton, CdH and Cizikas
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Kevin says:
Anyone but Murphy. No offense to him but we don’t need another small D-man.
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Strummer's Army says:
Great hearing positives about De Haan and Czikas. From what I have read Strome is inconsistent and viewed as hit or miss. I don’t take a guy like that at 5. Hamilton is the dream scenario and fills Isles biggest need. This is why moving back one spot is a big deal. Almost certain Nugent-Hopkins, Landeskog, Hub are top 3. 4 would be a sweet spot because you’d get your pick of Larsson or Hamilton. I’d lean towards Hamilton because of character, eventual weight, fighting. Larsson is nice all-around and physical and already 6’3″ 220. I’d much prefer Isles take one of those two then the offensive guys or the midget Murphy.
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Flatley says:
A nice Sunday surprise – even if you recorded it 2 weeks ago (just kidding!)
Thanks for posting this and getting the draft talk started again.
If the Devils pass on Larsson, we have to take him. Other than him, I’m find with just about any of these other kids – Strome, Dougie, Couturier
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Al says:
Don’t be surprised if they reach for Bartschi. Maybe move back a few picks to 7 or 8 and take him. They crushed on Nino, they can easily be crushing on another Swiss from Portland.
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bergie says:
Thanks, Botts! We’re getting another great player to join Nino in the rebuild.
Loved what Williamson said about Casey. Loved it.
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nyifan72 says:
Its one thing for a coach to talk up his own players. But it was awesome to hear what he said about de Haan and Cizikas. That kind of praise from an opposing coach with no strings attached goes a LONG way and is the kind of stuff that brings me to this blog every day.
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DPS says:
If RNH, Landeskog, Huberdeau and Larsson are gone, we’re taking Strome and I’d be very happy with that. Best player available. Definitely the kid with the most exciting talent, I can guarantee you that. I’ve seen him play more than 20 games this year.
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Harry7273 says:
Good to hear the character reference for Strome. Obvious the coach thinks he’s a tremendous person. Combined with skill, that’s very important.
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The New Isles GM says:
Honestly, seeing how the Devils draft, it wouldn’t surprise me if Corurier or Hamilton is draft at 4 assuming Larsson is off the board. One difference in the top 4 can really change the way the Isles draft. Excellent interview by the way CB, great to hear another voice speak highly of Isles prospects. Hopefully we come away with another nice prospect at the end of the month. Huberdeau would look sexy in orange and blue right about now.
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CC says:
Excellent interview. Tough spot because it’s a coach talking partly about 2 of his own kids. But you pushed him on important stuff like conditioning and the fall-off during the playoffs. I took a lot out of this. And the compliments for Calvin and Casey got me pumped!!!
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alan says:
There are two scenarios I see here.
1. If Josh Bailey is re-signed, which ever Dman (Larsson or D. Hamilton) is left on the board will be donning an Islander jersey come draft night.
2. If Josh Bailey is not resigned, he could probably be dealt along with a pick or prospect to Atlanta/Winnipeg for Zach Bogosian, who seems to have worn out his welcome in that organization. If that happens, the Isles could draft centers Couturier or Strome or trade back a few spots to draft Bartschi or Zibanejad.
With 19 days til draft night, things could get interesting.
Alan
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PotvinRocks says:
I’m pretty sure that Larsson will still be there at 5 and they will have to take him there otherwise Strome or Hamilton would fit in nicely in two or three years. There is talk that sending RNH back to Red Deer will be the best thing for his long term career.
Thanks for this interview on Sunday night. It gave me something to listen to while grilling up some pizza -
jon from nj says:
Guaranteed, Snow will pick someone not within any GM’s top 15.
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The Simtuation says:
Wishlist – Larsson, Coturier, Hamilton, Murphy. Sounds like a good kid but the hit or miss reports on Strome make me scared, would love to see the Isles jump up and grab Oleksiak although so many people talk about him I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go in the 7-12 range.
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Good info, Isles need more defenseman in the pipeline, Think of this in 2 yrs, Hamonic, MacDonald, Donovan, DaHaan, Hamilton and Streit. Not a bad defense at all! Isles were in the bottomof the league on goals against this season, that needs to change…
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Jzimm says:
I may be in the minority, or even just a flat out loner, in this way of thinking, but I really believe that our best options originate from across the pond, and that’s Adam Larsson and Sven Bartschi. But of course, I will support whomever we draft.
