Islanders Name Mitch Korn Director of Goaltending

One day after naming Piero Greco as their NHL goaltending coach, the New York Islanders announced that 28-year veteran, goalie guru, Mitch Korn will be the team’s Director of Goaltending.

Korn spent the last season as the Director of Goaltending (and goalie coach for 3 years prior) for the Stanley Cup winning Washington Capitals with Barry Trotz for the first time in the team’s franchise history. So, after two consecutive Presidents' Trophies from 2015-16 through 2016-17 and the previously mentioned Stanley Cup, Korn is coming to New York to join a new look management team and coaching staff to help address the Islanders unstable goal tending situation from last season. Under Korn, you would assume that the Isles goalie pipeline is bound to improve.

Per Release, “At the completion of the 2014-15 season, under Korn's coaching, Capitals' goalie Braden Holtby finished with the most saves (1,887), played the most games (73) and finished second in wins (41). The following season, Holtby tied Hall of Fame netminder, Martin Brodeur's NHL record of 48 victories and won the Vezina Trophy as the top goaltender in the National Hockey League.”

Before his recent success with the Caps, Mitch Korn has a litany of success helping to mold some of the NHL’s top goaltenders. Pekka Rinne was named a Vezina finalist 2011 and 2012 when he was a part of the Nashville organization. Korn has worked with two-time Czech Olympian & 2010 World Champion and NHL All-Star, Tomas Vokoun. Prior to his 16 years with the Preds, Korn worked with Hall-of-Fame goaltender and two-time Hart Trophy-winner, Dominik Hasek. Per Release, “While working with Korn, Hasek captured four Vezina Trophies and led the NHL in save percentage five times. At the time, Sabres goaltending tandem of Hasek and Grant Fuhr captured the NHL's Jennings Trophy (lowest team goals-against average) during the 1994-95 season.”

Per Matt Larkin, “Perhaps most intriguing for Korn are the Islanders’ prospects in net. Ilya Sorokin, 22, is widely considered one of the best goaltenders not in the NHL and regularly posts video-game-caliber numbers with the Red Army. He’s still under contract in the KHL through 2019-20 but would have a perfect mentor upon coming to North America if Korn remains with the Islanders by then. Linus Soderstrom, 21, is expected to leave the Swedish League and join AHL Bridgeport this year, meaning Korn can get his hands on the Isles’ other top goaltending prospect right away.”

So what does that mean for the Islanders you ask? Well, as we are all well-aware, nothing is guaranteed. But having a Director of Goaltending like Mitch Korn, a promising goaltending coach like Piero Greco coming off a Calder Cup win and a strong, Stanley Cup winning, defensive head coach like Barry Trotz, the Isles have built a solid management core thanks to the network of Lou Lamoriello. One that has seen major, time-tested and recent successes in all of its major, moving parts. That can translate to getting the best out of a promising, 27-year-old veteran keeper, Robin Lehner who has tons of breakout potential and hope for a promising resurgence for the one time golden-boy, Thomas Greiss. After adding a better defensive scheme into the program and perhaps a trade or two, the Isles should make serious strides from the net out, and hopefully carry over their potent point producer chops from last season despite the Tavares betray… I mean, boyhood dream departure.

With rumors of proven hockey executive and former assistant to Lamoriello, Mark Hunter centering around the Islanders, there may be another piece to the culture shock coming soon.

And to clarify, I still, and will always will hate Dale Hunter. And the Fisherman logo. 

And we need more Korn played loudly at Isles home games.