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Draft Day 2 Recap: Wings and a Prayer

June 25, 2016, 10:53 PM ET [435 Comments]
Noel Fogelman
New York Islanders Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Follow me on Twitter @thefirstnoel19

The Islanders left Buffalo Saturday with the big club in the same shape as it was when the brain trust got there Thursday night. They did deepen the prospect pool.

The Islanders selected forward Kiefer Bellows with the 19th overall pick Friday Night.

“We’re extremely happy that he was available at 19,” Snow said. “For us, we see him as a top-10 pick. He competes and obviously an ability to put the puck in the net. A player that just doesn’t take shifts off. He’s gritty and competes which is something we’re excited to be able to add to our organization.”

The team's first scheduled pick was not until 110 in the fourth round. What's a draft without Snow making moves. Snow sent the 110th and 2017 6th round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for the 95th pick. The Isles selected Russian winger Anatoli Golyshev. The 5'9" forward scored 25 goals in 56 games for Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL.

The Islanders hope the 21-year-old can have the same effect as Artemi Panarin had with the Hawks this season. Golyshev has a contract with Yekaterinberg that runs until 2019. Islanders head amateur scout Velli-Pekka Kautonen said he believes there a chance the team could buy Golyshev out of that contract after next season. Just going by past Russian draft picks, this will not be easy. But once again this is a low-risk, high-reward move for the team, which should be their new motto.

New York moved up once again, acquiring the 120th pick from the Philadelphia Flyers for a 2017 4th rounder. The Isles selected 6'3", 219-pound Finnish forward Otto Koivula.




Snow not only deepened the prospect pool in North America, he deepened the pool in Europe.

Collin Adams was selected in the 6th round (190th overall). The 5'9" winger is committed to North Dakota in the fall.




The Islanders had two picks in the 7th round. The wing party continued as they selected Nick Pastujov 193rd overall. The 18-year-old is committed to Michigan.




The streak ended at pick 200 with the selection of defenseman David Quenneville. David is Joel Quenneville's cousin. It's another small pick as Quenneville is 5'8", but can score. He had 14 goals and 55 points for the Medicine Hat last season, and was the highest scoring d-man on Team Canada at the World Juniors Under-18 tournament.







Snow now can turn his attention to the free-agent market. The next week is crucial.
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