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islesrock73 says:
Another great interview! #13, when was the last time Snow really reached with his first pick? Like most of you, I never saw any of these kids play in person. Therefore, lets rely on the the Isles to make their best pick.
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And Al, based on what I’ve seen, Bartschi is better than Nino. I think Sven is dynamite. He reminds me of a winger who established himself in the NHL quite quickly, but I will withold that player’s name as a means to avoid criticizm.
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Volek says:
Not brain surgery. Snow’s used to picking in the top and has done okay. Take the best player available. The top pick has nothing to do with your current roster. It doesn’t depend on who is staying and who might go or whether a kid like Bailey is ever going to develop into much or whether JT is a star. You just take the BPA and call it a Friday night.
Thanks for a really good interview. Perfect guy to talk to. He’s the coach of the kid who may be the best forward at 5 and the best dman at 5. Thank you, Mr. Williamson for doing this.
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walsh says:
Another year and another top 5 pick. That’s progress, Garth!
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nyi 16 says:
Great piece..I wonder why Larsson is dropping, it seemed like he was a contender to go first overall and know he might be there at 5?! Wow. Now Im wondering about the gap between Larsson and Hamilton. Mika Z looks like he’s moving up to..good size, versatile, gritty.
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Bailey – nothing special. There’s a half-dozen players drafted after him who are already excellent NHLers.
Tavares – no brainer. Any fan could have taken him.
De Haan – traded 5 picks to move up and take him and he may not be a first-pair dman
NN – missed on Skinner and Fowler and Nino is far from a sure thing as a starThese picks are good, not great, not brilliant
So why do we act like Snow makes all the right moves?
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Newman says:
Very excited about this pick. Would be thrilled with Larsson or Strome, have no problem with Hamilton or Couturier. We really can’t lose by picking at 5. Great talents are going to be there, as CB and others have written many times.
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Garver says:
Marty Williamson may not be the biggest name but this is one of my favorite interviews of yours. He really shared some great insight into his 2 players. He admitted Strome wasn’t good in the OHL playoffs and explained why. Really good information.
I’m taking Strome at 5
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Ethan K says:
If he’s still there at five, you have to take Adam Larsson. However, Dougie Hamilton is a great alternative at the number 5 overall. Both two way, physical defensemen with good mobility and shots. If somehow both of those guys get taken (it is possible) before the 5th overall spot, then Huberdeau is my guy over Strome. Murphy will be a great player but we don’t need a 5’10″ offense-first defenseman at all.
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Love draft day as it is a good time to fill my Islander void until October. Couturier looks to be ready for prime time. If he is on the board…I draft him. Bartchi and Strome have some very impressive moves…Have not seen much on the defensive prospects, but they better be sure he will be a stud if they draft a D-man, otherwise, I would go for the points producers! Very excited…
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Hetty says:
i’m hoping that we take hamilton, larsson (should he be there at 5) or even couturier. i think couturier would be a great pick. a big center with amazing hands, and is a great 2 way player. we could always use another man to play on the PK and he could be the guy. along with that, hamilton would be my next pick. while larsson is a defensive stud and has played in the swedish league against big boys, i like hamilton bc he is also defensively sound and has the hands on offense too. my first goal is to take offense thus taking couturier. you can always find defensive later in the draft or in free agency. its tough to find really good and young offensive talent and by adding couturier to our already young core, it can only be a positive impact.
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Brian G says:
If the draft falls the way you think…My Pick is Sean Couturier..best player available…please no Hamilton, from what i have read he is not that physical of a dman, he looks like a Cam Barker clone.
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Steve says:
Just go for the best player available. We have depth in the nets but we have needs on D and up front with the forwards. If Larsson is around when we pick, you have to draft him otherwise I would go with Couturier. I almost get the feeling that this year Garth will do something different like trading out of the 5 spot for more picks.
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Frans Dish says:
Dougie Hamilton is definitely going to impress the Islanders staff at the combine and interview. If we get either Hamilton or somehow Larsson this team will be ready to take the next step. Can’t wait for the draft, so many intriguing prospects.
