The Future of the New York Islanders

Let’s not jump the gun here, it is indeed possible that the likes of Anthony Beauvillier, Mathew Barzal, and Joshua Ho-Sang spend this season in the minors. But nobody wants that, and we’re going to proceed on the assumption that these guys will find a spot in the NHL lineup sooner rather than later.

With massive caveat out of the way, here is a brief summary of the talent still left in the Islanders’ prospect pool.

Kieffer Bellows is yet another top end forward prospect that should be able to make a big splash in the NHL some day. The 19-year-old 2016 first-round draft pick put up 7 goals and 14 points in 34 games in the NCAA last season playing for Boston University.  At 6’, 201-pounds he’s a big body that shoots hard and hits even harder. The knocks against him are his speed and play away from the puck, liabilities that saw him sitting on the bench more than he should have been. Still, he showed an exciting potential upside with his play at the World Juniors, and could be a real diamond in the rough.

Fellow left wing Michael Dal Colle had a decent rookie campaign in the AHL last season. There are still some pretty glaring holes in his game that need to be addressed before he’s ready to make the leap into the NHL, including his speed and his play on the ice when he doesn’t have the puck. Otherwise, he’s a big player who’s good with the puck and has a blistering wrist shot. The only thing that really draws ire for Dal Colle is the fact that he was drafted fifth overall in 2014. He’s a quality talent, but it’s hard not to be a little disappointed after such sky high expectations for him a few years ago.

Unfortunately for the Islanders, their depth on defense is pretty slim when it comes to prospects. We’re expecting Ryan Pulock to make his full-time NHL debut any season, and behind him on the depth chart are David Quenneville and Robin Salo. All of these prospective defensemen still look like they could be NHL caliber players, the question is when. While Pulock could be ready this season, Quenneville and Salo could probably use a bit more time to develop their games.

Last, certainly not least, but also perhaps the least likely to debut this season, is goalie Ilya Sorokin. The 22-year-old netminder already has four seasons of KHL experience, including a 39 game 2016-17 season where he posted a 1.61 GAA and a .929 save percentage. I don’t care where you rank the KHL compared to the NHL, those numbers are solid. Sorkin might not be able to hit those numbers immediately when he finally arrives in the NHL, but there’s no reason to doubt that he’s one of the best goalie prospects out there right now. Unfortunately, he’s singed in the KHL until 2020.

You might not get to see these players this season, but any one of them could have a huge impact on the Islanders’ roster in the near future.