adam pelech – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK ISLANDERS – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 19:43:46 +0000

PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 29: New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal (13) warms up before the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders on December 29, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire)

With Patrick Roy behind the Islanders bench, the team managed a .500 points percentage, finishing with 82 points (35-35-12) in 82 games. The Islanders were a mid-range puck possession squad, ranking 18th in Corsi percentage (49.6) and 14th in expected goals percentage (50.6). Special teams was a large part of the Islanders’ undoing last season, ranking 31st with 4.14 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-four play and ranking 30th with 9.59 goals against per 60 minutes of four-on-five play. A mediocre possession team can’t overcome such terrible special teams, even with Ilya Sorokin as the starting goaltender. Semyon Varlamov was injured for much of the season, so Marcus Hogberg had the second-most appearances among Islanders goaltenders and that didn’t help matters.

What’s Changed?

The Islanders hired Mathieu Darche to be their new General Manager, taking over for Lou Lamoriello and he was relatively busy in the offseason, starting with the selection of defenceman Matthew Schaefer with the first pick in the 2025 Draft. The Isles signed left winger Jonathan Drouin from the Colorado Avalanche and plucked Maxim Shabanov from the KHL, where he had 67 points (23 G, 44 A) in 65 games for Traktor Chelyabinsk. More dramatically, the Islanders traded defenceman Noah Dobson to Montreal, acquiring forward Emil Heineman from the Canadiens as part of the return. The Islanders added David Rittich from the Los Angeles Kings to stabilize their goaltending, and enforcer Matt Martin skated off the ice and into the Isles’ front office.

What would success look like?

For a team with as many veterans as the islanders, the playoffs must be the objective. They don’t appear to have the high-end talent to compete with the very best teams in the league, though they made some deep playoff runs in 2020 and 2021 when it didn’t look like they had that kind of talent, either. The other priority should be to make sure that No. 1 pick Schaefer develops as much as possible. Shelter him if he needs sheltering, but make sure that he is going to be a fixture on this blueline for 15 years.

What could go wrong?

The Islanders have been dependent on excellent goaltending from Ilya Sorokin and that always presents a risk, that if the goaltending falls off that the rest of the team is not equipped to handle it. On one hand, it’s hard to imagine that the Islanders could duplicate such an awful special teams performance, but if they did, that would once again prevent them from reaching the playoffs. Just as success would be making the playoffs and developing Schaefer properly, the opposite end of the spectrum would be to miss the playoffs, but not by much so they don’t get a great shot at the lottery, and they botch the development of their No. 1 overall draft pick.

Top Breakout Candidate

As exciting as it would be to have a rookie defenceman like Schaefer take the league by storm, he is just 18 years old and that’s asking a lot. On the other hand, Russian forward Maxim Shabanov is 24 and coming off an outstanding season in the KHL, finishing third in league scoring. There’s no guarantee that the undersized Shabanov will make the transition to North America and fill the net, but the Islanders should be motivated to give him the chance, and he might even be able to help their pathetic power play.

FORWARDS

Mathew Barzal

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
65	16	40	56	0.86

A brilliant skater who adds an electrifying element to the Islanders attack, Barzal missed 52 games with injuries last season, finishing with just 20 points (6 G, 14 A) in 30 games. The scoring totals were somewhat deceptive because underlying numbers suggest that Barzal was as dangerous as ever. He had career-best rates for on-ice Corsi For and on-ice Expected Goals For during five-on-five play. He also had his individual highest rate of shot attempts per 60 minutes but scored on just 5.1 percent of his shots at five-on-five, a far cry from 10 percent or better, like he did in six of the previous seven seasons. All of these stats suggest that Barzal is still a difference-maker, and he is consistently the most dangerous forward on the Islanders roster, so if he is healthy this season, he will be expected to produce. He has shifted to playing the wing more often, in part because he’s terrible on faceoffs, winning 42.3 percent for his career, but given the Isles’ personnel after trading Brock Nelson last season, Barzal may need to spend more time down the middle of the ice in 2025-2026. He does have some injury history, so that creates a range on his possible outcomes. Expecting him to miss at least 15 games is probably fair, and if that’s the case, then 50-55 points is a reasonable expectation. If he’s healthy, maybe 65-70 is more on target.

Bo Horvat

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	31	31	62	0.76

One of the features that made Horvat appealing to the Islanders when they acquired him from Vancouver was that he was reliably productive. In the past two seasons, he has scored 61 goals and the Islanders have outshot and outscored opponents consistently with him on the ice. He’s doing his part and, last season, it came with a variety of linemates. Anders Lee was his most common winger but with Barzal injured, Kyle Palmieri, Simon Holmstrom, Anthony Duclair and Jean-Gabriel Pageau each played more than 200 five-on-five minutes with Horvat. A physically strong player, Horvat wins puck battles and handled more than 20 minutes of ice time per game last season. One reason to be optimistic about his chances for the 2025-2026 season is that the Islanders power play was abysmal last season and Horvat’s production suffered. There were 136 players that played at least 150 minutes during five-on-four play last season and 132 of them had more points per 60 minutes than Horvat’s 1.65 per 60. He had scored 71 power play goals in the previous seven seasons, so he ought to bounce back. He is as reliable as anyone on the Isles’ roster and has missed a total of five games over the past three seasons, so Horvat should be able to contribute 30 goals and 60-plus points this season.

Jonathan Drouin

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
62	13	30	43	0.69

A very talented player who has had an up-and-down career, Drouin had a good thing going in Colorado over the past two seasons, tallying 93 points (30 G, 63 A) in 122 games. Of course, one of the reasons that Drouin has had ups-and-downs in his career is that he has had difficulty staying healthy, and he played just 43 games for Colorado in 2024-2025. No matter who Drouin skates with on the Islanders roster in 2025-2026, it will be a downgrade from riding shotgun with Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado. Drouin scored on a career high 19.6 percent of his shots last season, so that is a number that is likely to regress, but Drouin is a creative offensive player and effective puck distributor and as much as he is a finesse player, he turned in better defensive results in his two seasons with Colorado and that would certainly enhance his value if he could bring a more reliable two-way game to the Islanders. The good news for Drouin is that, if he's healthy, he should play a big role for the Isles. Given his injury history, it’s entirely fair to expect Drouin to miss 15-20 games and, if that’s the case, he could still find a way to contribute 40 points.

Anders Lee

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	25	23	48	0.60

Going into last season, it was possible that the Islanders were ready to prepare their captain for a decreased role. He had played 15:34 per game on his way to contributing 37 points (20 G, 17 A) in 81 games in 2023-2024, the kind of numbers that suggested he was moving down the depth chart. Then, last season, Lee went out and earned his place in the lineup, finishing with 29 goals and 54 points, his highest totals in those categories since the 2017-2018 season. To get that kind of bounce back from a 34-year-old winger was unexpected, but Lee is an imposing physical presence and that doesn’t go away with age. He can still plant himself in front of the other team’s net and he generated 233 shots on goal last season, the high-water mark for his career! Lee has scored at least 20 goals in eight consecutive seasons, not counting the shortened 2020-2021 season, during which he was also injured but still delivered 12 goals in 27 games. The Islanders have outscored opponents with Lee on the ice during five-on-five play in six of the past seven seasons and last season the Isles outscored opponents 60-43 in those situations, the second-best differential of his career. Even if he’s in a complementary role, Lee still figures to get power play time and should be capable of scoring 25 goals and 45 points.

Simon Holmstrom

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	20	23	43	0.54

Drafted with the 19th pick in the 2019 Draft, Holmstrom took a while to reach the NHL and he has started to make positive contributions in the past couple of seasons, scoring 35 goals and 70 points in 150 games. Last season, he was shuffled around the lineup – his three most common linemates were centers Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Casey Cizikas, and Bo Horvat – and had a serious hot streak from November 1 through December 21, during which he recorded 19 points (9 G, 10 A) in 24 games. Holmstrom had just 34 shots on goal over that stretch, which was a good indication that his scoring surge was unsustainable, and it was. While Holmstrom appears to be more accomplished defensively, where he is closer to average, he has scored on 20.8 percent of his shots in the past two seasons, and that’s incredibly high, but he does contribute quite a bit in transition, where the percentages tend to be higher, and he does have a dangerous shot when given room to let it go. There is uncertainty over his role going into 2025-2026 because he was all over the lineup in 2024-2025, so consider 15 goals and 35 points a baseline for him, with room to move up if he ends up skating with more accomplished offensive players.

Kyle Palmieri

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	21	23	44	0.54

There were a few lean years on the back of Palmieri’s hockey card, from the end of his New Jersey tenure through his first couple of seasons with the Islanders, but he has sniped 54 goals in the past two seasons, so the 34-year-old winger has some life left in his game. He did tone down his physical play last season, recording just 54 hits in 82 games, his fewest hits in a season since he had 48 hits in 42 games as a rookie in 2012-2013. Even so, Palmieri has a nose for the net and will put his body in harm’s way if it means getting a chance to score. While he has returned to being an offensive threat, Palmieri’s defensive game has slipped in the past couple of seasons, with the Islanders surrendering more shots, goals, and expected goals against with Palmieri on the ice. Palmieri’s most common linemates last season were Brock Nelson, before he was traded, Maxim Tsyplakov, and Bo Horvat. There will be competition for quality ice time among the Islanders wingers and Palmieri isn’t assured of winning those battles, but 20-25 goals and 45 points is a reasonable expectation.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	12	26	38	0.47

Although he does not have imposing size, Pageau plays with an edge to his game and is a rare center who hits consistently. He has recorded at least 140 hits in four straight seasons, Those aren’t empty hits, either, as Pageau’s battles helped push the puck the right way when he was on the ice. It also helped that he spent some time on right wing on the top line when Barzal was injured because Pageau then ended up with more offensive zone starts and, ultimately, finished with a 52 percent Corsi, the best mark of his career. His 42 points (14 G, 28 A) tied for the second most of his career, and he won a career-high 59.6 percent of his faceoffs, so by all accounts the 2024-2025 season was a strong one for the veteran pivot. He is expected to fill the third-line center role this season, but it’s possible that he might see some time in the second center spot, especially if the Islanders use Barzal on the wing. In any case, Pageau could reasonably be expected to contribute a dozen goals and 35-40 points, with 140-plus hits in 2025-2026.

Maxim Tsyplakov

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	12	26	38	0.49

Arriving in the NHL last season as a 26-year-old rookie out of Russia, Tsyplakov scored 31 goals in 65 games during his last season in the KHL, so that might have prompted his jump to the Islanders, but goal-scoring was not really his forte, either. The 6-foot-3 winger plays a hard physical game and recorded 140 hits in his first NHL season. While he is good at protecting and passing the puck, he did not show great finishing ability in his first season with the Islanders. At the same time, Tsyplakov was reliable defensively and not shy about using his size to create turnovers on the forecheck and then going hard to the front of the opponents’ net. There were 197 forwards to play at least 100 minutes at five-on-four last season and Tsyplakov ranked 190th with 1.53 points per 60 minutes with the man advantage. That may not fall entirely on him, as the Isles’ power play was awful, but he didn’t help. Like several Islanders forwards, Tsyplakov has the ability to move around the lineup. He plays with the grind of a checking forward but does have enough skill to his game that he can at least fit in a more offensive role, too. His most likely fit is somewhere in the middle six and, in his second season, it would seem fair to expect maybe a dozen goals and 35-40 points.

Anthony Duclair

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
55	14	12	26	0.47

There was real hope that having some security and re-uniting with Patrick Roy, who had coached him in junior hockey, would bring out the best in Duclair and that most definitely did not happen in 2024-2025. In fact, before the season was over, he had been sent away from the team for some personal time. It was an undeniably disastrous season, as he finished with a mere 11 points (7 G, 4 A) in 44 games and, even worse, his defensive play was a mess with the islanders out-scored 27-17 during five-on-five play with Duclair on the ice. His defensive impacts have been consistently poor and that’s the kind of thing that can cost a player his spot in the lineup. The Islanders are Duclair’s ninth team, so there have obviously been peaks and valleys to the man’s NHL career. He is a four-time 20-goal scorer, who uses his speed to create chances and is excellent at using dekes to finish on breakaways. The Islanders should be seriously motivated to get Duclair back on his game this season and he may be able to contribute 15 goals and 30 points, but his status is unreliable at this point, so it’s probably best to wait and see how it goes early in the season before looking to add Duclair to a fantasy roster.