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Dave says:
If I was the GM and in Garth Snow position…all my friends and counsins agreed. I would draft the following 3 players if still available. As a Forward Sean Coutiuer 2yrs – 35g/96pts, Defensman Adam Larrson or Dougie Hamilton. Ryan Strome Reminds me of another Josh Bailey to inconsistant.
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streit02 says:
I have faith in the Isles to draft the best player. This draft is so wide open. At this point i dont care who they take. Snows done better than good at drafting so far. If you look at some of the guys he passed on to take players who werent ranked as high he’s done a very good job. Would you trade Bailey or Nino for anyone that was ranked or picked higher than them? I wouldnt. Whether they pick Couturier, Strome, Huberdeau, Larsson, Hamilton, Bartschi, Zibinejad….doesnt really matter to me anymore.
#20 It’s not brain surgery, but theres an evaluation process that goes into it. If we took the BPA by central scouting we’d have Nikita Filatov and Brett Connolly instead of Bailey and Nino. -No thanks
#23 There were 6 players drafted after Bailey that have played in the NHL and outside of Myers the rest were all rookies this past season. I think its a stretch to call them “excellent NHL’ers”. Bailey is 21. People need to get off his case he will be fine. You would think JT was a no brainer but some scouts had Hedman ahead of him. Outside of the top 4 theres only been 2 players to play in the NHL in Dehaans draft class. Why does Dehaan need to be a 1st pair dman for that to be a good move? Yea, every team missed out on Skinner, but the kids played one season on a strong team and half the league passed on Fowler. Nino will be a beast. So you would have drafted Tyler Myers at #4 in 2008, Tavares and (you can fill in the blank for the Dehaan pick), and Jeff Skinner at the 5 spot.
C’mon man gimme a break. We’re going to have an awesome team stop complaining. -
Madchef says:
Isles should get a quality player no matter what as long as they dont reach. No small d-men, or o-men. Dont worry about needs take the best player available.At 5 there will be one of these top guys available. I want Courtier, or Hamilton based on what i have been reading. If any of the other top 3 fall then you take them.
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Instead of praising picks like Hamonic, Czikas, Poulin, MacDonald, Nielsen, all people do is complain and look to negatives. It’s really starting to get aggravating considering the strong team the Isles are putting together here.
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M Lawrence says:
Spoken like a true Isle fan – “Bailey is going to be okay.” Exactly. He’s going to be okay. A third line player. We had the 5th overall pick. Who cares what Filatov has done. It’s the team’s job to get the pick right!
We’re not talking about Poulin, MacDonald (Nolan pick) and Nielsen (Milbury pick). We’re talking about the 5th overall pick and what the Isles have done with it. Thanks for the lecture, but stick to the topic.
A real “strong” team. They better soon after all these top 5 picks.
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Bassen says:
At 5 we need to get a guy who will get 70 or more points someday at forward. I trust Garth will find the right player.
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Mario says:
Cracks me up when guys say to stop complaining. We haven’t won a playoff series in 18 years! Snow hasn’t proven anything. Maybe he’ll be good. He’s gotten us a few good players on waivers and the scrap pile. But stop acting like we’re a future juggernaut and he’s the next Scotty Bowman!
Back to the subject at hand. Get Strome or Couturier, assuming Larsson is gone.
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Tim says:
33 – you have about 33 facts wrong over a few paragraphs. You can make your points without exaggerating.
Every team did not miss out on Skinner. Skinner was missed by teams picking 3-6, including us. Fowler was not passed up by half the league. de haan DOES have to be outstanding after all we gave up for him. And on and on.
You were right about Bailey. He’s going to be “fine.” Big whoop.
Would I trade Bailey or Nino for guys picked after them? Are you out of your mind? Do you follow the league outside of your Islanders?
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BryanG says:
33: dude, if you’re gonna wave the pompoms and tell fans of a last place team they shouldn’t complain, you gotta bring some knowledge.
Take it to the bank. If Snow could get Erik Karlsson, John Carlson or Tyler Myers for Josh Bailey, he would do it yesterday. I would also do it for Ennis, Eberle, Stepan and a few other guys, but I’ll admit that’s at least arguable.
It’s one thing to be a fan. It’s another to tell other fans how they should talk about their team.
Get Strome to be what Bailey is not.
