On Friday, the 2014 NHL Entry Draft took place
in Philadelphia, and the New York Islanders were there to make a few waves. I
think they did just that. There was a
lot of talk that the Isles could trade their first round pick. But it turns out, Garth Snow wasn't
impressed with what was being offered, so he would keep the pick and acquire a
quality piece to add to the already deep prospect pool. We all know the Islanders need a wing for
the top line, a top pair defensemen and a quality back up goaltender before the
start of next season. Hopefully that
can be taken care of when the free agency period opens on Tuesday.
But headlines were made on Friday when Garth Snow
had some spirited things to say when asked about his decisions as a GM for the
Islanders. Per Brett Cyrgalis, Snow
said, "They can't shit on me
any more than they already do up there (in Canada). "I care that we win. We get the players that we feel can
help us win...and we don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks." Nice.
With their 5th
selection in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, your New York Islanders selected Michael
Dal Colle. The 6'2 LW is best known for
his maturity and well-rounded game. Dal
Colle finished last season with 95 points (39g, 56a) in 67 games. He also
tallied 20 points (8g, 12a) in 12 playoff games. Eric Hornick points out that Dal Colle wears #71 in Jr play, a
number worn only by Denis Vaske and Mark Katic for the Isles. Dal Colle made headlines off the ice prior to
the draft when the NHL network featured a touching story on his brother's
serious condition and his mom's recovery from breast cancer. Dan Savarino quoted Dal Colle as saying it
was a dream come true to become an Islander.
He feels he is "almost there" when asked about playing for New York. Tavares, Okposo & Bailey all
contacted Dal Colle soon after being drafted to welcome him to the
organization.
It turns out that
Garth Snow wasn't done yet. He sent the
Isles #35 & 57th selection to Tampa Bay for their #28th pick to select Josh
Ho Sang late in the first round. Josh
Ho-Sang has been called a top 5 player in talent, who lost ground in the
rankings due to uncertainty of his commitment, focus and attitude as a hockey
player. After being questioned on
selecting Ho Sang despite these reservations, Snow said that he (Ho Sang) would
fit right in and that they (NHL Media) shit on him (Snow as a player) too. I love it.
Clearly, Snow said Ho Sang was worth the risk. He is probably correct in his assumption because Ho Sang has what
has been called, "Immense talent" as a hockey player. Ho Sang said,
"I'll give them everything I have, I'll push until I can't breathe," on
his commitment to the Islanders for taking a chance on him. On Instagram, he said, "So crazy blessed for the opportunities I have
been given. So proud to be a New York Islander. I want to thank everyone who has
been apart of my journey big or small, #justthebegining #grateful." The
talented RW/C tallied 85 points (32g, 53a) in 67 games last season with the
Windsor Spitfires of the OHL.
On day #2, the Isles
started the day by trading their #65 selection to Florida for their 3rd round
pick in 2015.
At the 78th
selection, the Isles took Russian goaltender, Ilya Sorokin from Metallurg Novokuznetsk. A
big positive is that the 18 year old Sorokin already has 40 games of pro experience
from his play in the KHL. He posted a
.911 SV% and 2.90 GAA in 27 games this past season.
With the 95th
selection, the Isles added goaltender, Linus Soderstrom from Djurgarden of the
Swedish Jr. League. Soderstrom posted a
.915 SV% and 2.61 GAA with Djurgarden's U-20 team this past season. At 6'4,
he seems like a viable replacement for what the organization had in mind
when they drafted former Islander, Anders Nilsson. Soderstrom said, "(I am) so proud to get drafted by the New
York Islanders. Extremely excited for
the future!"
Bill Both stated,
"FYI Soderstrom is under contract for 2 more seasons & Sorokin for 3
more years."
At pick #108, The
Islanders select defensemen, Devon Toews of Quinnipiac U. Toews tallied one goal and 16 assists in 37
games for the QU Bobcats this past season.
Toews is not related to NHL player, Jonathan Toews.
With the 155th
overall pick, the Isles select forward, Kyle Schempp from Ferris Sate
University. Schempp was good for
25 points (10g, 15a) in 43 games during this past season at Ferris State. Schempp said it was "Unbelievable
feeling being drafted by the New York Islanders. Can't wait to see what the
future holds w/ a great organization & city." He added that it was humbling and a great
honor.
Then the Isles traded
the 185th pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 200th pick, as well as the
Lightning's 7th round pick in 2015.
With the 200th
overall pick, the Islanders selected forward Lukas Sutter from the Red Deer
Rebels of the WHL. Sutter, Rich's son
and Darryl's nephew, was drafted by WPG in 2012 but did not sign & re entered
the draft this year only to be chosen later by the Isles. This is similar to Kichton not signing with
the Isles, re entering the draft and being selected later by WPG.
I thought the players the Isles added were
good choices. I am thrilled with Dal
Colle & Ho Sang. Dal Colle was the
choice of most Isles fans I heard from on who they wanted if the Islanders used
the #5 selection. He is a complete
player who has over come a lot of personal adversity to continue his hockey
career. Character (and skill) is
something a team can never have too much of.
And much like when he traded up to draft de Haan in 2009 with Tavares,
Snow made a move to acquire another highly skilled player in the first round with
Ho Sang. While some are comparing it to
the move for Kabanov, I think the Ho Sang situation is different. Although
Kabanov seemed to improve in attitude and get better as a player, he never
seemed able to impress Management and prove he was ready. Ho Sang has said all the right things and
seems to have a chip on his shoulder to prove the other 29 teams wrong for not
taking him.
In addition, they added two highly respected goaltending
prospects to the system for the future and some other valuable assets were
garnered in later rounds. Especially
Lukas Sutter, who was originally a 2nd round, 39th overall pick of the Jets in
2012. Snow has made some mistakes, but
after inheriting a pretty sparse product from Milbury, has made some strong additions to this team despite limitations of draw and budget. But there is a lot of room for improvement
and I think this off-season could be different. After signing Halak and going for Boyle, Islander fans can expect
Snow to continue to be aggressive on July 1st, and hopefully add a few more
crucial pieces to what could be one of the best line ups we have seen in quite
a while to suit up in Uniondale.
NHL Notes:
The NHL salary cap
for 2014-15 is $69 million. A lower
number than projected, while the floor is $51 million.
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