DEFENCE

Tony DeAngelo

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
64	6	30	36	0.56

With the Islanders trading Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens, that leaves a huge opening for DeAngelo to be the top offensive defenceman on the roster since that is the one proven positive dimension to his game. His previous stops in the NHL have been tumultuous so he did not land an NHL contract at the start of last season and went to the KHL, where he was thriving on ice with 32 points (6 G, 26 A) in 34 games for SKA St. Petersburg, but he rankled teammates and coaching staff on the way to getting released. He signed with the Islanders, cleared waivers, and returned to the NHL in late January, getting an incredible 23:21 of ice time per game for the Islanders. It was the highest average time on ice of his career, and he contributed 19 points (4 G, 15 A) in 35 games. Eight of those 19 points came on the power play and that is, not surprisingly, where DeAngelo is most effective. He is a confident puck-handler who is ready to shoot and move the puck in the offensive zone. In the defensive zone, however, he is a clear liability. Of the 256 defencemen to play at least 200 five-on-five minutes last season, DeAngelo ranked 244th with 3.00 expected goals against per 60 minutes and the Islanders were outscored 30-27 with him on the ice. Whatever shortcomings he might have defensively, he is clearly the No. 1 offensive option on the Islanders blueline. Perhaps No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer will be ready to take on a big role during his rookie season, but that would be asking a lot of an 18-year-old, so that likely means a big role for DeAngelo. He has never played more than 70 games in an NHL season, so he is likely to miss some time, but if he plays 65-plus games, then DeAngelo should be able to contribute 35 points. There is a world in which it goes even better than that, as he has three seasons to his credit with more than 40 points, but the downside risk needs to be taken into account, too.

Alexander Romanov

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	5	18	23	0.30

The Islanders leaned heavily on Romanov during the 2024-2025 season, as he averaged a career-high 22:18 of ice time per game. He finished with 20 points (4 G, 16 A) in 64 games, and while that is not earth-shattering offensive output, it was the third straight season in which he had recorded at least 20 points. Where Romanov does stand out is blocked shots (165) and hits (147) and those numbers make him a viable fantasy contributor in banger leagues or even deep leagues that include those peripheral stats. Looking ahead, Romanov will face a challenge of dealing with a new defence partner because his most common partner last season was Noah Dobson, who was traded to Montreal. With Dobson and Romanov on the ice, the Islanders controlled 54.7 percent of shot attempts and 53.2 percent of expected goals during five-on-five play. When Romanov played with other partners, the Islanders controlled 45.5 percent of shot attempts and expected goals, so that is going to be an issue to keep an eye on. There is still little reason to believe that Romanov is going to put up big point totals, so he will probably fall between 20 and 25 points. However, he should also be able to produce 160 hits and 160 blocked shots, which makes him surprisingly valuable for fantasy managers.

Ryan Pulock

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	5	16	21	0.27

When Pulock arrived in the NHL, his heavy shot from the point was his calling card and that has not disappeared, but it is no longer the main feature of his game. Prior to last season, he had turned into a reliable defender, capable of handling difficult top four minutes. Last season was different, though, as Pulock was on the wrong end of possession numbers, falling just below 46 percent Corsi and recording a career-low 46.2 percent expected goals percentage. Whether he was effective or not, Pulock still logged more than 21 minutes per game and finished the season with 23 points (5 G, 18 A), 100 hits and 155 blocked shots. None of those numbers really put him into the mix for fantasy managers, but he is worth tracking during the season because, depending on who else is available, he may get time on the power play. He only had a couple of points with the man advantage last season, so it’s hardly a big draw but, at best, he’s an in-season consideration in most leagues anyway. At this stage of his career, Pulock is likely to land between 20-25 points with maybe 120 hits and 140 blocked shots.

Adam Pelech

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
61	3	18	21	0.34

The Islanders’ best defenceman is not a significant offensive threat, and has battled injuries, but he is a terminally underrated shutdown defender and that makes his spot in the lineup as secure as anyone. Pelech has averaged at least 20 minutes of ice time per game for six straight seasons and that is without hardly any power play role. The unfortunate part is that Pelech has missed 67 games over the past three seasons, so it’s difficult to trust that he is going to suddenly play a full season now. He does have skills that should apply on the offensive end because he’s nimble on his blades and a confident puck-handler who generated a career-best 1.82 shots on goal per game last season. At this stage of his career, though, it’s unlikely that there is going to be a sudden offensive breakthrough. Taking into account that, based on recent precedent, Pelech is likely to miss 15-20 games, he can still be expected to chip in 20 points and might be able to push 100 blocked shots. That’s not terribly appealing from a fantasy perspective, but in real hockey terms, Pelech is a fantastic option on the Islanders’ blueline.

Goal

Ilya Sorokin

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
60	21	29	7	3	.906	2.95

It's a frustrating time to be a New York Islanders fan. While Ilya Sorokin isn't struggling as much as some of the league's other goaltenders thrust into sub-optimal workloads, the Russian-born starter lost his mentor in Semyon Varlamov to a knee injury midway through last season - and Marcus Hogberg, who was next up to bat when Varlamov went down, failed to fill in well enough to help the Islanders get over the hump and into the postseason when all was said and done. Varlamov is expected to be ready for the upcoming season, but at 37-years old with a lengthy injury history, it's hard to tell just how much he'll be able to contribute over the year. That leaves Sorokin with a new potential backup at his side; former Calgary Flames number two David Rittich, who struggled to replicate his strong results from the 2022-23 season last year in his second season with the Los Angeles Kings, will hope to bounce back and return to form in the instance that he's needed for a heavier workload. The Islanders aren't currently sitting in the prime of their window, so there's not as much of a sense of urgency to get their tandem right as there could be, but Sorokin runs the risk of playing his best hockey on a Wild Card team more and more with every passing year. The team will likely hope that Varlamov and Rittich can string together enough games to help the team out without leaving Sorokin to shoulder the entire workload himself once again.

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK ISLANDERS – Team Preview

Sun, 15 Sep 2024 16:00:19 +0000

_{RALEIGH, NC - APRIL 25: New York Islanders Goalie Ilya Sorokin (30) prepares for a faceoff during game 5 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs between the New York Islanders and the Carolina Hurricanes on April 25, 2023 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Katherine Gawlik/Icon Sportswire})

The Islanders replaced Lane Lambert with Patrick Roy around midseason and Roy led them to a 20-12-5 record, earning them 94 points (39-27-16) overall, which was good enough to get into the playoffs, where they lost in five games to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Isles ranked 25th in Corsi, at 47.3%, but 18th in expected goals percentage at just under 50%. Those percentages were better under Roy (48.7% Corsi, 51.3% expected goals). The Islanders power play ranked 17th with 7.56 goals per 60 minutes and ranked dead last in penalty killing with 10.78 goals against per 60 minutes. That they made the playoffs with such terrible penalty killing is a credit to the rest of their game, but a 94-point season could easily miss the playoffs in another season.

What’s Changed? It appears that the Islanders have moved on from veteran fourth liners Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck, a duo that logged a lot of minutes and threw a lot of hits in an Islanders uniform over the years. Defenceman Sebastian Aho signed as a free agent in Pittsburgh, but otherwise, the Islanders did not lose a lot. They signed winger Anthony Duclair, reuniting him with Roy, who coached Duclair in junior hockey. The Islanders also signed Russian winger Maxim Tsyplakov, who had 47 points in 65 KHL games last season, with hopes that he could fill a role in their middle six.

What would success look like? This Islanders team has had some relative success, reaching the final four in both 2020 and 2021, even when it might not have looked like the most likely outcome, and this version is similar. They should be able to compete for a playoff spot and the goaltending tandem of Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov is strong enough to make a difference in that pursuit, but they do not appear to have the high-end talent that tends to take over the deeper a team goes into the playoffs. Maybe Mathew Barzal, who had his highest point total since his rookie season, can keep elevating his production and he will be the game-breaker that the Isles need to not just make the playoffs but to go on a deeper run.

What could go wrong? The Islanders’ playoff positioning seems precarious, so it wouldn’t necessarily take a lot for things to go wrong. If the goaltending isn’t quite as good as it has been, if guys on the north side of 30 like Anders Lee, Kyle Palmieri, Brock Nelson, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, see their production start to slip, then that could be enough for the Islanders to miss the playoffs. When a team makes the playoffs with 94 points, it is dependent on the other playoff contenders delivering mediocre seasons, too. The Islanders have reached the postseason with 94 points and 93 points in the past two seasons. In 2017, they finished with 94 points and missed the playoffs, so the challenge for the Islanders is to find a way to escape the playoff bubble so that they have a more secure chance to advance in the playoffs.

Top Breakout Candidate: For an Islanders team that does not have much by way of prospects knocking down the door, finding a breakout candidate requires some creativity, so take a look at 29-year-old winger Anthony Duclair. He is a four-time 20-goal scorer and has established his ability to score in the NHL. However, there is a higher upside for Duclair if he does indeed end up skating on the Islanders’ top line alongside Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal. Duclair has exceeded 50 points just once in his career and if he plays on the Islanders’ top line, he should be able to do it again.

Forwards

Mathew Barzal

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	24	24	78	0.98

The Islanders wisely moved Barzal to right wing and it allowed him to use his dynamic skating to make plays in transition, without having to worry about faceoffs or down-low defensive responsibilities. Last season, Barzal played a career-high 20:08 per game and scored a career-high 23 goals. He finished with 80 points, his highest total since his rookie season of 2017-2018. He also averaged 3.00 shots on goal per game, a career-high mark and an increase of 0.60 shots per game from the previous season. The speedy forward is unlike anyone else on the Islanders roster, with his ability to generate chances largely with his own impressive skating skills. Not only does Barzal have straight away speed, but he is also shifty on his edges and once he puts a defender off balance, he can accelerate and leave them behind. The Islanders have always fared better with Barzal on the ice, consistently outshooting and outscoring opponents. While the Islanders could use more top-tier scorers to compete at the highest level, he is the closest that they have right now, so they are dependent on his production to make this team a contender. Looking ahead to the 2024-2025 season, Barzal should be counted on for 20 goals and 70-75 points, with the understanding that he has potential to go for more, if he stays healthy and gets better quality support.

Bo Horvat

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	31	34	65	0.80

A strong two-way centre, Horvat has emerged as a more consistent offensive threat in recent seasons, recording more than 30 goals in three straight seasons, including 33 goals in 2023-2024. He also accumulated a career-high 35 assists, thriving in an offensive role with Barzal his most frequent linemate. With a playmaker like Barzal on his wing, Horvat finished last season with 3.06 shots on goal per game, the highest rate of his career. When that duo was on the ice during five-on-five play, the Islanders outscored the opposition 51-35 and controlled 56.2 percent of expected goals. Horvat has a sturdy build and uses his strength effectively to win puck battles, but he is not an especially physical player overall. He has recorded 81 hits in 111 games since the Islanders acquired him from Vancouver. Horvat is strong on faceoffs, winning 55.2 percent since joining the Islanders, and remains a consistent finishing threat on the power play. In the past six seasons, he has accrued 61 power play goals, which is tied with Nathan MacKinnon for 14th in the NHL over that span. Horvat’s situation with the Islanders is positive because he gets playing time like a first-line centre, with more offensive zone starts compared to what he was getting earlier in his career, and frequently skates with the team’s most dangerous playmaker, Barzal. It is reasonable, then, to expect another 30-goal, 65-point campaign.

Brock Nelson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	32	33	65	0.79

A veteran centre who was a consistent offensive contributor early in his career, Nelson has turned into a first-rate goal scorer. In the past three seasons, Nelson has scored 107 goals, which ranks 21st in the National Hockey League, ahead of Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, and Elias Pettersson. Nelson finished last season with 34 goals while averaging a career-high 3.05 shots on goal per game. That is excellent production from a second line centre. Nelson uses his size very effectively to protect the puck and around the opposition net to get rebounds and deflections. Moreover, he has a quick, accurate release that allows him to score from a distance. He is not particularly adept at the faceoff dot, winning 45.2 percent of his draws last season – his lowest success rate since 2016-2017. Despite being 6-foot-4, Nelson is also not a physical player, finishing with fewer than 40 hits in three of the past four seasons. There are aspects of his game that could be better but it’s difficult to argue with the production, especially on a team that does not score a lot. Having Nelson and Horvat down the middle might not give the Islanders the highest-scoring pair of top two centres, but they can both finish and that should not be discounted. Nelson will turn 33 early in the 2024-2025 season but should be able to continue scoring at similar rates, so 30-35 goals and 65 points would appear to be reasonable expectations.