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Bailey is what he is – a 3rd liner and all ours. Might as well support him.
Larsson may be there at 5. Have to take him. If he’s gone, I’d be happy with either of the Niagara boys.
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Kevin 27 says:
Couturier will be the pick and Garth is going to look like a genius in a few years. Like Anaheim for taking advantage of all the clowns for passing on Fowler.
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Justin says:
Strome
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Potvin5 says:
Great Sunday night viewing. The Devils are the key at 4th pick after RNH, Huberdeau and Landeskog are off the board. I can see the Devils taking someone earlier than expected. for good and bad, Conte has made some strange picks over the years.
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rob says:
Time to draft a stud defenseman.
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Oren says:
Larson or Corturier then Haberdeau in that order.
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goislesgo105 says:
If Larsson is not available, Dougie Hamilton is my pick. A future defense of Hamilton, DeHaan, Hamonic and MacDonald sure sounds good to me. With JT, MM, Grabner,Nino and Comeau,this team can score. But until they cut down on their goals against, the Isles will never be a serious playoff contender.
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Onesinceforty says:
I have no clue what to do!
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this was amazing…loved hearing his opinion on CDH and Cizikas…
can’t wait to see these guys play…
Dougie sounds real good too, Strome as well – can’t go wrong it seems. -
19inarow says:
You rock, Chris, thanks.
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Bob E says:
I agree, people have to get off Bailey’s case. He has more upside than any other player on roster last year other than Tavares. From his Draft Class only 3 players have faired better than him. #1 Stamkos, #2Doughty and T. Myers in Buffalo.
As for Draft I think you take Larson if available or one of the Skilled Fowards. You never waste #1 pick on Dman unless he is something special. There are other Dougie Hamiltons and Murphies in 2nd and 3rd round. Dont forget we have two 2nd round picks thanks to wiz trade.
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MarioGazz says:
I cant wait to go to work during the year for the Sound Tigers. It is going to be awesome watching these guys.
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To all the draft geniuses out there. Can we hear your answers to what the Isles should have done on picks you feel werent good? Research back to the guys who turned out good SO FAR and see where they were slotted in the draft rankings and tell me you would have selected them in the slot the Isles were picking. Give it up.
#36 – If we’re not talking about picks that werent made by Snow then stop complaining about the team now because of Milbury’s years of futility and screw ups.
#39 – Can you name the facts that were wrong? Look at where Skinner was ranked. Theres no way a team was picking him at 5. And Fowler was drafted 12th overall. He was supposed to be a top 3 draft pick. So every team from 3-12 passed on Fowler. What has Fowler proven to you anyway that says the Isles messed up the pick? 12th overall out of 30 teams = virtually half the league.
Based on the guys the Isles passed up and “should” have drafted in past drafts the Isles would select a guy like Tomas Jurco in this years draft who’s slated to go in the 20′s and everyone should be ecstatic about it because 3 years from now he might turn out better than our pick at 5. Get over yourselves. Why dont some of you give Winnipeg a call i hear they need a new GM. The rebuild started in 08. We’ve played 3 seasons and should fight for a playoff spot this year? Where is the problem? The injuries the past 2 seasons will turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Im not saying Snow is a genius, but he hasnt done anything wrong and has picked up some pretty good players for us whether they were “no brainers”, lucky pick ups or whatever you want to call them. -
sean says:
Larsson would be nice addition if he is there, but if he is taken get dougie Hamilton. We need big tough defenseman with grit to win. Be interesting to see the free agent market July 1st and see what happens.
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TimQ says:
Hamilton or Larsson. Take your pick
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MoreDraftPicks says:
Trade the 5 for the 8 and 45. Then trade the 8 for the 9 and 61. Then trade the 45 and 61 for the 28. Seems like the right thing to do
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54 – I see the drinking from Sunday night continued into this morning. Geez. Okay, it’s all on Milbury now. Guy hasn’t run the Isles draft in 6 years.
You’re a great fan. God bless. But stop telling other fans to quit complaining by shoving stupid facts down their throats. I’m glad you think Bailey is better than everyone drafted after him.
Okay, pour another one and have a good day.
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Bob E – only 3 players have fared better than Bailey from his draft class? You mean youre judging it by how many NHL games he’s played? How dumb is that? Everyone knows he wouldn’t have played as many if he wasn’t on the Islanders.
