EAST MEADOW, NY -- The first two days of New York Islanders [http://thn.com/isles] rookie camp haven't been anything crazy. The goal of coach Rocky Thompson, who will be entering his first season as the bench boss in Bridgeport, isn't looking at the team with his coaching lens just yet. "I'm not evaluating yet," Thompson said. "So, outside of Shabanov -- I noticed a few great plays there, and Schaefer stands out for me too, with his elite skill set -- I'm more focused on making sure the practice is going good and they're working hard. "I've been really impressed with everybody, because the practices haven't been easy, and their pace of play -- I don't go to the board a lot, so it's a lot of focus that they have to have in order to execute out there, the way I coach -- I'm really impressed with them. Because it's not normal for them to have that. There's [usually] a lot of board time and stuff. And I've been really pleased with their attention to detail and their focus." Thompson mentioned pace. That's something a few of the prospects mentioned as well, as well as the compete level. "He's a really good communicator," Islanders defense prospect and an NHLer last year, Isaiah George, said. "He likes to run a fast practice, which I like. It seems like he likes a lot of pace from his defenseman, jumping up, getting involved, and just like being in a really attack mindset, even coming up, gapping up, getting good angles." Here's my top-four players through the first two days: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matthew Schaefer: We have yet to see Schaefer against men, but his skating and hockey IQ are off the charts. He's incredibly mature off the ice, and that's also true on the ice. He doesn't force plays, makes the right reads, and his skating allows him to not only create time and space with the puck but also cut down angles and close gaps with ease. Thompson: "He's a very impressive young man. There's no doubt, very engaging, coachable. There were some things on the ice, even today, that he was doing wrong from how I wanted him to do, and I just said, I want your feet pointed in this direction. Okay, I got it, and then, boom, he did it. He was better instantly that way. So, I mean, he's very coachable. He's a great kid. I mean, this guy's had a microphone in his face more than anybody I've seen in the last two months. So he's a very mature young man." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maxim Shabanov: Like Schaefer, Shabanov's skating gives him a complete advantage. The 24-year-old has nifty hands, and you can tell he has the creative juices flowing. However, because of that speed, he doesn't have to be ultra creative to create time and space, maybe like Maxim Tsyplakov has to do because he isn't as strong a skater. He's making plays as if he's an NHLer playing against boys, and that's exactly what he should be looking like. Thompson: "He kind of pops off the page at you, and he should. He's a little bit older and obviously has the pedigree of playing in the KHL. He was a very good player over there. So you can see his skill set out there in the drills that we're doing. And what I thought was impressive, too, is we're doing a lot of checking drills, like fundamental checking things, so nothing crazy, but I thought he did a good job of those as well. So, so very positive so far." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matthew Maggio: I mentioned this in this morning's The Elmonters column, but Maggio has taken on a leadership role here at rookie camp. He's leading the drills, leading the closing stretches and is doing what he can to make it easier for the new guys to just be themselves. But, like all the prospects, Maggio is here to prove his worth, and he looks really sharp out there. He's got a quick release but is also a workhorse. He's got a lot to prove after a shaky third season in Bridgeport but so far so good for the 22-year-old who very well could be wearing a letter this year. Thompson: "It's a good point that you bring him up, because now you mention his name is, I do notice that he's first in line. Some guys don't visually or verbally pick up things as well when I'm barking out commands. So I said, just go to the back of the line. There's no shame in that. And if you're a person who can be at the front of the line, so you can help, do that]. He's been a guy who's been at the front of the line. He's executed well. I've known him for a long time, because he was from Windsor when I was coaching there, and he was just a little guy. I know his father. Maggio puts in the work, and he wants to get better, and so he's done a good job in this camp. It is a positive for sure." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Calum Ritchie: There's no question Ritchie is ready for the NHL. He's done everything he can in juniors and is one of the more physically mature players at rookie camp. He knows how to use his size and has elite playmaking abilities. He'll have to force the Islanders' hand to make room for him on the roster -- I think he will -- because they are incredibly deep at center, especially after moving Mathew Barzal back to center. Thompson: "He skates extremely well, and his head is up when he has the puck on his stick, and you can tell that that's how he generates a lot of his offense, being that big-bodied of a person. I've never really seen him play, so I can't give an opinion outside of what I see in practice. The practice part is very positive. There's no doubt about it. And so when I see the level of offense that he's had in Junior, it makes sense to me. After translating that here, it'll be fun to watch him for me for the first time in these NHL exhibition games." Saturday will be more scrimmage, game-like work so it will be interesting to see how these four and others look. Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwpuDfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
