Islanders Holmstrom Mentoring Prospects
Although Simon Holmstrom is still a young player, he's been a leader through the first two days of New York Islanders rookie camp.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- When the New York Islanders prospects hit the ice for the first day of rookie camp, forward Simon Holmstrom was amongst the group.
Unlike the other 21 prospects on the ice, Holmstrom, 22, has NHL experience, playing 50 games with the big club this past season.
While some may think Holmstrom being on the ice with prospects, at this point in his pro career, is silly, there's a reason why the 22-year-old is part of this pre-training camp skate: Leadership.
"You gotta remember he's still young," Bridgeport Islanders head coach Rick Kowalsky said after Day 1 of rookie camp. "He's been in pro hockey for a fair amount of years now, but he's still a young player, and I look at him now as a guy to maybe emerge as a leader with this group because of his NHL experience.
"You look for growth each year. It's different from a player that you're just seeing for the first time or maybe one that you saw just last year at rookie camp to guys we've had in Bridgeport or some of the guys that have been around a little longer, so you kind of look at them a little differently, even though they're all in this group together.
Kowalsky continued: "And then obviously, once the camp breaks, those guys start to integrate with the NHL players, then you look at some different things. But I think just for right now, I've seen enough of Simon, and I know what he can do. I'm just looking for him to go out there and do what we've always seen from him and take more of a leadership role with some of these young guys."
And that's precisely what he's done through these first two days.
"We're good, close friends," Islanders prospect William Dufour said. "Like when he wasn't Bridgeport last year, we almost played all our games together, so we know each other pretty well. And I mean, he's a good friend of mine. And if I have a question, I'm going to ask him."
Prospect Ruslan Iskhakov, 23, shared that Holmstrom has been of tremendous value to him here at camp.
"It's always good to have the guys who already have some experience in NHL just because they always trying to help you transfer your game from semi-pro to professional hockey," Iskhakov said. "And yeah, he already has big experience playing over 50 games, so it's really good to have him here."
Matthew Maggio, who is at his second rookie camp, spoke incredibly highly about Holmstrom's leadership.
"He's such a humble guy. It's not all the time that you have a guy with that skill level and that resume at a rookie camp, and he comes in here, and you wouldn't know," Maggio said. "He's one of the most humble guys I've ever met. He just comes in, puts his head down, does his work, and tries to be the hardest worker out here. That means a lot, even for me and for some of the younger guys, to see a guy that's been in the NHL and he's still coming to camp, putting his head down and working and not complaining.
"It says a lot about his character and who he is, and he's a great person off the ice too. Obviously, he's Swedish, so it's a little tough to talk at times, but he's been awesome and such a nice guy and so down to earth."
Being at a rookie camp is nothing new for Holmstrom, but he understands that his role is different now than it was a few years ago.
"I mean, this is my fifth year," Holmstrom said. "I've been here for a while now. So I'm very confident with all the staff and all that, so I'm just trying to help as many guys as possible."
Showcasing an impeccable understanding of the defensive side of the puck, Holmstrom struggled to provide consistent offense, scoring just six goals with three assists for New York in 2022-23.
"All the points and offense have taken a little too long for me," Holmstrom said to The Hockey News in March. "I think that's because that's where I feel like I'm most comfortable, and that's where my strongest game is. And I think the last two, three games, it's been a little step up for that as well, but I'm just trying to get better every single day.
"And I know I got way more to give as well."
With Zach Parise not part of the Islanders' plans, as he will not be at camp as he remains home in Minnesota, Holmstrom will have a shot at winning a starting job for the first time in his career.