What’s going on here? Can’t believe we’ve got at least two fans who think Bailey is better than everyone drafted after him. Scary.
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MH says:
We will get Larson, Coutrier, Strome or Dougie if we take our pick at 5. All fine by me.
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derek says:
54: “slotted” in the draft rankings? by who? The Hockey News? Central Scouting? It’s up to the TEAMS to get the picks right!!! If all teams did was follow the so-called rankings, then fans like you could run the draft. Defending a pick because of how you think a player was ranked is embarassing.
I agree with a lot of people that we can’t go wrong at 5 and will get a first line player.
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Boss says:
You’re going to be disappointed. This year’s pick won’t be in Bridgeport so I don’t know you’re bringing up your Sound Tigers job in this thread. No Kabanov, Petrov, Gregoire, Kessel. Cizikas probably. Trevor Gillies back on a two-way contract. Ness is okay in the AHL. Donovan still has a lot to learn. Goalies should be good but they’ll be on the shuttle. Not sure what else you’re expecting other than another bad Bport team.
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Mike L says:
1. RNH
2. Huberdeau
3. Landeskog
4. LarssonIsles will have pick of Strome, Hamilton, Couturier, Bartschi, Zibenejad. All good.
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Numbers65 in Ohio says:
Bartchi may be a good choice for us or any of the top O or D prospects that are still there.
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JKP in Halifax says:
As always, CB, thanks for going for the level of detail in your coverage that is simply non-existant anywhere else. Love it!
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gary9-19-22 says:
We need a d-man desperately.. we were 10th in scoring last year and a UFA with initials ZP will provide the upgrade we need.
Based on what I think will be there at #5.
1) If any of the big 3 (Ladeskog,Huberdeau, or RHN) for some unknown reason drop in our laps, take them and run for the hills!!!
2)Larsson – wishing
3)Hamilton – this is our guy!!! He will anchor a d-fence for a decade.
4)Couturier – I would not be upset for a second if he ends up an Isles.. unless we passed on Landeskog.. again wishing -
4theisles says:
Lots of possibilities, but for a play-off run we need help at D and G. Look to Snow to get vet help early at these 2 positions. You draft for the future, but with a new building and winning a plus for the Isle’s to stay on LI Snow can’t gamble if he wants to get the goals against down. Right now we don’t have the horses.
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DWC says:
Loved what was said about Hamilton. To me Couturier or Hamilton assuming Larsson is off the board.
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nhl80 says:
Strome will be the best player available at 5. He has more upside than Landeskog.
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Terry says:
I’m a loyal fan just like everyone here but I see a lot of the same people making the same mistake year after year here and on other boards.
The same fans who said Bailey was going to be great and “Watch out for Gregoire” or said Blake Kessel could be a solid NHLer are now saying Nino and Calvin and everyone else is going to be great and we’re going to be a contender. It’s called blind loyalty.
The 5 pick is not nearly important this year than what Snow does with the NHL roster between draft weekend and the middle of August, before it gets quiet before camp.
Prospects always look awesome in June when other teams are playing for the Stanley Cup.
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SCLI says:
Unless a defense man is considered a Cant miss Franchise Type then you have to go for a skilled Forward with an early 1st rd pick. There will be good defensemen to choose from early in the 2nd rd. Provided Snow doesnt try to move up from #5 overall, he may move down a spot or two and acquire another 2nd rd pick that can be parleyed into another late 1st rd selection. With that he can get a big quality defensive prospect such as Scott Mayfield or Myles Bell. I say go for the “O” with our 1st rd pick. At #5, 6 or 7 there will be some good choices for a skilled forward. The more headlines the Isle’s make. The more time they spend in the news. The harder it is to say no to a new arena.
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Randy Wood's Porche says:
I have a really weird feeling that one of the teams that picks after the Isles at #6-#12 will have a better player in the long run. I hope I am wrong.
I think #5 is a very tough spot for the Isles. It seems the top 3 or 4 players are pretty much set. But from 5 to 10, it’s not that easy. Couturier can go anywhere from 5 to 10, as can Hamilton, Murphy, Zibanejad, Strome, Siemens, Bealieu.
I think Stome and Murphy will be the steals from this draft, but I think #5 is too early to take either one.