Kyle Palmieri

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	23	22	45	0.56

After a couple of down seasons, including being limited to 55 games by an upper-body injury in 2022-2023, Palmieri delivered a strong 2023-2024 campaign for the Islanders. The 33-year-old winger tied his career high with 30 goals and his 54 points was his highest total since 2016-2017. While Palmieri isn’t huge, he is sturdy and plays an aggressive game, consistently going hard to the net, where he is an opportunist. Of his 30 goals last season, 11 were scored directly off rebounds and that is not a skill that is likely to go away. It’s much more about his willingness to go to the hard areas and having linemates that can generate scoring chances. An increased shot rate helped him get back on the right goal scoring track. He had 2.66 shots on goal per game last season, his highest per-game rate since 2018-2019. Palmieri’s most common linemates last season were Nelson and Pierre Engvall, and the trio was on the right side of the ledger when it came to shots, goals, and expected goals during five-on-five play. At his age, it is probably optimistic to expect another 30-goal season out of Palmieri. Even so, he should be able to contribute 20-25 goals and 45 points, which is decent second-line production.

Anthony Duclair

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	26	24	50	0.65

Maybe, just maybe, the chance to reunite with Patrick Roy, his junior hockey coach, will help Duclair remain in place for a while. The Islanders are going to be the ninth team of the 29-year-old’s career. He has played more than 100 games for just two franchises – Arizona (172 GP) and Florida (137 GP). It is a strange pattern because Duclair does plenty of things well, notably he has excellent speed and is a four-time 20-goal scorer. Although he has a sniper’s release that helps him score in transition, when Duclair gets in alone on a goaltender, he has a strong forehand deke that works rather effectively. He recovered from an Achilles injury that limited him to 20 games in 2022-2023 and thrived late in the season when he was traded from San Jose to Tampa Bay, tallying eight goals and 15 points in 17 games for the Lightning. Duclair will surely have a chance to skate in the Islanders’ top six but could conceivably get a chance on the top line alongside Horvat and Barzal. If he gets that kind of opportunity, this could be the best chance to reach his offensive potential. A reasonable expectation would be 25 goals and 50 points, but that could tick a little higher if Duclair sticks at the top of the depth chart.

Anders Lee

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	21	20	41	0.50

The Islanders captain did hit the 20-goal plateau for the eighth time in his career in 2023-2024, but 37 points in 81 games was his lowest points per game (0.46) since 2015-2016. That was the last season in which Lee averaged less time on ice than he did last season (15:34), so this could very well be a case of Father Time continuing his unbeaten streak. Lee is a 34-year-old winger who has made a home planted in front of opposing goaltenders and that can take a toll on a guy. He also had career-highs of 176 hits and 68 PIM last season so it’s not like he’s fading quietly into the background. Whether his role is diminishing or not, Lee continues to push the puck in the right direction when he is on the ice, as always. The Islanders have outscored opponents with Lee on the ice during five-on-five play in five of the past six seasons. Given the Islanders’ moves in the offseason, it looks like Lee will be expected to play more of a supporting role in the middle six than he did during his prime years. Still, it would be entirely reasonable to expect 20 goals and 40 points from the power forward who has scored 210 goals since 2016-2017, leaving him tied for 32nd in that time with the now-retired Joe Pavelski.

Pierre Engvall

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
76	12	20	32	0.42

A lanky 6-foot-5 winger, Engvall managed a modest 28 points in his first full season with the Islanders, but that happened while he scored on just 7.8 percent of his shots on goal and had an on-ice shooting percentage of 6.6 percent. Those are relatively low numbers that could very easily swing in the other direction next season. Engvall is an excellent skater who uses his size to help control the puck so that he can wait for the opportunity to make the right play. Oddly enough, Engvall was an effective penalty killer in Toronto, yet has barely seen the ice when the Islanders are shorthanded, so that is an area for potential growth, though one that seems to be more in the hands of the coaching staff than Engvall himself. While he is not the most gifted finisher, he does put himself in position to score and he could have an even bigger impact if he consistently used his size to play a more physical game. He had just 28 hits last season and, considering that he is now 28-years old, it seems unlikely that he will suddenly become a thundering physical presence. Nevertheless, Engvall can capably fill a middle six role for the Islanders, and that might give him the chance to deliver 10-15 goals and 30-35 points.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	10	21	31	0.38

A veteran centre who plays a hard-nosed game, despite his lack of size, Pageau has been getting buried in the Islanders’ zone over the past couple of seasons, starting the vast majority of his shifts in the defensive zone and then struggling to turn the tide under those difficult circumstances. This despite winning better than 55 percent of his faceoffs in each of the past four seasons. Pageau is also a consistent physical presence and while some can take issue with the veracity of the counts on Islanders hits, he did finish with a career-high 196 hits in 2023-2024. That gives him surprising value in fantasy leagues. One area of concern is that he managed just 1.23 shots on goal per game, his lowest per-game rate since he was a rookie in 2013-2014 and that makes it difficult to consistently generate offence. Pageau’s upside tends to be limited by his role – he has hit the 40-point plateau three times in his career. He is not likely to experience a major renaissance at this stage of his career, so when it comes to 2024-2025, he could be expected to provide 10-15 goals and 30-35 points, which is generally not going to have fantasy appeal, but Pageau’s hit totals can offer more value for fantasy managers.

Simon Holmstrom

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	12	11	23	0.33

It took some time for the 2019 first-round pick to establish his place in the NHL, but he broke through in his second season, tallying 15 goals, including five while shorthanded. There is little indication, however, that there is greater offensive upside lurking beneath the surface. Holmstrom has not scored much in the American Hockey League, compiling 70 points in 154 games, and scored on 20.8 percent of his shots with the Islanders last season, so he is a prime candidate for regression just based on his shooting percentage. Even if he does have good hands and showed the ability to create chances off the rush, there is also the reality that Holmstrom is on the lower end of the Islanders’ depth chart, and while he does have value as a penalty killer, he could get surpassed by younger players who are pushing for playing time. That uncertainty, coupled with the possibility of his shooting percentage declining makes it reasonable to expect maybe a dozen goals and 20 points for Holmstrom in 2024-2025, which leaves him as a low-end fantasy option, though in leagues that count shorthanded goals or points, he could potentially offer more value.

DEFENCE

Noah Dobson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	12	20	32	0.42

There is a whole lot to like about a 24-year-old, 6-foot-4, right-shot defenceman who can quarterback the power play and is coming off a season in which he scored a career-high 70 points. That is what the Islanders have in Dobson, who had shown significant potential in the previous two seasons, but he erupted in 2023-2024 and ended up finishing eighth in Norris Trophy voting. As he has become more comfortable in the league, Dobson has been able to make more aggressive offensive plays. He is not afraid to make a move to beat a defender and with his reach, he can be difficult to contain. While he can step into a blast from the point, he is even more dangerous when he is attacking the net, putting the opposing defence on its heels. The Islanders recognized that Dobson was ready for his breakthrough last season, increasing his ice time to 24:31 per game, a jump of more than four minutes from the previous season. While there is little doubt that he is the offensive cornerstone on the Islanders’ blueline, the team’s lack of firepower could put a ceiling on his offensive expectations for 2024-2025. It’s possible that Dobson will continue to produce like he did last season, but it’s also a lot to ask for a player to duplicate a career-best season. For that reason, it would be fair to expect a dozen goals and 60-65 points from the Islanders’ No. 1 blueliner.

Ryan Pulock

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
65	8	17	25	0.38

Although the veteran defenceman has a booming shot from the point, it has not provided a consistent source of points, especially with Dobson running the point on the Islanders power play. Pulock averaged a career-high 22:33 of ice time per game last season, while starting more of his shifts in the defensive zone, so he offers more than just the big shot from the point. He missed 24 games with a lower-body injury last season, which obviously affected his total production. Pulock has had four seasons with more than 130 blocked shots and two seasons with at least 140 hits, so he has the peripheral stats production that tends to provide value for fantasy managers, and he is perhaps a better all-around defenceman than he was touted to be when his calling card coming into the league was his powerful shot. Pulock still has some upside as the No. 2 option on the Islanders blueline to quarterback the power play, which gives him regular time with the man advantage, but also makes him the first option should Dobson not be available. Provided he stays reasonably healthy, Pulock should be able to deliver 25 points and there are possible scenarios where his total goes higher than that.

Alexander Romanov

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	5	18	23	0.29

The 24-year-old left shot blueliner is coming off back-to-back 22-point seasons, which offers limited fantasy value, but Romanov accumulates hits and blocked shots to a degree that sets him apart from a run-of-the-mill fringe fantasy defenceman. Across the past three seasons, only the Rangers’ Jacob Trouba has surpassed Romanov’s totals in hits (582) and blocked shots (444). In his prime years, there is room for Romanov to move into a bigger role on the Islanders blueline, and he did play a career-high 20:50 per game last season, skating primarily with Dobson on the Islanders’ top pair. While the Islanders did not hold a big edge in terms of shots or expected goals with the duo on the ice, the Isles did outscore opponents 35-20 with Romanov and Dobson working as a pair during five-on-five situations. Getting to share the ice with Dobson certainly helps matters, but even if Romanov can skate well in addition to shooting and handling the puck, without power play time or any substantial changes otherwise, he should be expected to fall between 20 and 25 points during the 2024-2025 season. There might be a higher offensive potential for him, but it does not appear that it is going to be uncovered with the Islanders.

Adam Pelech

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
61	1	8	9	0.16

Even though Pelech is not a major offensive contributor and has missed 45 games across the past two seasons, he is still an excellent defender whose production can make him a consideration in deep leagues. The injuries have not helped as Pelech was one of the game’s premier shut-down blueliners just a few years ago. Even if Pelech is a strong defender, he is not in the same class as he was in 2020-2021 when he was receiving Norris Trophy votes. Pelech is such a smooth skater and confident puckhandler that he could conceivably add more offence to his game, but considering the recent injuries, the 30-year-old is not likely to expand too far beyond what he has already established in his career. Provided that he can stay relatively healthy, and that does come with some doubt, it is still fair to expect 20-25 points from Pelech, and his blocked shot totals could bring more fantasy value, since he has 221 blocked shots in 119 games across the past two seasons. That leaves him as a low-end fantasy option, but the Islanders are not home to a lot of great alternatives on the blueline.

GOAL

Ilya Sorokin

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
57	27	22	8	4	0.915	2.98

It was a turtle race to the Wild Card spot for the New York Islanders and the rest of the Metropolitan Division this past year - but for all the faults the Long Island-based hockey club may have had on the ice, their goaltending presence certainly wasn't one of them. The Russian Goaltending Tandem Machine, it seems, never breaks; even as the Islanders went through a volatile year performance-wise, starter Ilya Sorokin and veteran backup Semyon Varlamov continued to chug along as a quality, above-average pair.

Like Sorokin's fellow Russian counterpart across the East River, Igor Shesterkin, the younger starter put up what some fans considered to be a regression-heavy year in 2023. Even with a lower raw save percentage, though, Sorokin's underlying numbers remained remarkably formidable. He continued to show off one of the most consistent games in the NHL, posting quality starts in over sixty percent of his appearances in net even with a massive workload. The Islanders struggled to suppress shots all year, allowing nearly 33 pucks to land on target per game against Sorokin over the course of his 56-game workload. His fatigue started to show by the end of the year, with some of his positioning getting sloppy and some of his angles getting overly aggressive in situations where he needed to keep his options open. His ability to bounce back from a bad goal, though, should continue to serve the Islanders well as they fight to become more of a postseason contender - and with Varlamov back for another year of serving as his number two, expect more of the same from one of the league's most trustworthy tandems.

