Draft Day!

I will be at the NVMC campus sometime around 2:30pm and make the rounds.

It will be great to see everyone and eventually, Ill get to the Colisieum for the main event.

I will have a write up on the event and the moves made by the Islanders done sometime this weekend.

Joe

DiBenedetto And Katic Leave Islanders Organization

With Rhett Rakhshani signing in Sweden yesterday, Arthur Staple had more news for Isles fans today.  He reported “Justin DiBenedetto is headed to Austria next season. Mark Katic reportedly signed to play in Germany.”

That’s a top BP forward and two Defensemen that have left the organization in two days time.  Just when it seemed there were opportunities to make the Islanders roster, 3 components of last years Sound Tigers team have left to play in Europe.  


Could it be the collective bargaining agreement?  Was the writing on the wall?  Or was Chris Botta correct when he said, “defections of Isles Katic, Rakhshani, DiBenedetto no mystery. Fringe players, know they'll be paid more in Europe than NYI/Bport ?”


Or is something rotten in Bridgeport?

Isles Notes:

Per Renaud P Lavoie, “according to sources out of Long Island, it appears PA Parenteau is headed to free agency on July 1.”




NHL Notes:

National Hockey League Awards.

HART TROPHY

Winner: Evgeni Malkin - PIT

VEZINA TROPHY

Winner: Henrik Lundqvist - NYR


LADY BYNG TROPHY

Winner: Brian Campbell - FLA

Congratulations to Matt Moulson for just being nominated.  He is the clear-cut winner in my book.  Stay classy.


MARK MESSIER LEADERSHIP AWARD

Winner: Shane Doan - PHX


NHL FOUNDATION AWARD

Winner: Mike Fisher - NSH


KING CLANCY TROPHY

Winner: Daniel Alfredsson - OTT

MASTERTON TROPHY

Winner: Max Pacioretty - MTL


SELKE TROPHY

Winner: Patrice Bergeron - BOS


EA SPORTS NHL 13 COVER ATHLETE

Winner: Claude Giroux - PHL


GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Winner: Doug Armstrong - STL


CALDER TROPHY

Winner: Gabriel Landeskog - COL


ART ROSS TROPHY

Winner: Evgeni Malkin - PIT


MAURICE "ROCKET" RICHARD TROPHY

Winner: Steven Stamkos -TBL


WILLIAM JENNINGS TROPHY

Winner: Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott - STL


NORRIS TROPHY 

Winner: Erik Karlsson - OTT

TED LINDSAY AWARD

Winner: Evgeni Malkin - PIT


JACK ADAMS AWARD

Winner: Ken Hitchcock - STL

Rhett Rakshani Signs In Sweden

Per Uffe Bodin, Former NYI, RW Rhett Rakshani signs a one-year deal with HV71 of the Swedish Elite League.  Rakshani had 62 and 49 points in the last two AHL seasons with Bridgeport.

Arthur Staple adds, The Isles will still qualify Rakhshani, retaining his N. American rights. Did the same with Joensuu.

Isles Notes:


Per the New York Islanders, This Day In 1997, Bryan Berard becomes the 4th Islander to win Calder Trophy.

