Islanders All-Star Nominees EAST MEADOW, NY -- After attending his first training camp this past summer, there was a chance that New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/bo-horvat-new-york-islanders-10-game-point-streak-face-offs-exclusive] prospect Calle Odelius [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/calle-odelius-new-york-islanders-prospect-defenseman-europe-lambert] would stay in North America to start his career in Bridgeport. The 19-year-old's contract with Djurgadens IF of the Swedish Hockey League ran through the 2023-24 season, but we've seen NHL teams come to agreements with European leagues to get prospects out of those contracts. After a few preseason showings and overall strong play, the Islanders ultimately decided to return their 2022 second-round selection to Sweden for him to continue his development. In his sophomore season with Djurgadens, Odelius recorded four assists through 10 games in limited minutes. But then everything went silent, as Odelius wasn't playing as their season progressed. Here's why. The six-foot-1, 185-pound mobile defenseman suffered a lower-body injury that required surgery. He had surgery here and will also be completing his rehab here, per the Islanders. There's no timetable for his return at the moment. Odelius signed his three-year Entry entry-level contract with the Islanders on July 15, 2022, but saw the first year of his ELC slide as at 18, he didn't play in a minimum of 10 NHL games. The Hockey News caught up with Odelius during training camp to get his initial thoughts on North American hockey. "Coming from Europe, from Sweden, we played on bigger ice, so just to come here and get to experience playing on a small rink and getting those tips and tricks from the players and the coaches," Odelius said. "I would say my game fits better here. Like you need to make quicker decisions, quicker reads, and that's one thing I kind of struggled a little bit [with] back in Sweden. "I felt like I had so much time with the puck side, so I didn't feel like I needed to get rid of the puck, so yeah, I think my playstyle fits better here because I need to play the puck quick, get up the ice and follow the offense."