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK ISLANDERS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Sat, 07 Oct 2023 18:47:45 +0000

RALEIGH, NC - APRIL 25: New York Islanders Goalie Ilya Sorokin (30) prepares for a faceoff during game 5 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs between the New York Islanders and the Carolina Hurricanes on April 25, 2023 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Katherine Gawlik/Icon Sportswire)

Review: Since John Tavares departed in the summer of 2018, the Islanders have stayed competitive through a goaltending-first approach. It can’t even really be called a defense-first approach, given the Islanders ranked 22nd in 5-on-5 expected goals against (181.77) and 24^th in all situations (184) in 2022-23, indicating that their defense separated from their goaltending was unimpressive. Ilya Sorokin overcame that subpar defense though, posting a 31-22-7 record, 2.34 GAA and .924 save percentage in 62 contests en route to finishing second in Vezina Trophy voting. If not for Sorokin, the Islanders would have had a miserable year because not only did New York struggle defensively, but they also finished 22nd in the league with 2.95 goals per game. Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello tried to bolster the offense by acquiring Bo Horvat from Vancouver, who had 31 goals and 54 points in 49 contests at the time of the move, but he struggled with the Islanders, recording just 16 points in 30 outings. To make matters worse, Mathew Barzal suffered a lower-body injury shortly after the Horvat trade, preventing the duo from developing chemistry. Even with all that, the Islanders squeaked into the playoffs with a 42-31-9 record before losing in the first round to Carolina.

What’s Changed? The Islanders made no significant changes, but they did lock up Scott Mayfield and Pierre Engvall to seven-year deals, backup goaltender Semyon Varlamov to a four-year contract and, most importantly, Sorokin to an eight-year, $66 million deal. So, even if there wasn’t any meaningful turnover, Lamoriello stayed busy over the summer.

What would success look like? Sorokin needs to stay dominant to continue to mask the Islanders’ defensive issues, but if New York really wants to rise above mediocrity, they need more than just him. They need Horvat to adapt to his new team, which will be a far easier task if he gets to play alongside a healthy Barzal. If those two have a good year, the Islanders might end up average offensively, which would be enough for Sorokin to deliver the W on most nights.

What could go wrong? A long-term injury to Sorokin would of course be devastating given the Islanders’ reliance on him. To be fair, they do at least have Varlamov as a solid Plan B, but he’s 35 now and would be a significant downgrade from Sorokin. There’s also no guarantee that Horvat will be a great offensive leader. He was likely overperforming before the acquisition, as evidenced by his unusually high pre-trade 21.7 shooting percentage (his career average is 13.7). Horvat should at least be fine regardless, but they need more than a merely solid performance given his $8.5 million cap hit, and the team’s limited scoring threats.

Top Breakout Candidate: The Islanders don’t have any great breakout candidates, but one to keep an eye on is Simon Holmstrom. He had just six goals and nine points in 50 contests with the Islanders last year, but he was averaging only 11:06 of ice time. Taken with the 23rd overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Holmstrom has upside, and it’s clear the Islanders are hungry for offensive weapons, but he might still need more time to develop and may start the campaign in the AHL.

Forwards

Mathew Barzal

An electrifying skater who can carry the puck from the defensive zone to the offensive zone at an elite level, Barzal is a sensational play driver who has the potential to be a serious scoring threat, but that offensive breakthrough hasn’t quite materialized either. He scored 85 points as a rookie in 2017-2018 and has gone five straight seasons with 62 points or less. Barzal finished with 51 points (14 G, 37 A) in 58 games last season, which is fine, but it is still not making the most of his significant skills. He opened last season with 25 points in his first 22 games, but that included just two goals. While he is ostensibly a center, his inability to win faceoffs does make him a candidate to shift to the wing. He has won 42.3% of his faceoffs for his career but won a miserable 35.6% last season. With the Islanders relatively deep down the middle, they could consider turning Barzal loose on the wing. The Islanders’ tendency to play a grinding style has not brought out the best in Barzal’s production but the 26-year-old has the skills required to be a point per game scorer. While there is a world in which Barzal gets to that level again, it would be more reasonable to expect, say, 65 points while recognizing that there remains untapped potential when it comes to his offensive output.

Brock Nelson

After tallying 36 goals last season, and 37 the year before, Nelson is one of those 30 players to have scored at least 30 goals in each of the past two seasons. While Nelson is not a dominant play driver, the results have typically gone well for the Islanders with him on the ice. During five-on-five play, the Islanders have outscored the opposition with Nelson on the ice in eight of the past nine seasons. Last season, it was to the tune of 71 goals for and 45 goals against. He opened the season with 33 points (15 G, 18 A) and 96 shots on goal in his first 32 games. He could not maintain that scoring pace, in part because he could no longer generate three shots on goal per game. At 6’ 4”, Nelson has excellent size but is not a notable physical presence. He can use his reach, however, to gain space near the opposing goal and he is excellent at reading the play and making himself available in shooting position when the opportunity to score arises. Scoring 75 points last season was the first time in his career than Nelson surpassed 60 points. It would be reasonable enough this season to expect Nelson to record his third consecutive 30-goal campaign and 60 points.

Bo Horvat

Even though he opened last season with 31 goals in 49 games for Vancouver, while scoring on 21.7% of his shots, Horvat managed seven goals in 30 games with the Islanders, scoring on 8.1% of his shots. Regression can be a beast. He still finished with 38 goals, which put him in good company as one of 30 players to record 30 goals in each of the past two seasons. He effectively priced himself out of Vancouver by scoring 28 goals in 37 games and even if he was not going to maintain that pace, that production changed what Horvat could command on his next contract. Horvat is a sturdy forward who does not play a particularly physical game but does use that strength to get himself into shooting position and he had success playing the bumper position on the Canucks power play, scoring 25 power play goals in the past two seasons. After signing a big-ticket contract with the Islanders, Horvat will face massive expectations. Even if he does not match last season’s career-best output, Horvat could tally 30 goals and 60 points, quality production from a first-line center.

Anders Lee

An enormous physical presence, Lee has scored 28 goals in back-to-back seasons, a threshold he has hit five times in his career. He is not terribly fleet afoot, but plays to his strengths, carving out space around the net and daring the defense to do something about it. He is an excellent net front presence on the power play but at even strength, he still attacks the goal and gets comfortable at the top of the crease. As a result, Lee ranked first in individual high danger shot attempts and fourth in expected goals per 60 minutes during five-on-five play last season. He started strong, with 18 points (8 G, 10 A) in 19 games to open the season, but faded down the stretch, managing just four points (2 G, 2 A) in his last 15 games. His shot rate declined as the season progressed, too, which explains at least some of the reason behind his scoring dip. Lee should still be able to do damage in front of the opposition net, possibly challenging for 30 goals. He does tend to finish more than he sets up, however, so it would be reasonable to expect Lee to match last season’s total of 50 points.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau

Although he managed just 13 goals last season, his lowest total since 2016-2017, Pageau remains a strong two-way presence for the Islanders, which includes starting many more of his shifts in the defensive zone, finishing with an offensive zone start rate of 27.9% last season, freeing up the Islanders’ other centers for more offensive zone starts. While not especially big, Pageau plays a relentless physical style and recorded a career high 175 hits in 70 games in 2022-2023. He is also an ace in the faceoff dot and won a career best 57.9% of his draws. Pageau’s possession numbers tell an interesting story. He had a 46.3% Corsi percentage, worst among Islanders regulars. He also had an expected goals percentage of 51.5%, which suggests that Pageau was generating higher quality chances while suppressing higher quality chances in the defensive zone. Pageau did have a strong finish last season. Returning from an upper-body injury, Pageau had 11 points (3 G, 8 A) in his last 14 regular-season games, though he only mustered a single assist in six playoff games. Pageau has been consistent in terms of his offensive production with the Islanders, so it is fair to anticipate that he could produce another 40-point season in 2023-2024.

Kyle Palmieri

Following a couple of seasons with a lower shooting percentage, Palmieri started to find the mark again last season and finished with 16 goals in 55 games. After a slow start, Palmieri returned from an upper-body injury in mid-January and picked up his production from that point. In his last 34 games, Palmieri produced 24 points (10 G, 14 A) with 83 shots on goal while playing 17:44 per game. He then added five points (2 G, 3 A) in six playoff games. At his peak, Palmieri had a five-year stretch during which he scored at least 24 goals in each season. He is not at that level now, but the 32-year-old winger is still capable of providing secondary scoring if given the chance. While Palmieri did have 33 points in 55 games last season, that also came with an on-ice shooting percentage of 11.9%, which was his highest in more than a decade. Thus, Palmieri could be expected to contribute 35-40 points for the Islanders this season.

Pierre Engvall

Acquired from the Maple Leafs at the trade deadline, Engvall saw more ice time with the Islanders and finished the season with a career high 17 goals. A 6’ 5” left winger, who can also play some center, Engvall does not use his size to maximum effectiveness, but he was a consistent play driver in Toronto and that continued after moving to New York. In 18 games with the Islanders, Engvall had a Corsi percentage of 56.9% and expected goals percentage of 55.4%, both of which were best among Islanders that played more than a handful of games. A solid third line forward, Engvall can contribute in a secondary role on both the power play and penalty kill. There is an opportunity awaiting him with the Islanders, a chance to play more than he did in Toronto and that could give the lanky 27-year-old forward a chance at the best production of his career. In the 21 games that Engvall played more than 15 minutes last season, he produced 14 points (8 G, 6 A). That could be a chicken-and-the-egg situation, where he was getting more ice time because he had contributed offensively, but there is some indication that Engvall could have some untapped offensive potential. If Engvall produces 35 points, that would match his career high, but if he receives notably more ice time with the Islanders, that ceiling could climb higher, perhaps into the 40-to-45-point range.

Oliver Wahlstrom

The 11^th pick in the 2018 Draft, Wahlstrom has not yet lived up to expectations, but he has shown flashes of the potential that made him a high pick. Although the Islanders have been very conservative with Wahlstrom, not playing him much more than 12 minutes per game, he has shown an ability to generate shots, a willingness to play the body, and a competent level of defensive play. He suffered a knee injury against Pittsburgh on December 27th, ending his season so that hindered Wahlstrom’s development, but there should still be a chance for him to earn a regular spot among the Islanders’ top nine forwards, where the 23-year-old can prove that he has 20-goal upside. There is a wide range of potential outcomes for Wahlstrom. If he continues to play fourth-line minutes, he can be productive in that limited role, but if he gets a real opportunity to play higher up the depth chart, Wahlstrom has the potential to deliver 20 goals and 40 points, maybe even more.

Defense

Noah Dobson

Taken with the pick after Oliver Wahlstrom in 2018, Dobson has emerged as the top scoring option on the Islanders defense, producing 49 points (13 G, 36 A) last season after putting up 51 points the year before. His offensive impact is what helps Dobson stand out, though his play away from the puck could use some shoring up if he is going to reach his full potential. There is naturally a lot to like about a 6’ 4”, right shot defenseman who is 23 and has put up a total of 100 points in the past two seasons, but Dobson has more room to grow. He finished the season with 11 points (1 G, 10 A) in the last 13 games, but his ice time was down during that stretch, below 19 minutes per game when he had played over 20 minutes per game previously. In any event, Dobson is the most dangerous offensive threat on the Islanders blueline. He has had back-to-back 13-goal seasons and should be expected to hit 50 points, maybe more if the Islanders can generate more offense as a team.

Ryan Pulock

Known primarily for his booming shot when he came into the league, Pulock had become a sound defender but his play without the puck has dipped in the past couple of seasons and the Islanders allowed 2.91 expected goals against per 60 minutes of five-on-five play with Pulock on the ice last season, the highest rate of his career. The Islanders have invested heavily in Pulock, too, but he could use a rebound season to give the club more confidence in his role as a cornerstone piece moving forward. He was one of 22 defensemen to record at least 125 hits and 125 blocked shots last season. Pulock does not have the same kind of role on the power play that he had earlier in his career and that inhibits his offensive output. He had 26 points last season and is likely going to be in the range of 25-30 points in 2023-2024.

Adam Pelech

A premier defensive defenseman who does not get enough recognition because he does not contribute much offensively, the 28-year-old blueliner is elite when it comes to suppressing scoring chances. Among the 99 defensemen that have logged 3,000 five-on-five minutes in the past three seasons, Pelech ranks 11^th in high danger shot attempts against per 60 minutes and fifth in high danger goals against per 60. While Pelech does not get nearly the recognition that he deserves, the Islanders have signed him through the 2028-2029 season, an indication that his shutdown defensive play is not going unnoticed with his own team. As outstanding as Pelech is defensively, he is not a big point producer. Based on recent seasons, 25 points if a fair expectation for Pelech, even if it does not represent his real value to the club.