KoC 2012 NHL Entry Draft Preview

ISS 2012 NHL Entry Draft Rankings as of June 1^st, 2012

NAIL YAKAPOV, LW – Dynamic player, great hands and dangerous shot

FILIP FORSBERG, RW – Strong, fast and powerful skater, great shot and chippy

RYAN MURRAY, D – Top D prospect in ’12, smart and complete player

MIKHAIL GRIGORENKO, RW – Good stick, strong on the puck

JACOB TROUBA, D – Driven, good vision, calm and assertive

GRIFFIN REINHART, D – Solid positional D,

MORGAN RIELLY, D – Great skater, intelligent positional play

MATT DUMBA, D – Hockey sense, good skater, physical and strategic player

TEUVO TERAVAINEN, LW –  Calm and cool, Great anticipation

CODY CECI, D - “Workhorse” with efficiency and skill

BRENDAN GAUNCE, C

OLLI MAATTA, D

SEBASTIAN COLLBERG, RW

ALEXANDER GALCHENYUK

NICHOLAS KERDILES, C

RADEK FAKSA, LW

THOMAS WILSON, RW

MATT FINN, D

HAMPUS LINDHOLM, RW

PONTUS ABERG, LW

SLATER KOEKKOEK, D

DERRICK POULIOT, D

SCOTT LAUGHTON, C

ZEMGUS GIRGENSONS, C

COLTON SISSONS, C/R

BRADY SKJEI, D

HENRIK SAMUELSSON, C

DALTON THROWER, D

LUDVIG BYSTROM, D

ADAM PELECH, D

On Friday, June 22^nd at 5:30PM, I will be at the Nassau Veteran Memorial Coliseum to experience the 2012 NHL Entry Draft from an Islanders fan perspective.  I have gone to the last few gatherings and have enjoyed the experience of the event.  From all the fan fare to seeing friends and fellow writers, the Draft Party is something all fans should experience at least once.

The Islanders hold the 4^th overall pick.  This Draft is one that is said to drop off after the first few picks, but boasts a lot of strong Defensive prospects that usually develop slower than offensive talent.  The true value of a pick will take a couple of years to start showing, so it is always interesting to see who the team will choose from the players available.

After reading the official rankings, prospect bios and expert opinions, I have thought about what I might expect to see from New York.  We know the Isles have another big camp ahead of them and prospects like Cizikas, DiBo, Strome, Nelson, Rakhshani, Ullstrom, Sundstrom, Theoret and Kabanov will be trying to make a splash.  The addition of Joensuu is expected to take up a Forward spot as well.  Will the Islanders take the best player available, regardless of position?  Probably.

On Defense last season, players like Donovan and Ness got noticed.  Guys like Kichton and Mayfield will be improving as well.  Defense is something the Islanders really need to get better at and solid team depth is so important.

You can only guess at what the teams in front of you are going to do.  You will also need to know your own depth chart and based on the players available, decide if you can trade back to get more picks if the guy you want will still be there.  Is there a big trade for a quality player who is ready to contribute now to be had for your pick?

When I look at the top ten picks of the Draft this year, I see some talented Forwards and several very good Defensive prospects.  A realistic scenario could be a player like Forsberg, Grigorenko or Teravainen available in the 4-12 slot to make an immediate impact or to add depth to your Forward core.  You have to take Murray if he is still there, right?  If he isn’t, I would love Defensive players like Trouba, Reinhart, Riley, and Dumba.

My wish list would be Forsberg or Grigorenko at Forward or any of the defensemen I have mentioned above, especially Murray or Trouba.  These guys have the elite scoring touch or composure on defense, so vital in quality prospects.

Later picks in the round would be guys like Galchenyuk or Ceci.  They have a lot of potential and skill the Islanders have been able to gather in later placed picks.  Another diamond in the rough towards the end of the first round is F, Christoval Nieves.  Ranked 31^st among North American Skaters, Nieves has really good hands, agility, acceleration and speed.  He has good vision and hockey sense and an ability to maneuver puck in a crowd.

Whatever the outcome, I hope the Islanders make the right choice.

Isles Notes:

Per Christian Arnold, Isles prospect, Robbie Russo was on the list of invitees to the USA Hockey National Junior Development Camp.

Per B.D. Gallof, Isles prospect, Ryan Strome was selected to represent Canada on the Canada-Russian Challenge Tournament in August.

Islanders Sign Jesse Joensuu

Per Arthur Staple, The New York Islanders sign F Jesse Joensuu to 1-year, one-way deal, bringing him back into the organization after a season in Sweden where Joensuu, 24, was 13-16-29 in 50 games for HV-71.  His new contract has Euro Out Clause, which would allow him to return to play for HV-71 in the Swedish Elite League if he failed to make the Islanders roster this season.

Jesse Joensuu made the news recently over the summer with his performance in the IIHFWC’s helping his native Finland eliminate team USA from the tournament with two goals in the game, including the GWG with 8 seconds remaining.

