The New York Islanders drafted a high-character, high-intensity player as they take Danny Nelson with the 49th overall pick at the 2023 NHL Draft.

Following an eventful morning with the New York Islanders moving Josh Bailey to the Chicago Blackhawks, Lou Lamoirello and Co next focused on their second-round selection.

At No. 49, the Islanders selected 17-year-old Danny Nelson, out of the United States National Team Development Program.

"It's pretty crazy. It's honestly surreal," Nelson said. "It doesn't feel real yet, to be honest."

Nelson is a left-handed center who is committed to the University of Notre Dame in the fall, Anders Lee's alma mater. 

The Islanders' newcomer doesn't know Lee or anyone in the Islanders system. But he's excited to meet the Islanders' captain. 

"Anders Lee obviously went to Notre Dame, so hopefully I'll see him back at pro camp this year and get to meet him and compete against him as well."

Here's why Nelson chose Notre Dame:

"I wanted to go somewhere where I felt like it would be the very place I could go and develop and be kind of an emphasis that they can lean on me to produce offense.”

Here's Nelson on the phone with Lee after leaving the interview podium:

In 62 games with the USNTDP, the 6'3 forward scored 21 goals with 26 assists. The Minnesota native played 23 games in the United States Hockey League, with eight goals and nine assists. 

Nelson did get a chance to represent the United States at the World Junior Championships this past season, scoring four goals with three assists in seven games.

"A big, power pivot who has that dog in him. Danny Nelson endears himself through dogged determination, taking smart routes, and being a surprisingly strong transition player. Perhaps the top six is too much to ask for, but this could be a high-end No. 3 centre someday," Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects said. 

Nelson said he models his game after another Nelson...Brock.

"I'd say Brock Nelson is a guy that I really tried to model (my game) after. "I feel like he's a big guy," Nelson said. "He gets to the front of the net and scores a lot of goals from there. He's also responsible in the backend."

The Hockey News' draft guru Rachel Doerrie, thinks Danny Nelson is a direct comparison to Brock Nelson.

"He plays a similar style to Brock Nelson. Came on strong at the end of the season. Big guy who reads the play very well. Potential to be a middle-6 guy for a long time," Doerrie said. 

While Nelson is a natural forward, he has some experience on the backend. 

"I was a forward all the way growing up until last year in high school. when I played just one year just because that's what my team needed at that point," Nelson said. 

"I felt like it gave me a great perspective being able to see both sides of the ice and see the game in a different way. Thought it helped me playing center in the defensive zone and also always knowing areas to get open and that kind of thing."

Nelson will be headed to Notre Dame shortly.