Scott Mayfield

After scoring a career-high 24 points (5 G, 19 A) while playing a career-high 21:02 per game last season, Mayfield was headed for unrestricted free agency, but then the Islanders locked him up with a seven-year contract, which seems like a big commitment for a defenseman who will turn 31 early in the 2023-2024 season, but with a cap hit of $3.5 million per season, it’s a pretty reasonable price to pay. Mayfield is 6’ 5” and 220 pounds and while he can play a physical game, it is not an overwhelming part of his contribution. He is a capable top-four defenseman with some offensive limitations, but it’s not hard to understand why the Islanders want to keep him around. A strong finish last season, which included seven points (1 G, 6 A) in the last 12 games, propelled Mayfield to 24 points, the high-water mark for his career. Barring a sudden and unexpected change in role, he should fall in the range of 20-25 points again.

Alexander Romanov

Acquired from the Montreal Canadiens last summer, Romanov’s first season with the Islanders saw him finish with a modest career high of 22 points (2 G, 20 A) but Romanov continued to provide blocked shots (129) and hits (198), which is fine, but his overall play left room for improvement. The 23-year-old has the physical tools, but it remains to be seen if he can put it all together and thrive in a top-four role. He faces some quality competition on the Islanders blueline, so Romanov will have to earn his way into more minutes, but he does give the Islanders insurance if some of their top four options falter. Romanov may not be a big scorer, but he is on a defense corps with few offensive options, too. Beyond Dobson, most of the Islanders defenders can be expected to score 20-plus points and Romanov fits into that group, too.

Goaltending

Ilya Sorokin

If the 2021-22 season with Igor Shesterkin’s coming-out party, the 2022-23 campaign was the league’s welcoming celebration for Ilya Sorokin across the East River. Sorokin’s arrival in North America was almost overshadowed by Shesterkin’s own dazzling debut – but thanks to a heroic season that pushed the New York Islanders back into the playoffs, Sorokin was given his due in the form of a second-place Vezina voting finish and one of the league’s best statistical performances of the year. Sorokin put up an almost laughably consistent display with his third NHL season, bringing his career save percentage through his first 136 NHL games to a mind-boggling .924 in all situations.

Sorokin quieted any doubters who worried that the Islanders weren’t in it to win it with his third straight year topping a .700 quality start percentage, proving that he’s here to stay – and here to win. And while he still looks like he’s added some control to a game that always seemed to serve as a more high-flying foil to the more controlled Shesterkin’s game while the pair competed over in Russia, Sorokin showed this past year that he’s willing to have a little fun with things, too; now that he’s really come into his own, he’s started to add some flair to his tendency to remain constantly in motion and his inclination to make the big save when a smaller one would do. His tracking remains as sharp as ever, and he did continue to show enough structure and positioning to suggest that he could be the Marc-Andre Fleury to Shesterkin’s Lundqvist; he’s a lot of fun to watch, and he’s more than willing to show that he knows it, too.

Projected starts: 55-60

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK ISLANDERS – NHL Player Profiles

Scott Cullen – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 20:23:05 +0000

BOSTON, MA - MAY 31: New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson (8) plays a pass along the blue line on the power play during Game 2 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round between the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders on May 31, 2021, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.(Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

FORWARDS

Mathew Barzal

A dynamic skater who can be an electrifying presence on the ice, Barzal has not been able to duplicate his 85-point rookie season in 2017-2018 and last season he finished with 59 points in 73 games. Barzal is exceptional when it comes to transporting the puck from his defensive zone into the offensive zone – his skating ability allows him to dart and dodge his way through neutral ice. He is far and away the most dangerous offensive performer on the team, but his defensive work was suspect last season, so that limits the value of his overall impact. He also won a career-best 46.3% of his faceoffs last season, so there is still room to improve on the dot. Barzal is 25, so he is in his prime, and given his rare ability to carry the puck from one end of the ice to the other, he remains a valuable player. It’s up to the Islanders to find the right pieces that will fit around him. 65 points is an entirely reasonable forecast for Barzal, but it also feels like underselling him. There is potential for more, but he might not have the supporting cast to help him get back to scoring more than a point per game. Maybe a new coach behind the Islanders bench will help open things up for the Isles and if that is the case, Barzal could benefit as much as anyone.

Brock Nelson

Coming off a season in which he tallied a career-high 37 goals and 59 points, Nelson has been a productive second-line center who has surpassed 50 points three times in the past four seasons. A six-time 20-goal scorer who also scored 18 goals in 56 games during the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 season, Nelson has a track record of proven performance. With solid defensive play as part of his contribution, Nelson has been quite effective. He has been an above-average finisher throughout his career, owning a shooting percentage of 14.2%, but he will not likely duplicate last season when he scored on 21.6% of his shots. Even if 37 goals are an aberration, Nelson has shown that he can score, so 25-30 goals and 55 points is in line with Nelson’s past performance.

Anders Lee

The Islanders’ captain is a 6-foot-3, 235-pound power forward who returned from a torn ACL to score 28 goals last season, the sixth time in his career that he buried at least 20 goals. Since 2016-2017, Lee has scored 162 goals, ranking 22^nd in the league over that time. While his offensive production was back to typical levels, his defensive play was not as strong, so that is an area of some concern given that Lee is 32 years old and maybe not moving quite as well as he did during his peak years. Nevertheless, he is an established and proven scorer who has thrived on Barzal’s wing and that should continue in 2022-2023. That should bring Lee 25-plus goals and 45 points, which is fine, but may not necessarily elevate the attack enough in the way that the Islanders need.

Anthony Beauvillier

A 25-year-old winger who has flashed potential at various times through his six NHL seasons, Beauvillier is coming off what may be the worst season of his career. He finished the season with 12 goals and 34 points, his fewest goals since his rookie season. He has yet to hit 40 points in a single NHL season, so when his defensive play slipped last season, the overall results were poor. While some of those results would be better by simply scoring on his career shooting percentage, 11.9% of his shots instead of last season’s 7.8% shooting percentage, the play away from the puck needs to be improved if Beauvillier is going to remain secure in a top-six role. 15-20 goals and his first 40-point season is still an achievable target for Beauvillier.

Josh Bailey

Heading into his 15^th season with the Islanders, Bailey has been a capable second line forward that can contribute offensively, and last season was the fifth time in the past six seasons that he surpassed 40 points. He is a smart player and good passer but his ability to drive play has faded in recent seasons and Bailey is a reluctant shooter – his 1.18 shots on goal per game last season was his lowest rate since his rookie season. With his game in decline, it might be natural for the Islanders to elevate others ahead of him on the depth chart, but Bailey has been resilient and maintained a second line role. If he stays in that spot, another 45-point season should be expected.

Kyle Palmieri

A consistent scoring threat earlier in his career, which included five straight seasons with more than 20 goals, the 31-year-old winger has not had that kind of productivity for the Islanders and last season’s 15 goals and 33 points was his lowest in a full season since 2014-2015. Percentages play a part in that decreased production. While he is not generating shots at the same rate as he did during his peak seasons, Palmieri has scored on 9.1% of his shots in 86 games with the Islanders after scoring on 13.2% of his shots in 397 games for the New Jersey Devils. He has not been a major factor on the Islanders power play, which naturally hurts his overall numbers, but it is notable that even with lower scoring totals, Palmieri’s ability to drive play has been relatively strong with the Isles, which makes him a solid top-six winger, but maybe the production could return to a higher level with an increased power play role. With declining production in recent seasons, he might be a lot to ask for 20 goals or 40 points out of Palmieri, but that should still be in his sights if he can get a special teams boost.

Zach Parise

Now 38, Parise had a bit of a bounce-back season in 2021-2022, at least relative to the previous season in Minnesota. 15 goals and 35 points is a long way from Parise’s best production in the league, but he generated enough to be a competent middle six winger and getting that on a league-minimum contract is an obvious net positive for the Islanders. He also managed 1.68 shots on goal per game, his lowest since his rookie season in 2005-2006, so there are signs of decline that are to be expected for a player in his late thirties. How much Parise produces will be tied to ice time that could easily decline, but if he stays in a top-nine role for the Islanders, he should be able to contribute 30-35 points.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau

A reliable third line center, the 29-year-old played 17:40 per game last season, falling behind only Mathew Barzal (18:01 ATOI) and, just barely, Brock Nelson (17:41 ATOI), so the Islanders are comfortable with Pageau playing a significant role, though he is probably limited to some degree by the quality of his linemates. Nevertheless, Pageau is a solid contributor who had 39 points last season and has surpassed 40 points a couple of times in his career. He plays a sound defensive game, too, making him an enviable third line center. If he produces 40 points, that could offer some value. If he adds to that with another 170-hit season, Pageau would have very specific category appeal. He has also won 55.8% of his draws since joining the Islanders, so Pageau does have a knack for doing those little things that can help a team win.

Oliver Wahlstrom

A 22-year-old winger who can really fire the puck, Wahlstrom has been eased into his NHL role, logging 12 minutes per game for a couple of years, but he could be ready to handle more responsibility because not only can he shoot the puck, but Wahlstrom has been able to play a sound defensive game in his limited role. With more ice time and a shooting percentage likely to improve on last season’s 8.3%, there is a reasonable path to Wahlstrom scoring 20 goals in the near future, possibly even this season. Without knowing that he will have an increased role with more ice time, though, Wahlstrom should probably be looked at for 15 goals and 25-30 points. An opportunity waits with Barzal and Lee on the top line representing tempting upside but use caution where you pick him.

DEFENSE

Noah Dobson

Emerging as a first-rate puck-moving defenseman, the 22-year-old erupted for 51 points in his third NHL season. After playing a depth role in his first two seasons, Dobson saw his ice time spike to more than 21 minutes per game as he became the quarterback for the Islanders power play, scoring 22 of his 51 points with the man advantage, which was tied for eighth among defensemen. On a team with a lot of veteran talent, Dobson is still young enough to be on the ascent of his career, so if he can continue to develop, he could become a major factor on the Islanders blueline. Since Dobson’s percentages weren’t wildly inflated last season, looking for another 50-point season is not unreasonable. Maybe a bit optimistic, but he is a young player that is certainly trending up in his career.

Ryan Pulock

Earlier in his career, the 27-year-old looked like he would be a power play threat because of his booming shot, but that was not enough to really handle the job, and that’s okay. He has rounded into a steady top-four role, playing more than 21 minutes per game for four straight seasons. He has blocked more than 100 shots in four straight seasons and has registered more than 1.50 hits per game for each of the past five seasons, yet Pulock plays an exceptionally clean game. In the past two seasons, he has played that physical style for 112 games and has a total of 10 penalty minutes, the fewest of any defenseman to appear in at least 100 games over the past two seasons. It should not be overlooked how much value exists in a defenseman that does not take penalties. Pulock is still capable of producing 30 points, but his offensive ceiling is lowered because his power play contributions have been getting smaller.

Adam Pelech

A standout defensive performer, in the classical sense because Pelech finished with a career high 28 points last season, but he is a first-pairing beast who has excelled in a shutdown role. He is a strong skater and while he is 6-foot-3 and will get involved physically, Pelech is not a punishing hitter. He is smart and responsible and massively underrated by many because he does not have gaudy point totals. Nevertheless, Pelech is a dominant play-driving defenseman who not only handles the toughest matchups, but excels in those matchups, so he should not be some hidden gem of a player, rather he should be getting more Norris Trophy votes if the 28-year-old continues to play as well as he has in recent years. The Islanders have outscored opponents 106-75 with Pelech on the ice in 5-on-5 situations in the past two seasons, 25 points is a fair expectation for Pelech but it barely scratches the surface when trying to represent his value to the Islanders.

Alexander Romanov

Acquired from Montreal in a blockbuster draft day trade, Romanov showed some potential through his first two seasons with Montreal, especially as a physical presence last season when he recorded 227 hits. He was one of 11 defensemen to finish with more than 140 hits and 140 blocked shots last season. The question is whether the 22-year-old can develop and display more skill because his offensive contributions have been very limited while he has had more of an impact defensively. He does not have to turn into an offensive star, but some improvement over his first two seasons with the Canadiens could help Romanov establish his credentials as a top pair defenseman. If he could score 20 points this season that would be a win, but Romanov is also likely to record rare hit and blocked shot totals, enough that he might still have fantasy appeal despite his lack of scoring.

