The Daily Faceoff continued its second offseason of the NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown lists on Wednesday, and the New York Islanders were the topic of discussion.
The Daily Faceoff continued its second offseason of the NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown lists on Wednesday, and the New York Islanders were the topic of discussion.
With the team near the bottom of the league’s prospect pool rankings, writer Steven Ellis provided his input on the franchise's future.
“The Islanders’ pool still isn’t good, per se, but it’s much, much better,” Ellis said.
Some of his names to watch included William Dufour, Matthew Maggio, and newcomer Alex Jefferies. However, the top spot on his list went to their first-round selection this year, Cole Eiserman.
“I think Cole Eiserman is an exciting, fantastic young prospect who deserves more love than he got from the public scouting sphere this year,” he said, giving props to fellow draftees Jesse Pulkkinen, Marcus Gidlof and Kamil Bednarik.
He also noted that Eiserman’s defensive game can be a liability at times but suggested putting him with a defense-first center could be the key to his success.
His ranking of the Islanders’ prospect pool reads like this:
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Forward Danny Nelson was also among the names Ellis was high on his list.
On Nelson, he said, "He works so hard with a multitude of tools, playing well in all three zones. Nelson projects to be more of a bottom-six player, but he does an excellent job of making himself difficult to play against – which, of course, makes him valuable in that specific role."
Notably missing is former London Knights' defenseman Isaiah George and Jefferies, but Ellis notes the bottom of the rankings was a crowded bunch, which is good for their foundation.
Among other mentions are forwards Eetu Liukas and Daylan Kuefler, defenseman Marshall Warren, and goaltender Henrik Tikkanen.
While he notes that it is much improved, he also says it’s a work in progress.
“There are not many impact prospects who look to be key pieces of the team’s future outside of the aforementioned bottom-six role spots,” Ellis wrote.
However, with his notes on some of their top names, the Islanders might be able to make progress on addressing the minor leagues starting next season.