The move is an interesting one with the fate of P.A. Parenteau’s time with the Isles in limbo.  Parenteau is a free agent this summer and may be asking for more money than the Islanders are willing to offer ruling out a hometown discount.  There is no doubt Parenteau has been awesome during his tenure on the Island, but with the prices paid for the future core of the Isles already signed, it isn’t known if what they would or could offer would be acceptable to him.  The plans for attracting other free agents may also not include Parenteau in the future for N.Y.

Joensuu was selected 60th overall in the second round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders.  On March 2, 2009, Joensuu made his NHL debut, and scored his first NHL goal, as member of the Islanders in a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.  Most recently, Joensuu played 35 AHL games for Bridgeport during the 2010-11 campaign with 8 and 16 for 24 points. With 42 NHL games that season, he scored 6 and 3 for 9 points with the Islanders.

Isles Notes:

I don’t know how, but I missed this last week.  Trevor Gillies will be playing in the KHL next season with Vityaz Chekhov.  Best of luck Trevor.

As far as Michael Haley and the Isles, It is well known Haley felt slighted with the opportunity he had to play for the Islanders last season, and he may want a change of scenery.  We will have to wait and see.

I have mentioned many times of what I thought about the play of Gillies and Haley and what they brought to the line up.

It was rumored that both players would be replaced after the signings of Mike Halmo and Blair Riley by the Islanders organization this spring.  Both players have been brought on to add toughness to the organization.

Per New York Islanders, On June 14th In 1977 – Isles select Mike Bossy in 1st round of the NHL Entry Draft. John Tonelli is selected in the 2^nd round.

Per AHL, the Last team to win (Norfolk/TBL this season) the Calder Cup in last year of NHL affiliation: Springfield, 1990 (NYI). Indians partnered with Hartford and won again in 1991.

NHL Notes:

Per Chris Botta, Source tells @SBJSBD that KHL is planning to have franchises in Milan and Paris in next 2-3 years.

Isles Notes For 6/13

Per Arthur Staple, On June 12^th, the Islanders have announced they are parting ways with goaltending consultant Sudarshan "Sudsie" Maharaj. Good teacher helped development of young G prospects.  This leaves Mike Dunham as the Islanders Goaltending Coach.

Maharaj has been involved with the Islanders organization in some capacity since the 2003-04 season.  Several Isles Goaltenders have sung his praises as having a major impact on their career as an NHL goaltender.  His expertise has been utilized by York University, the National Goaltending Development Program for Hockey Canada and two divisional championships in Sweden.

Per BD Gallof, on Sudarshan "Sudsie" Maharaj,  "The move is not cost-related. Its simple organizational change for upcoming season with possible changing of the guard."  It also might be indicative of the changes necessary in goaltending philosophy for the Islanders moving forward.

Dennis MacInnis, director of scouting for ISS Hockey "GM Snow deservers credit for 'rebuilding' and adding depth in 2/3 short years."

Per Arthur Staple, “The Islanders had 3 prospects visit LI: Ds Ryan Murray and Mathew Dumba and Milkhail Grigorenko. Four more interviews scheduled in Pitt prior to draft.”

I’ll have my draft preview by next week.

Per @Jsundstrom12, “Well, couldn't be better then this. So happy & excited to be a part of NY Isles Thank you all, feels pretty awesome.”

Per the New York Islanders, On June 12^th in 1978, Mike Bossy becomes the 3rd Islander in 5 years to win the Calder Trophy.

Per Dominik of LHHockey, “Reports have ex-Islander, Rob Schremp to Dinamo Riga, and BST, Mark Katic pursued by Berlin in the DEL.”

NHL Notes:

Per Tom Gulitti, Zach Parise said he wants to come back with the Devils and says "no way" he signs with Rangers.

Katie Strang adds, Parise said he's "excited" about possibility of being FA, "but with that being said, hopefully we can get things worked out here."

Per NHL, The LA Kings went 11-1 when scoring the first goal of the game and 9-0 when leading after two periods.

Per Chris Botta, LA posted a 13.6 household rating and 25 share for Kings-Devs Game 6 on NBC. Ducks-Devs in 2003 did a 10.0/18.