GOALTENDING

Ilya Sorokin

It’s almost a little unfair that Ilya Sorokin has come into the league at the same time as Igor Shesterkin; one might wonder what sort of buzz he’d be producing if he had been the first one to arrive in the NHL, and just how much better his finish would have been in Vezina voting in the process. As it stands, he finished his 2021-22 campaign with a .925 save percentage and a .712 quality start percentage, posting 37 quality starts and a whopping seven shutouts over his 52-game campaign for the New York Islanders. And despite that performance – which in some years would have been a clear-cut Vezina Finalist performance – he still finished sixth in voting for the league’s most prestigious goaltending award; he barely made buzz in comparison to the hype happening on the other side of the city for the rival New York team, which is hard to consider anything but disappointing.

Luckily, the Islanders are set to watch him succeed for a long time yet. Even though the team has been the butt of too many jokes this past summer thanks to an antiquated general manager and a disappointing lack of free agent signings, the team should still be set up to help Sorokin establish himself as one of the most powerful netminders in the Metropolitan Division. In an era when most teams are struggling to figure out who to tandem and when a replacement for the mid-2000’s goaltending giants will emerge from their prospect pools, Sorokin’s smooth skating – combined with a willingness to temper some of his energy and structure his positioning a bit more for the North American game – will keep him thriving in the league for as long as he wants to play.

Projected starts: 55-60

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Injuries and player movement present late season opportunities for Nick Ritchie, Sean Durzi, Evgenii Dadonov, Frank Vatrano, Joel Farabee, Erik Kallgren, Logan Thompson and many more.

Scott Cullen — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 17:59:32 +0000

20 FANTASY POINTS

Each week I dive into the numbers and offer some insights that should help when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

In this week’s edition of 20 Fantasy Points, injuries and player movement present late season opportunities for Nick Ritchie, Sean Durzi, Evgenii Dadonov, Frank Vatrano, Joel Farabee, Erik Kallgren, Logan Thompson and many more.

#1 Arizona Coyotes left winger Clayton Keller suffered a broken leg Wednesday that will require 4-6 months for recovery and rehabilitation, so he is aiming to be ready for the start of next season. Keller was having the best season of his career, already hitting a career high with 28 goals and 63 points in 67 games was his best per-game scoring rate (0.94 ppg). The question for the Coyotes is who will fill the void down the stretch? This is a team missing a bunch of players with injuries already and they were hardly starting from a position of great strength in the first place.

#2 Lawson Crouse might have been a candidate to play a bigger role for the Coyotes, but his season is over, too, after he broke a bone in his hand while blocking a shot. The Coyotes had four players with 10 or more points in 14 games during the month of March and Keller and Crouse were two of them. Nick Ritchie has eight goals and 48 hits in 16 games since joining the Coyotes, so he is a prime candidate to handle a bigger role late in the season. Rookie Matias Maccelli has five points and just six shots on goal in his first 14 NHL games and while that is not very inspiring, he would seem like a good bet to play more for the remainder of this season.

#3 Opportunity is a big factor when it comes to a player making their mark in the National Hockey League. The Los Angeles Kings blueline has been decimated by injuries and that has allowed Sean Durzi to not only play in the league but also to handle a top pair role out of necessity. Since March 7, Durzi has produced eight points (1 G, 7 A) in 13 games while playing more than 23 minutes per game.

#4 The Vegas Golden Knights might have thought they were getting rid of right winger Evgenii Dadonov in a deadline deal with the Anaheim Ducks, but the trade was voided by the National Hockey League because the Ducks were on Dadonov’s no-trade list. No matter, Dadonov has contributed eight points (5 G, 3 A) in the past five games, keeping the Golden Knights in the playoff hunt.

#5 When the Florida Panthers were clearing cap space to bring in Claude Giroux from Philadelphia, they unloaded winger Frank Vatrano to the New York Rangers. Vatrano has responded to his increased role on Broadway with six points (5 G, 1 A) and 18 shots on goal in eight games with the Rangers while getting a shot to play alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.

#6 Even as the Philadelphia Flyers stagger towards the finish of this season, winger Joel Farabee is surging offensively, putting up 10 points (4 G, 6 A) and 18 shots on goal in the past nine games. He has moved to centre, between veteran wingers James van Riemsdyk and Cam Atkinson and, for all of the Flyers’ problems, that trio is working.

#7 While Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog recovers from knee surgery, Valeri Nichushkin has busted through as a premier performer. Nichushkin has already established his credentials as an elite two-way player, but he is getting the chance to play a more offensive role and has produced nine points (5 G, 4 A) along with 26 shots on goal in the past eight games.

VANCOUVER, BC - MARCH 17: Detroit Red Wings left wing Jakub Vrana (15) skates up ice during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on March 17, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)

#8 The Detroit Red Wings have been fading, going 11-19-6 since returning from the December schedule pause, but the return of Jakub Vrana is at least offering some hope. Vrana has scored seven goals in 11 games for the Wings this season and, going back to when he was acquired last season, Vrana has scored 20 points (15 G, 5 A) in 22 games for Detroit.

#9 One of the most valuable free agent additions from last summer was that of the Los Angeles Kings signing center Phillip Danault. The 29-year-old has proven his value as a defensive presence, but he scored just five goals in 53 games for Montreal last season. This season, Danault has combined with wingers Viktor Arvidsson and Trevor Moore to form a dangerous trio that controls play and drives offense, too. Since the beginning of February, Danault has picked up his scoring pace, with 18 points (11 G, 7 A) in 24 games and his 21 goals this season is easily a career high.

#10 Since the All-Star break, the leaders in individual expected goals per 60 minutes of 5v5 play (minimum 200 minutes): Mason Marchment, Brad Marchand, Auston Matthews, Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson, Gabriel Landeskog, William Carrier, Nathan MacKinnon, Phillip Danault, and Connor McDavid. Danault is in pretty good company there.

#11 While the Boston Bruins have spent much of this season wondering who will fill the hole that was created at second line center when David Krejci left, it sure looks like Erik Haula has settled into the role. He has 15 points (4 G, 11 A) in his past 16 games, and Haula does not need to be a difference maker, he just needs to be a suitable complement to wingers Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak.

#12 While he has had some ups and downs during his rookie season, Carolina Hurricanes right winger Seth Jarvis has tallied six points (3 G, 3 A) and 14 shots on goal in the past seven games and, more importantly, has been skating on Carolina’s top line alongside Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. That’s a great opportunity if Jarvis can remain in that spot.

#13 As Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner deals with a back injury, opportunity knocks for Jack Roslovic, who was playing a whole lot less this season. In his first 49 games this season, Roslovic was averaging less than 12 minutes of ice time per game and had 20 points (8 G, 12 A). Since then, his ice time has jumped to more than 16 minutes per game and Roslovic has 12 points (4 G, 8 A) in 18 games as he centers the top line with Jakub Voracek and Patrik Laine.

#14 When the season started for the expansion Seattle Kraken, Stanley Cup champ Yanni Gourde was expected to be one of the top offensive threats on the team. He also had offseason shoulder surgery, so it took some time for him to get going, but Gourde is finishing strong even in what is a lost season for the Kraken. In his past 21 games, Gourde has 16 points (6 G, 10 A), including three on the power play and three while shorthanded.

#15 When the Montreal Canadiens chose not to match the Carolina Hurricanes’ offer sheet to restricted free agent center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, they quickly reacted by trading to get Christian Dvorak from the Arizona Coyotes. Dvorak struggled and has missed time with injuries, but he does have eight points (4 G, 4 A) in his past dozen games.

#16 Minnesota Wild center Frederick Gaudreau flies under the radar but he has been a productive pivot on the second line between rookie Matthew Boldy and Kevin Fiala. Gaudreau has 18 points (6 G, 12 A) in his past 25 games. Since the All-Star break, Gaudreau is putting up 3.03 points per 60 minutes during 5v5 play, one of just 19 players in the league averaging better than three points per 60 in that time.

#16 There are lots of expected names among those per 60 5v5 scoring leaders, but that list also includes Joel Farabee, Derek Ryan, Jesper Bratt, Travis Konecny, Craig Smith, Michael Bunting, Nick Schmaltz, and New Jersey’s center duo of Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier.

#17 That line of Gaudreau, Boldy, and Fiala ranks ninth (among lines to have played at least 200 minutes together) with 4.08 goals per 60 minutes of 5v5 play. Calgary’s top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk ranks second, with 4.57 goals per 60 minutes. The top scoring line during 5v5 play this season? Toronto’s trio of Michael Bunting, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner has scored 6.30 goals per 60 minutes, a massive gap over even Calgary’s dominant number one line.

#18 While Jack Campbell is still out of the lineup, recovering from a rib injury, and Petr Mrazek is done for the rest of the regular season with a groin injury, the Toronto Maple Leafs are pinning their goaltending hopes on 25-year-old rookie Erik Kallgren, who has a .906 save percentage in his first seven NHL games, allowing 17 goals on 15.01 expected goals. The Maple Leafs do not need their goaltender to be a star, but something around league average would go a long way towards the Leafs having some success.

#19 In Vegas, goaltender Robin Lehner is injured again, and Laurent Brossoit has not stepped up in his absence, creating a chance for Logan Thompson, who has a .920 save percentage in 11 games, allowing 27 goals compared to 28 expected goals. Both Kallgren and Thompson have a chance to be fantasy difference makers down the stretch by virtue of playing significant roles on winning teams.

#20 Since the All-Star break, the top scoring defensemen during 5v5 play: Roman Josi, Cale Makar, Adam Pelech, Devon Toews, Brady Skjei, Seth Jones, Travis Sanheim, and Timothy Liljegren. Josi and Makar are to be expected as the top two scorers among defensemen this season, but Pelech, Skjei, Sanheim and Liljegren do not have huge offensive reputations.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey.

EASTERN DIVISION PLAYOFF REVIEW: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Islanders – Two Half Seasons, Two Different Teams

Corey Sznajder — Fri, 14 May 2021 17:00:36 +0000

UNIONDALE, NY - FEBRUARY 27: Pittsburgh Penguins Center Sidney Crosby (87) and New York Islanders Left Wing Anthony Beauavillier (18) battle for the puck during the second period of the National Hockey League game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders on February 27, 2021, at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, NY. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)

Pittsburgh vs. New York – A Tale of Two Halfs

Prior to the Anders Lee injury, the Islanders looked like they were on a collision course for first place in the East. They’ve been one of the best defensive teams in the league since they hired Barry Trotz in 2018 and this year, they were finally getting the offensive production to back it up, both from a play-driving and goal-scoring standpoint. Since Lee went down, their foundation has crumbled. They’ve been middle of the pack team in terms of Expected Goal Differential in their last 25 games and have had a devil of a time scoring goals. They finished the year with a thud, winning three of their last 10 and winning only six out of their last 20 games in regulation. Their playoff spot was never in jeopardy, but they went from first to fourth in the matter of a month.

Compare that to Pittsburgh’s recent output, who have lost only eight games in regulation since the beginning of March, and this series looks like a mismatch. It’s tough to predict if recent play has any impact on the playoffs, especially with the Islanders having their ticket punched since Valentine’s Day, but it’s hard to have much confidence in them right now. Can they flip the switch, or is this just a bad matchup for them?

There are a couple ways to look at this. Everyone remembers how good the Isles were in the bubble last year and knows how they can turn any game into a 2-1 coinflip where it turns into a challenge of who can stay the most disciplined (and who has the better goalie). Most hockey fans also might remember what happened to Pittsburgh in their last two trips to the playoffs, especially two years ago where the Islanders swept them. Things are a little different now. Rosters have changed, the Islanders aren’t at full health and there’s been a bit of a role reversal with how these two teams play.

What we’re looking at here is how often each team enters the offensive zone with possession compared to how often they allow a controlled entry when they have a defender guarding their blue line. The Islanders are slightly worse defensively than one might think while the Penguins are one of the top teams in the league. Part of that is expected. The Islanders are a team comfortable playing in their own zone & waiting for their chances. Pittsburgh’s improvement here is something worth discussing, though.

By most metrics, Pittsburgh is a middle of the road team defensively, although they’ve moved into the top-half of the league in their last 25 games in terms of limiting chances. The one thing they have going for them is they’ve been excellent at limiting controlled entries and looks off the rush. Basically, they win the battle in the neutral zone more times than not and can control the game when things are structured, which is how the Islanders like to play. When the structure breaks, they’re prone to giving up breakaways &turnovers in their own zone, which happened a lot early in the season. Now? They’ve been in control of most of their games & haven’t spent much time defending. The Islanders, on the other hand, haven’t been as sound defensively with defending the rush as they usually are. They have one of the best defense pairs in the league in Adam Pelech & Ryan Pulock, but the bottom two pairs are something Pittsburgh might be able to exploit.