I would like to see Snow trade down to #7-#10 and add a pick or two. Or trade later round picks and add another top 10 pick.
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jisles says:
Imo, Garth should package other picks(a second and a third, or both seconds, if necessary) to ensure that the NYI draft Larsson. This kid is the real deal.
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nosebleed says:
I predict Garth will trade back, twice, and then draft a player who many consider a mid round pick……..wait, he did that already.
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lots of good options at this years draft. Take the most skilled player available, period! Hope the scouting staff???? is doing their due diligence and not just asking stupid questions. The kids are probably nervous during the interviews, so I hope they judge by the performances, and not so much by the interviews. I want a kid that could play! That should not be a problem with the #5 pick!
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Ed from Hempstead says:
Thanks for helping to keep the Isles talk alive almost everyday for two months after the season ended. Hope it continues. Always nice to see that just about every person in the game, despite what happened earlier, seems to have no problem getting on the phone to do these interviews. There is a lot of sourced nonsense out there, so it’s good to get real people on tape to tell us what they think.
Coutourier will be available at 5, the Isles should take him and I think that’s what will happen.
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bags says:
Bring Strome Home!
I know he’s not from here. Just thought it sounded good.
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IslanderFAN says:
Hey Chris what about the possibility of The Isles on making trade with one of the 4 teams picking in front of them, i could see The Isles switching spotand give up with the first pick a guy like Bailey so they can draft Huberdeau.
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Dan C. says:
Anyone who says Snow has drafted well is not being objective. Other than JT, who would have been picked #1 by every single GM in the league, what pick has met, let alone exceeded, expectations? Plus, he’s have strayed pretty far off the board with almost every 1st round he’s made so far.
2008: Josh Bailey: They went off the board here and could have had Erik Karlsson (All-Star defenseman, Tyler Myers (Calder Trophy winning defenseman) and John Carlson (excellent young defenseman who has already played well in two playoffs). There is almost no chance Bailey will never be as good as any one of these players is already, and he’s had ample opportunity.
2009: JT (No-brainer)
: Calvin de Haan – They moved heaven and earth to grab him when every other team would have taken Dmitri Kulikov in that spot (if thinking defense). de Haan has a long way to go to catch up to him. The kicker is that they probably could have gotten him without trading up.2010: Nino Niederreiter – They didn’t go completely off the board here, but he still went a bit earlier than expected. Cam Fowler would have been the obvious pick. People who had actually seen Jeff Skinner play were very high on him. Niederreiter would have to be a Calder nominee this season to catch up to either one of them.
: Brock Nelson – Totally off the board2011: Please do the obvious thing: As recently as 6 months ago, Adam Larsson and Sean Couturier had long been touted as the class of this draft. Now it looks as though one will be available at #5. Keep it simple and take whichever one is there (Larsson if both are still undrafted).
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Mark from Massapequa says:
“Holy Arm Chair Quarterbacks Batman!”
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Ny711ot says:
George Maneluk or Ryan Duthie….
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This posting is making me embarassed to be an Islander fan. It is absolutely complaints with no merit behind it.
#61 Derek: So basically nobody on here should have any opinion whatsoever of who the Isles should pick because the only thing people are judging by is what they hear scouts say, who are the ones who make the rankings, interviews and youtube.
Who said Bailey was better than everyone selected after him? My statement was that the Isles had the 4th pick they moved back to 9. I would rather have Bailey than anyone drafted at picks 4-9.
#79 – Tyler Myers went 12th, Erik Karlson went 15th and John Carlson went 27th. So your telling me that the Isles should have picked one of these guys at 9 after they traded down? If every team knew what Tyler Myers would be he would have went 3rd overall. This is the typical, comment years after the draft and act like you knew who they shouldve taken 3 yrs ago. How many times have you seen Dimitri Kulikov play? Enough with Cam Fowler and jeff Skinner. 6 teams passed on Fowler after the Isles. Nino hasnt played his rookie season yet. Brock Nelson was off the board?
This is all a bunch of garbage coming out of people’s mouths right now. Judging draft picks when half of them havent even played a season yet. Unbelievable -
Lean Cugine says:
The islanders dont make trades-unless we are getting in return -draft picks or prospects who are not “nhl ready”
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#57-moredraftpicks- You sound like omar minaya when he was trying to explain the mets pitching rotation.
