Simon Holmstrom is showing in year two why the New York Islanders drafted him in the first round back in 2018. Hear from Holmstrom on his confidence level and more in this exclusive.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- Simon Holmstrom earned an NHL chance with the New York Islanders in 2022-23 due to his defensive prowess.
His reliability and intelligent hockey IQ in his own zone were the clear standout, but his offense left much to be desired, with just six goals and zero assists in 50 games.
"All the points and offense have taken a little too long for me," Holmstrom told The Hockey News last season. "I know I have way more to give."
Now, early in year two, that strong defensive IQ is translating into offense for the young Swede.
For the first time in his NHL career, Holmstrom has goals in back-to-back games.
On the surface, two 2-on-0 tap-in tallies are nothing to rave about. But it's been the plays from Holmstrom that created those odd-man chances that deserve attention.
In the 3-0 win over the Washington Capitals on Thursday, Holmstrom put together the strongest offensive rush of his career.
Starting at the Islanders blue line, the second-year NHLer used his long stick to get around x before flooding through the neutral zone. Then, at the Capitals blue line, Holmstrom left All-Star defenseman John Carlson in the dust with a quick cut to the slot before burying a quick back-and-forth play with Hudson Fasching.
"There was a loose puck in our zone, and I saw some space around that defenseman," Holmstrom told THN. "And I saw the guy coming off the bench and just tried to make a move on him and then get the puck to Fasching.
"He made a hell of a pass."
THN asked Holmstrom about his confidence, especially making the moves he made on that highlight-reel play.
"It feels very good [to contribute]. I mean...this is me," Holmstrom told THN Saturday morning. "It feels really good. And I know I got plenty more.
"It's just the confidence. I know it's back there, and I know I have it in my repertoire. There's time and place for it [moves]. I know I can show more and more, so I'm really excited to do that."
Narrator voice: "Holmstrom did, in fact, show more."
In the Islanders' next game, a 4-3 OT loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, Holmstrom made a quick read in the neutral zone, using that long reach again to poke the puck out of the reach of Brent Burns and onto the stick of Jean-Gabriel Pageau to create the 2-on-0, which Holmstrom finished off to give New York a 2-0 lead for a shorthanded goal:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QHnHy3jHtA[/embed]
It's easy to look at the start of Holmstrom's season and think he blew a prime chance to skate with Bo Horvat and Matthew Barzal due to a lack of confidence in his offensive ability.
It seems Lane Lambert's decision to drop him in the depth chart may have been the best thing for Holmstrom, as alongside Pageau and Fasching, he's been able to find that offensive game that he quite frankly needed to show to stick in the lineup.
"He's sick. He's going to be good for us," Barzal told THN. "We need him to be good. But he's going to be good. I think he's just starting to hit his stride. He's got a lot of room to grow too. So that's nice."
As for where Barzal thinks the confidence has come from for No. 10:
"Probably being more comfortable around the room, around the guys, and just being more himself," Barzal said. "We've always known he was going to be good. It's just a matter of, if you make that one play or you score a goal, and you feel love from the boys, and then you feel like you're a part of it.
"So I think he feels that now and probably feels like he's solidified himself, which gives him a little bit of confidence as well."
What's more important about his offensive game ramping up is that his defensive play isn't taking a hit."
As you saw on both goals, his defense reads made the scoring chances and eventual red-lighters possible.
He's been aggressive on puck carriers, with eight takeaways in the early going, trailing just Barzal (10) for the most on the island.
The more significant takeaway is that Holmstrom only has two giveaways.
That stat has led to trust from Lambert, who played him 14:14 Saturday night, which included minutes at 4-on-4.
He's played 13:15 minutes on the penalty kill this season, too, a role he's thrived in.
"I think it's just a situation where as you grow as a young player, you find out that you really belong," Lambert said. "And it's just a personal, individual thing. And as that goes along, ice time comes with it. He's certainly a big part of our penalty kill now. So these things have added to his confidence, I believe.
"We don't want him to give up his defensive play because that's one of his staples, and that's why he plays in the positions he plays in. Adding to the offense is a huge bonus and something that we want."
Holmstrom was drafted 23rd overall in 2018, playing three-plus years in Bridgeport before earning an NHL chance a year ago. The worry with Holmstrom is that just providing defense wouldn't be enough to stick.
"Younger players have a hard time understanding, especially in this day and age, that you have to be trusted defensively to play in the National Hockey League," Lambert said. "And part of that development comes from playing in junior and playing before you get here in the minors, and certainly, the more you can develop that, the more ice time you're going to get when you get here."
The ball is in Holmstrom's court, and if he keeps playing the way he's playing right now, with sky-high confidence and dynamic decisions, the minutes and responsibilities will rise.