PITTSBURGH, PA - FEBRUARY 20: New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40) tends net during the third period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders on February 20, 2021, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire)

Varlamov An Equalizer

Similar to the Bruins/Caps series, most of the stats point in favor of the team that is currently on a hot streak. The difference is that the Caps are a good team playing a better team while the Islanders would have been the better team if this series was being played a month ago. It really depends on if they can flip the switch and if the season series between these two teams was a fluke or not (Pens took six out of eight). New York’s biggest equalizer is obviously in net with Semyon Varlamov, who finished with a save percentage just shy of .930 going up against Tristan Jarry, who is just as likely to pitch as a shutout as he is to end up on the bench by the third period. Sometimes that’s all you need in a short series, but the number of things that have gone against the Isles since Lee went down is a little jarring.

Is what they get from Mat Barzal going to be enough going up against Crosby? Everyone knows he is one of the league’s gamebreakers who can even the playing field quicker than anyone else. He is still one of the top players in the league at breaking apart even the best of defensive systems & while they’re still struggling to find a replacement for Lee, they have options. Palmieri is a better player than he has shown so far & Oliver Wahlstrom has been one of the better players in the league at creating rebounds, which could play a difference if these are going to be 2-1 games. Brock Nelson & Jean-Gabriel Pageau can also level the playing field by creating shorthanded, which is the easiest way to throw someone’s game plan off-script.

Return of Malkin

The problem for the Islanders is that it all comes back to them getting back to things we know they can do versus what they actually have been doing for the past month. That and Pittsburgh also has a lot of good players who are currently firing on all cylinders. Sidney Crosby might not create in volume like Barzal does, but he is still arguably the best player in the league at creating sustained zone time & finding open guys in front of the net. Factor in that they’ve been playing most of the season without Evgeni Malkin & things start to look bleak for the Islanders. This isn’t to say that the Pens don’t have their concerns, though.

After all, the Islanders are arguably the deeper team down the middle. Are we expecting Jeff Carter to keep shooting at 24-percent like he has the past month? Pageau is a capable two-way forward & can likely win that matchup. Malkin coming back is very intimidating, but Jason Zucker & Kasperi Kapanen on the wings isn’t as threatening as it looks on paper. Zucker is similar to Palmieri where he’s in the middle of a tough season and Kapanen is a feast-or-famine type player where he’s needs to be the one leading the rush to be effective. These seem like perfect players for Malkin to elevate, as he’s taken on more of a playmaking/point guard type of role as he got older, especially with the little passes in the neutral zone. Doing that might be tough against New York at full strength because of how well they clog up the middle of the ice, but the Penguins did find their way around this plenty of times during the regular season.

The word “structure” gets thrown around a lot in hockey and while there is something to having all of your players staying disciplined and doing their assignments, opportunities will present themselves during a long game. In the example above you have the Penguins getting a rush off a missed shot & a broken play off an entry where the defenseman arguably did his job. Malkin & Kapanen just made a quick read& it ended up in the back of the net. Those are going to happen. Just go through the season series & you’ll find countless examples of the Penguins breaking the Islanders structure. Of course, this can change in a playoff series where the teams are more familiar with eachother & have time to adjust. We saw the impact that had in their last playoff series.

The Islanders from the first two months of the season are a team that can handle Pittsburgh even with how well they’ve been playing lately. The Islanders since mid-March, however, look poised for a first round exit. Which team will show up on Sunday afternoon?

BREAKOUT PLAYERS: Defenders Taking Their Games to the Next Level

Shayna Goldman — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 17:57:57 +0000

Defense can be one of the trickier positions to analyze. Points tell just one part of the story and plus/minus, which is often cited for defenders, is flawed. Those who can drive-play, limit offense against, and are trusted in key roles are the players to watch.

With most teams approaching or passing the three-quarter mark of the condensed 2020-21 season, let’s explore some defenders who have taken their game to the next level with breakout years.

NEWARK, NJ - MARCH 04: New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) skates during the National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers on March 4, 2021 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

Adam Fox

Fox’s first NHL season should have landed him higher in the Calder conversation, but he went under the radar because he wasn’t among the highest scoring rookie defenders and didn’t play a leading role.

Via HockeyViz

The rookie defender was actually the most consistent blue liner in New York last season. He was expected to make an impact offensively with his puck distribution, but he was far better defensively on a team that struggled in their own zone than anticipated. Fox actually had some of the best defensive impacts in New York relative to his teammates. But he didn’t play first pair minutes, wasn’t often featured on the penalty kill, and didn’t quarterback the first power play unit… until this year.

Fox was given an opportunity on the first power play unit and ran with it and is now a key cog on a new-look penalty kill. He leads the team with an average ice time of 24+ minutes in all situations — an increase of over five minutes from last year. What’s earned him a lot of praise this season is his scoring; he’s among the league’s best defenders with 41 points in 44 games.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Video-1.mp4

Like last season, there’s a lot more to his game than just scoring.

At 5-on-5, the sophomore defender helps push the pace of play. The Rangers are a below average team offensively but generate more in in terms of both quantity and quality with him deployed. Corey’s Sznajder tracking data helps pinpoint some of the areas Fox plays a key role in that — he leads their blue line in possession zone exits and entries and creates the most high danger shot assists of the defense.

New York also limits shots against with him on the ice — more with him and partner Ryan Lindgren than any other defenders. The composure and poise that make him so dynamic in the offensive zone play well to his defensive strengths too.

According to HockeyViz, the Rangers are one percent weaker defensively than league average when Fox isn’t on the ice, but 21 percent stronger than league average with him. The team keeps their opponents away from the dangerous net-front areas while he’s deployed, even though he faces some of the toughest competition of first pair defenders in the league. Despite that workload, Fox has maintained his discipline; he’s taken just five penalties in 44 games this season.

ST. LOUIS, MO - APRIL 14: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews (7) during a NHL game between the Colorado Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues on April 14, 2021, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Mo. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire),

Devon Toews

Toews has been a solid two-way defender throughout his first three NHL seasons. But this year, he’s had an expanded role from years past and he’s shined.

The Islanders traded restricted free agent Toews last offseason to manage their cap crunch in exchange for two second round picks. The left-handed back extended in Colorado for four years with an average annual value of $4.1 million, and so far, they’ve gotten quite a return on their investment.

His role has evolved each year of his career, from third pair minutes to second pair last year. Now, he’s averaging top pair minutes at 24:46 which is a more than a four-minute increase from last season. It also puts him right in to the top echelon of the league — 11th among all defenders, and first on the Avalanche.

Toews has been a positive influence on his teams offensively each season and defensively sound. This year, he’s kicked it up a notch, particularly at 5-on-5. The Avalanche allow just 42.15 shots per 60 against while he’s on the ice, which ranks second in the league and is sandwiched between teammates Cale Makar and Sam Girard. Colorado also limits quality chances to 1.58 expected goals against per 60. As Sznajder’s data shows, Toews is a great skater which helps his transition game; he often exits the zone with possession and has the lowest rate of failed exits on the team (and one of the better rates among league defenders).

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Video-2.mp4

According to HockeyViz, the team is 33 percent stronger than league average defensively with him deployed. As the heat map below shows in blue, opponents aren’t able to generate much of anything near the net.

Via HockeyViz

Evolving-Hockey has Toews with a Goals Above Replacement value of 12.5 in 40 games this year, which is more than double his previous career high of 4.9. His current score puts him ninth in the league among all skaters. His even strength defensive component (4.5) rates fifth.

There is an argument to be made about the strength of Colorado, because that provides some key context to his underlying numbers. They dominate 5-on-5 play, and few players on the team allow too many shots against. Plus, there’s a ton of support between the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen up front, along with the two defenders he’s primarily split his season between Makar and Girard. But Toews only adds to their skill and is leaned on for it. He’s trusted in some of the most crucial minutes, sees his ice time tick up to maintain ties and defend close leads, and responds with excellent play on both ends of the ice.

Adam Pelech

Pelech isn’t the name that typically stands out on the Islanders’ first pair. Ryan Pulock and his heavy shot often grab attention because he’s been the more offensively inclined of the pair. The two have been together for much of the last three seasons. But the left-handed defender has been quietly effective throughout his career; his importance to the team was particularly pronounced last year while he was sidelined with injury. This season, Pelech’s taken his game to the next level and he’s getting the attention he deserves for his strong play in a top pair role.

Via HockeyViz

Pelech is a defensive defenseman. Through 45 games, he’s tallied just 10 points and doesn’t see power play time. Sometimes, defensive defenders run the risk of being too one-dimensional. Or they play a heavier, outdated style and are thought of as defensive but actually don’t provide much value in their own zone. That isn’t the case for Pelech, despite the fact that he isn’t too offensively minded. He’s actually blocked shots at the lowest rate of his career this season.

At 5-on-5, the Islanders do create more offense when he’s on the ice versus when he isn’t. Pelech leads the team and ranks sixth among defenders (with at least 100 minutes played) with a 61 expected goal percentage. While that could be a product of who he’s deployed with, the fact that he isn’t limiting offense on both ends of the ice is noteworthy given his style of play.

The defensive zone is where he really stands out. Pelech ranks in the top-25 defenders in Goals Above Replacement at 7.6, an increase from last year’s 4.8. Fueling that ranking is his even strength defensive component of 5.8 that’s second in the league to Chris Tanev.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Video-3.mp4

A strength of Pelech’s game is limiting opponents from entering the zone with possession past him; according to Sznajder’s data, he doesn’t allow many entries against and helps prevent the opponent from creating chances when they enter the zone.

The Islanders are an above average defensive team thanks to the structure head coach Barry Trotz has instilled, but they’re even better when Pelech is on; their defense is 25 percent stronger than league average with him. The team doesn’t allow too many shots against while he’s on the ice; the shots that are allowed are generally kept outside of the scoring areas and very little is created in front of the crease. Opponents are limited to just 1.88 expected goals per 60 when Pelech is deployed. And that’s in some of the toughest competition and minutes; Pelech and Pulock see ice time increase when the score is tied, and even more while defending a one-goal lead.

Data via Evolving-Hockey.com, HockeyViz, and Corey Sznajder.

Kyle Pettit is the definition of a pro

McKeen's Staff — Sat, 10 May 2014 12:37:15 +0000

Amidst a lineup that includes the wunderkind Connor McDavid, the first-round pick Andre Burakovsky, the veteran scorers Connor Brown and Dane Fox, the defensive stalwart Adam Pelech and the highly-touted goalie Oscar Dansk lays a true sleeper.

There wasn’t a headline for Kyle Pettit to make this season playing for the stacked and loaded Erie Otters, but his disposition never wavered. He routinely dropped off the hard hat and lunch pail when he showed up for work, and walked out with bags of ice as his medals for a job well done.

Pettit scored just five times this season. He has a mere 16 points in 120 games. And yet, he’s a definite candidate for the late portion of the draft. Pettit is the sum of his parts, a team player and a pro in every definition of the word.

Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

A model of consistency last year, Petitt only missed one game however missed 15 this season to a shoulder injury .. a consummate two-way player, his value isn’t measured by points but by his attention to detail away from the puck and relentless work ethic .. a team player who buys in and does whatever is necessary to win games .. willingly blocked shots this season even when his team was up by five goals in some contests .. extremely effective at taking face-offs and would routinely take defensive zone draws, win them and skate hard to the bench for a change .. a decent skater for his size -- his mechanics are not polished but show the potential to improve .. despite his size (6’4” and 190 pounds) he is not aggressive .. plays an honest game and while he doesn’t look for hits, he will use his size to lean on players down low .. lacks offensive zone awareness as he is always chasing the puck and possesses very little poise with it in his possession .. Pettit has good size and does all the little things well .. with graduations to the Otters’ top six, he should get more opportunity to work on his puck skills.

CHL 2014 IIHF WJHC Participants On-Ice Stats

Gus Katsaros — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 20:22:56 +0000

A short post with the focus on participating players dressing for their respective countries in the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championships and their member clubs in the CHL playing overseas in Sweden.