NBC Sports Group had 237 hours of NHL playoff games this year, most on record since 1994 (226 hours shown in 2001).

Per USA Hockey, Did you know? Since 2006, over 50 American born players have helped win the Stanley Cup - nearly 25% of all Americans playing in the NHL!

Per Cap Geek, Top-five 2012-13 NHL cap payrolls: 1. Bruins, $64.9m; 2. Penguins, $61.5m; 3. Blackhawks, $61.4m; 4. Flyers, $61.2m; 5. Sabres.

KoC's 2012 Stanley Cup Finals Wrap Up

“What will happen in the Cup Finals?

The LA Kings will be crowned Stanley Cup Champions in 6 games vs the Devils.

I think the Kings are too well balanced and too strong in net to lose in 7 games vs New Jersey. No disrespect to Brodeur, but unless the Devils play way over their heads or JQ has a meltdown, its all Kings. LA is in control of their game, well rested and they know how to bring it. I cant see an embattled New Jersey team going the distance and able to match intensity over another series after an emotional win vs their division rivals.

Whatever the result, it should be awesome!”

That was my prediction for the Stanley Cup finals between the LA Kings and New Jersey Devils.

So what happened?

The LA Kings have been crowned Stanley Cup Champions in 6 games vs the Devils.

They earned their spot in the NHL playoff race at game #81.  They are the first 8^th seed in history to win the cup.

How did they beat the New Jersey Devils?

After the Kings took a commanding 3-0 series lead, the Devils fought back to win the next two games.  With a 3-2 series lead, the LA Kings were home with a chance to win the Stanley Cup.  And they did just that.

In game 6, both teams came out ready to play, but it was NJ who had uncharacteristic lapse in discipline.  Steve Bernier crushed Rob Scuderi into the boards from behind drawing blood, giving LA a 5 min PP that would result in 3 goals against his NJ Devils.  After adding a 4^th goal, the game stood at 4-0 until the Devils got on the board at the end of the second period.

The game went back and forth until the Kings would score two goals within a :15 second span to what would be the final score of 6-1.  Credit the Devils for their resilient, hard nosed play throughout the playoffs and dogged persistence in the finals.  The officiating has been horrible this season, but give credit where it is due.  The Kings made the most of their opportunities.

Corey Masisasak of NHL.com wrote, “The Devils had avoided elimination four times in this postseason, including twice in this series, but their inability to solve Quick, more than anything, was their undoing. He allowed only eight goals in the six games.”

Jonathan Quick won the Conn Smythe Trophy for most valuable player with a record of 16-4, .946Sv% and 1.41gaa.  That is a dominant performance.

The Kings ended the season Stanley Cup Champions because they added key components and depth in the roster.  How long will Islander fans have to wait?

NHL Notes:

Per USA Hockey, The Conn Smythe trophy has now been awarded to an American goaltender in each of the past two seasons (Quick and Thomas). 

Dustin Brown is 2nd American-born captain to win the Stanley Cup.

This marks the first time in NHL history that both the captain of the Stanley Cup Champions and the Conn Smythe winner have been American.

Liam Mc Hugh remarks, The Kings are 27-9-3 since acquiring Jeff Carter.

Per Eric Hornick, for the Kings, Tonight is the 202nd playoff game in team history; they've played 3,506 reg. season games.

Dmitry Chesnokov, “Of the 12 teams who finished bottom two of their divisions the season after the lockout, BOS, LA, CHI and PIT have since won the Cup.”

The AHL reminds us, “Thinking of the Bailey and Bavis families tonight. LA Kings scouts and AHL alums lost their lives on 9/11.”

AHL Notes:

Per the AHL, Norfolk has swept the Toronto Marlies to win the Calder Cup.  Norfolk outscored their opponents 34-7 over the last 10 games and never trailed in a game during the conference finals or Calder Cup Finals.  They finished the regular season on a 28-game win streak, finishes the playoffs on a 10-game win streak. 43-3 in their last 46 overall.

Brian Compton added, “Including playoffs, the Admirals played 94 games. They won 70 of them.”