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Jack says:
I can see the Isles dealing Bailey and a pick or two to get back into the 1st round to take a scorer if they get Hamilton at 5.
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PatientsNeeded says:
Everyone judging Garth’s picks against players picked after them, make me laugh. Do you really think any of them would have done as well playing on the Isles? Bailey was rushed to the NHL. Everyone knows he should have had at least another year or 2 in juniors/minors. And judging the deHaan and Nino picks already? Wait til the have a few years in the NHL before you give up on them. I really hope this is the year the Islanders turn it around so you can all eat your words (but I still think we are a year away, depending on off-season acquisitions)
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Wang Chung says:
79 – You are completely on the mark. I was going to post exactly what you said. Snow has not made a single good pick in all of his tenure. JT was handed to him in his lap. Bailey and Okposo are busts so far. DeHaan guaranteed bust. I’m sick and tired of Islander fans accepting this team and wishing on a star for the playoffs. This team has not won a playoff round in 18 years. It really doesn’t matter who they pick. They will not make the playoffs next year. Until DP is gone they will not make the playoffs. Wake up Islander fans!
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54, 82 – streit02 you are the embarrassment. Are you a Ranger fan hijacking this board? Are you the lackey Snow sent to Toronto for the draft lottery? You wrote, “I”m not saying Snow is a genius, but he hasn’t done anything wrong and has picked up some pretty good players…” Who is good that Snow has picked? I don’t really care about MM and Grabner. If this team doesn’t win in the playoffs then what does it really matter.
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admin says:
Alrighty then! Well, I guess this is what happens when I say I’ll be away from the blog for some stretches this summer…LOL
Hey, everyone can have an opinion. My wish has always been that readers discuss the topic at hand in a civilized manner. Most do. I just never understood why a person can’t be disagreed with without getting nasty.
It happens elsewhere, too. As some of you might have seen, a fellow writer took exception with a report I posted on Twitter last week. That was okay – he has great sources – but did he have to call it “nonsense”? Oh well.
Anyway, thanks for the passion and for watching the vids. I hope you like them and get something out of them. Try to stay cool. See you around…CB
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JTizzle says:
Ryan Strome = High Risk High High Reward! Time for the Isles to roll the dice!
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Fred says:
Ha ha, CB. I remember when I came up to you when you were in the city with your family and told you I don’t write much in the Comments space. You had this big smile and said something like, “I don’t have a problem with that AT ALL” and we cracked up.
It takes all kinds of fans. Like Garth said, the Islanders accept fans from everywhere. I know you appreciate the fans who attack each other as much as the ones like me that comment at most once a month. We’re all Islanders.
Just wanted to say good job. This is one of my favorite blogs.
I pray for Adam Larsson.
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Wang Chung – yea your actually right. Now that i look back i see your point. What team needs two free 30 goal scorers?
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Petey Palmtree says:
I really haven’t looked into these potential draftpicks, so i’m going purely on statistics here, if nino is our top prospect and many people gush over how amazing he is/will be, and he plays for portland, would drafting Bartschi make him our #1 prospect since he did have more points than nino on the same team? Again purely statistical, maybe he’s the offensive player to draft, should we choose an offensive player.
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Dom says:
Sean #23,
Nino will be better than Skinner and Fowler. This kid is a beast, 6’2″ 205 with ridiculously great hands. He’s automatic for the roster in ’11-’12. Love the comments on Hamilton…gym rat, focused, smart and dedicated. Wouldn’t mind it one bit to hear him called @ #5. -
isles72 says:
alot of options at the 5 slot .
the extra 2nd round pick could entice Florida to trade down to the 5 spot allowing the isles to snag Larsson should he be available when Fla picks .
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isles3113 says:
streit02… u took the words right out of my mouth… y do people think that every player we draft should be in the nhl right away… snow said from the beginning that it would be a slow rebuild… lets not speed things up although i do feel we are ahead of pace (which i am happy about, playoffs are not out of reach for next season)… nino is a beast and will be for a very long time, plus hes only EIGHTEEN years old… cant wait for the draft as i have faith in garth to pick the right player for this team as he has already done
June 24th is going to come soon and Dougie H will be our man.