I broke away from the traditional goals-assists-points statistics and focused on the breakdown of ON-ICE even strength goals for/against as well as on the percentage basis for their respective teams. The legend is located just before the table.

Some additional details break down the draft year, team that drafted the player (none of these players have been traded to another NHL team). There are very few undrafted players as this tournament is drafted prospect heavy, but there are many European exceptions – along with some draft-eligible players for 2014 (and two notable 2015 draft eligible players in Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel – as a late birthday).

ESGF - Even Strength Goals For (On-Ice)

ESGA - Even Strength Goals Against (On-Ice)

%TmESGF - Percentage of On-Ice Even Strength Goals For

%TmESGA - Percentage of On-Ice Even Strength Goals Against

Draft Team - Team that drafted this player

Draft Yr - Draft Year

DOB - Date of Birth

Country	Team	Pos	ESGF	ESGA	%Tm ESGF	%Tm ESGA	Draft Team	Draft Yr	DOB
Canada
Josh Anderson	London Knights	C	29	13	20.28	25.00	CBJ	2012	1994/05/07
Chris Bigras	Owen Sound Attack	D	26	30	27.08	27.78	Col	2013	1995/02/22
Jonathan Drouin	Halifax Mooseheads	C	36	19	25.71	19.00	TBL	2013	1995/03/28
Aaron Ekblad	Barrie Colts	D	25	24	22.12	25.53	--	--	1996/02/07
Zachary Fucale	Halifax Mooseheads	G	0	0	0.00	0.00	MTL	2013	1995/05/28
Frederik Gauthier	Rimouski Oceanic	C	25	24	22.12	60.00	Tor	2013	1995/04/26
Bo Horvat	London Knights	LW	37	19	25.87	36.54	Van	2013	1995/04/05
Charles Hudon	Chicoutimi Sagueneens	LW	27	29	26.21	26.36	MTL	2012	1994/06/23
Scott Laughton	Oshawa Generals	C	36	27	30.00	33.75	Phi	2012	1994/05/30
Curtis Lazar	Edmonton Oil Kings	C	41	18	32.80	30.00	Ott	2013	1995/02/02
Taylor Leier	Portland Winterhawks	LW	39	20	23.93	18.02	Phi	2012	1994/02/15
Anthony Mantha	Val-d’Or Foreurs	LW	50	33	29.07	37.50	DET	2013	1994/09/16
Connor McDavid	Erie Otters	C	42	20	24.85	42.55	--	--	1997/01/13
Josh Morrissey	Prince Albert Raiders	C	40	29	34.48	42.65	Wpg	2013	1995/03/28
Jake Paterson	Saginaw Spirit	G	0	0	0.00	0.00	Det	2012	1994/05/03
Adam Pelech	Erie Otters	D	44	21	26.04	44.68	NYI	2012	1994/08/16
Nicolas Petan	Portland Winterhawks	C	52	27	31.90	24.32	WPG	2013	1995/03/22
Derrick Pouliot	Portland Winterhawks	D	51	37	31.29	33.33	Pit	2012	1994/01/16
Griffin Reinhart	Edmonton Oil Kings	D	15	11	12.00	18.33	NYI	2012	1994/01/24
Sam Reinhart	Kootenay Ice	C	32	28	31.37	31.82	--	--	1995/11/06
Kerby Rychel	Guelph Storm/Windsor Spitfires	LW	32	19	26.67	19.19	CBJ	2013	1994/10/07
Czech Republic
Radek Faksa	Kitchener Rangers	C	23	33	24.21	28.70	Dal	2012	1994/01/09
Jan Kostalek	Rimouski Oceanic	D	24	26	21.24	65.00	Wpg	2013	1995/02/17
Marek Langhamer	Medicine Hat Tigers	G	0	0	0.00	0.00	PHX	2012	1994/07/22
David Nemecek	Saskatoon Blades	D	23	28	21.30	20.00	--	--	1995/06/29
Michal Plutnar	Tri-City Americans	D	6	11	6.67	11.58	--	--	1994/02/21
Petr Sidlik	Victoriaville Tigres	D	24	32	24.24	25.20	--	--	1994/01/18
Dominik Volek	Red Deer Rebels	RW	23	20	23.47	26.32	--	--	1994/01/12
Patrik Zdrahal	Rimouski Oceanic	RW	12	16	15.00	30.19	--	--	1995/04/09
Finland
Julius Honka	Swift Current Broncos	D	42	33	35.59	32.04	--	--	1995/12/03
Henri Ikonen	Kingston Frontenacs	LW	40	25	32.00	21.93	TB	2013	1994/04/17
Mikko Vainonen	Kingston Frontenacs	D	36	22	28.80	19.30	Nsh	2012	1994/04/11
Germany
Tim Bender	London Knights	C	16	4	11.19	7.69	--	--	--
Marvin Cupper	Shawinigan Cataractes	G	0	0	0.00	0.00	--	--	--
Leon Draisaitl	Prince Albert Raiders	C	31	30	26.72	44.12	--	--	1995/10/27
Markus Eisenschmid	Medicine Hat Tigers	C	13	20	11.50	21.05	--	--	1995/01/22
Dominik Kahun	Sudbury Wolves	C	10	15	7.94	12.10	--	--	1995/07/02
Maximilian Kammerer	Regina Pats	C	1	5	0.91	6.41	--	--	--
Norway
Jorgen Karterud	SSM Greyhounds	RW	14	16	10.22	31.37	--	--	1994/05/06
Russia
Ivan Barbashev	Moncton Wildcats	C	31	33	30.39	34.74	--	--	1995/12/14
Nikita Zadorov	London Knights	C	12	4	8.39	7.69	Buf	2013	1995/04/16
Valentin Zykov	Baie-Comeau Drakkar	RW	22	9	16.30	10.11	LAK	2013	1995/05/15
Slovakia
Martin Reway	Gatineau Olympiques	LW	31	21	27.93	18.75	Mtl	2013	1995/01/24
Sweden
Andre Burakovsky	Erie Otters	LW	35	16	20.71	34.04	WSH	2013	1995/02/09
Oscar Dansk	Erie Otters	G	0	0	0.00	0.00	CBJ	2012	1994/02/28
Nick Sorensen	Quebec Remparts	RW	22	12	18.49	13.79	Ana	2013	1994/10/23
Switzerland
Phil Baltisberger	Guelph Storm	D	34	15	20.12	28.30	--	--	1995/11/13
Jason Fuchs	Rouyn-Noranda Huskies	LW	23	20	16.79	30.77	--	--	1995/09/14
Fabrice Herzog	Quebec Remparts	RW	30	28	25.21	32.18	TOR	2013	1994/12/09
Mirco Mueller	Everett Silvertips	D	21	20	19.09	27.03	SJ	2013	1995/03/21
Vincent Praplan	North Bay Battalion	LW	22	21	24.44	60.00	--	--	1994/06/10
Yannick Rathgeb	Plymouth Whalers	D	19	27	22.89	27.55	--	--	1995/10/24
United States
Adam Erne	Quebec Remparts	LW	30	27	25.21	31.03	TBL	2013	1995/04/20
Ryan Hartman	Plymouth Whalers	C	21	37	25.30	37.76	Chi	2013	1994/09/20
Anthony Stolarz	London Knights	G	--	--	--	--	Phi	2012	1994/01/20

**********

Follow the McKeen's team on Twitter:

@mckeenshockey
@KatsHockey

Erie Otters: Drafted Player Scouting Reports

Gus Katsaros — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 16:42:44 +0000

The Erie Otters skated to a Thanksgiving Day 7-0 matinee rout over the Mississauga Steelheads. The win capped off three games in four nights, scoring 17 goals en route to a perfect 3-0 record - remaining undefeated in five October games. Below are notes on three drafted prospects for the Maple Leafs, Capitals and NY Islanders.

Mississauga defenseman Trevor Carrick (Carolina 4th rnd, 115th – 2012) is the lone Steelheads player featured. The talented blueliner has scored six goals and tied for the team scoring lead with Dylan Smoskowitz, while building on a 2012-13 season where he scored double digit goals (10 – six at even strength) and 0.55 points-per-game.

Connor Brown, RW (Toronto - 2012)

Freshly anointed OHL Player of the week, Otters captain recorded helpers on the opening two goals – both by Dane Fox - lining up alongside Connor McDavid .. worked hard along the boards winning the puck battle before passing it to the middle finding Fox for the first Erie goal .. skated on the first penalty killing unit – and the lone PK forward in a 5-on-3 situation - showing usage versatility and coach’s trust, appearing in every situation .. patient with heads up vision, looking for options, however guilty of the occasional overhandle – including a circling around the zone and along the blueline in a show of excess .. lined up on the left side despite being a right winger .. backchecks with purpose supporting the defense with an active stick and quick feet .. can sometimes play too deep covering the center duties instead of as a winger high in the defensive zone .. pushes the pace with acceleration and quickness.

Andre Burakovsky, LW (Washington - 2013)

Finesse winger, oozed stickhandling and puck control skills, starting on his off wing and lining up on the right side - occasionally drifting back towards to the left .. glides on a wide skating base with quick feet and long extension in an efficient stride .. capable of quick cuts and lateral shifts .. couple with first two-step quickness, he closes gaps defensively, or gain separation with another gear while cradling the puck .. played a transitional role in that he looked like he would cheat a bit to get the quick jump on the offense and push back the point men into center ice to create breakout space .. sets up defensive coverage just enough to maximize turning up ice quick .. tight turning radius, particularly with the puck .. strong and compact release on a sizzling wrist shot .. first inclination upon engaging players is stick checks and as ‘the layer’ behind puck battles in defensive zone duty looking for loose pucks .. lacks natural belligerence and doesn't really engage physically, but he’s deceptively strong on his skates, and difficult to knock over, standing up multiple aggressors off the rush .. a slight upgrade in edge will make the jump to the NHL.

Adam Pelech, D (NY Islanders - 2012)

New York Islanders 3rd round pick in 2012 (65th overall) extended his point streak to an OHL career high, five games (5-1-5-6), quietly amassing two assists in the 7-0 trouncing of Mississauga .. offensive production didn’t set him apart in this contest, receiving heavy ice time, with some shifts taking short breaks in between before jumping back on the ice for a crucial play or game condition – like killing penalties .. used in all situations including first unit PK and PP duty .. small peeve, he holds stick at his waist in almost all situations including in the defensive zone which costs him the ability to wrangle pucks that come close to him slipping through the delay to get his stick from the waist height to the ice .. almost had a shot deflect off his stick into the net with the Otters shorthanded, but the puck hit the post softly .. good positional instincts .. rarely jumped into the rush – not that it was required in this game – but maintained good presence on the point with pressure in the offensive zone .. solid, yet quiet two way performance.

Oscar Dansk , G (Columbus - 2012)

Relatively untested with excessive pressure, and very few second attempts, typical of a 7-0 rout facing one off shots and some power play pressure .. received some help from his defensemen clearing the few rebounds and keeping his viewing lanes fairly unobstructed .. generally trapped pucks to negate second chance opportunities .. covered his angles well while challenging shooters by coming up to the top of the crease .. showed size when facing potential shooters, becoming a target with few holes .. recovers back to his feet quickly from the butterfly and gets good pushes from post to post as the play moved behind the net .. good, quick glove hand .. generally an average appearance in an unchallenged blowout.

Mississauga Steelheads

Trevor Carrick, D (Carolina - 2012)

Carolina 4th round pick in 2012 (115th overall) has already scored six goals in 10 games (10-6-4) only four shy of his 10 goals in 2012-13 OHL career high and much more involved in the offensive zone on an anemic Steelheads offense .. plays with a little bit of a nasty edge, subtle in movements with undertones of purpose in intention .. victimized by the high end skill of the Otters first line, no different than teammates that struggled to keep up with the superior puck movement .. defensively sound, gaps are tight and can angle off opponents to cut their space quickly .. quick off the hop, his first two-step acceleration is excellent .. heads up vision and long outlet passing was exhibited with a long bomb from just above the face-off circle catching a teammate at the opposition blueline, tape to tape, hard and crisp .. balanced, agile and very strong on his feet .. mature sense of when to jump in deep off the point and when to join the rush .. a difficult game to gauge the offensive end of his game without much opportunity to score, but not fair to judge defensively based on the team lacking the defensive acumen to stop the potent and skilled Otters front lines.

**********

Follow the McKeen's team on Twitter:

@KatsHockey
@mckeenshockey