Motivated Matthew Maggio Makes Bold Statement to Islanders
It's been a crazy year for New York Islanders prospect Matthew Maggio. Now taking part in his second development camp with New York after a dominant OHL campaign, Maggio has his sights set on an NHL roster spot.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- It's been a crazy year for New York Islanders prospect Matthew Maggio.
A year ago, Maggio was attending his second development camp, first with New York, after they selected him 142nd overall (fifth round) at the 2022 NHL Draft.
Despite being a late-round pick, Maggio stood out for all the right reasons. He was hard on pucks, was in the right place at the right time, and showed off a rather quick release, sniping Ilya Sorokin from the high slot.
He impressed, and while Maggio thought Bridgeport would be the spot for him after being part of the last set of cuts, the organization decided that heading back to juniors for one more season was the best thing for his development.
It turned out to be an intelligent decision as Maggio won OHL Player of the Year, lighting the lamp 54 times with 57 assists in 64 games for the Windsor Spitfires, donning the "C" as well.
After their season ended, Maggio played in three games for Bridgeport, earning two assists.
Former Bridgeport Islanders head coach Brent Thomspon, who joined the Anaheim Ducks coaching staff this summer, shared that he was impressed with Maggio's ability to pick up an unfamiliar system rather quickly, which tells you all you need to know about the youngster's hockey IQ.
On May 1st, the Islanders and Maggio came to terms on his entry-level contract.
"It's a dream come true, but it's just a step in the door,' Maggio told The Hockey News back in May. "It obviously means that they have faith in me. I'm pretty honored by that, but that doesn't really guarantee anything other than that you're gonna be with them, hopefully, for a few years. So now the work really starts, and it puts into perspective the summer that I need to have."
Flash forward a few months later, and Maggio was back on the ice with Islanders prospects for his second rookie camp with the organization.
"It's definitely kind of a 180 coming in here," Maggio told THN on Thursday. "Last year, I didn't know anyone. I kind of just tried to do my own thing, keep my head down, and work."
Things are different this year, as Maggio came up a week early to skate with the NHLers and is staying with Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson.
Not only did coming up early allow Maggio to gain valuable knowledge about the work that NHLers put into the game, on and off the ice, but it also allowed him to see where he stacked up.
"I've been up here for quite a bit now, and just getting to skate with the team and scrimmage with the team and see how I fare with them, see what they're working on after practice, has been a great opportunity," Maggio said. "So I think coming in here, there's definitely a new comfort level that I feel both off and on the ice.
"And I know talking with management -- I'm still only a second-timer, but this is my third camp now (invited to Washington Capitals camp after going undrafted in 2021) -- I think they're looking for a bit of a leadership role. So I'm just really trying to lead on and off the ice and be a good example and do that with my work ethic."
People may wonder why Maggio would be staying with Dobson, a 23-year-old quiet kid who is still trying to establish himself as an all-around strong defenseman after the better part of five NHL seasons.
While quiet, Dobson was named captain of the QMJHL's Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for the 2018-19 season before turning pro a year later, so he has leadership qualities that Maggio can undoubtedly learn a lot from.
When I asked Maggio if he noticed any improvements in his game when stacked up against his fellow Islanders' prospects, he spoke about how much growth he's seen in his confidence level.
"I think it's more just having a really high confidence level for myself and my abilities now, knowing that I can do it," Maggio said. "I think that just comes with time and being older, especially going up with Bridgeport at the end of the year. I got to play with unbelievable linemates with [Chris] Terry and [Andy] Andreoff, two of the best players in the AHL, having them guide me through the games definitely helped."
Once the Bridgeport season ended, Maggio focused heavily on getting stronger, going to the gym as often as possible.
"Taking all that into a summer for five months and putting the work in at the gym was obviously huge," Maggio said. "I have the same confidence in my skill set, but now I think I can just show it a little bit more.
"I don't think I'm as afraid to make mistakes."
While the chances any prospects make the NHL roster out of camp is slim to none, that's not stopping Maggio from having that as his goal.
"I'm not coming here to have a big camp and go to Bridgeport. I'm coming here to push for a roster spot," Maggio said. "Where I am right now, I have full confidence in myself to be able to do that or at least push as hard as I can for one and give the coaches a hard time."