After a winless 4 game road trip, the Islanders return home tonight to play the Nashville Predators at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. With a losing streak mounting the Islanders desperately need two points. As mediocre as their play has been they are still in the middle of the pack in an average Metropolitan Division.
The Islanders need to find a way to get out of the rut that makes them so easy to play right now. Their game needs to be simplified, and they must return to a north south attacking team that wears the opponent down with their physicality. There is time to right the ship and a win tonight would at least calm the storm clouds that are circling the Coliseum.
Each week I plan to focus on 5 Islanders that are in the system and playing well. This will give you an idea of how the team’s prospects are faring in all levels of hockey. I will try and keep you updated not only on players excelling in Bridgeport but in Europe, juniors and in college as well.
We will start with a pair of prospects from the 2013 draft; Taylor Cammarata and Viktor Crus-Rydburg. A third round pick last summer Cammarata is excelling in his freshman year for the number one ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers. Through eight games Taylor has scored three times and added six helpers for a total of nine points. He will also be on a short list of players to represent Team USA at the World Junior Tournament this winter. Crus-Rydburg has gotten off to a solid start for the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL. Through 19 games, the 2103 fifth round pick has four goals and fourteen assists for 18 points. With this being his first season in junior hockey this is a very good start for the Isles prospect.
Next we will look at a pair of defenseman from the 2012 draft. The Isles used their second round pick on defenseman Ville Pokka and he has really excelled playing against players much older than him in the Finnish Elite League. Through twenty games the puck moving defenseman has three goals and eight assists which is good for eleven points. Another defenseman exceling from the 2012 draft is third rounder Adam Pelech. In his fourth season with the Erie Otters of the OHL, Pelech has five goals and ten assists which is good for fifteen points through twenty games. I would expect to see both Pokka and Pelech in Bridgeport next season.
Finally we look at the number one prospect in the Islanders organization; 2011 first round pick Ryan Strome. Through twelve games in Bridgeport, Strome has scored four times and added twelve assists which is good for sixteen points. We all know how offensively gifted Strome is but his work away from the puck and in his play in his own end continues to improve from game to game. His first five games in Bridgeport were an adventure as he was out of position and lost from time to time in his own end. However as Strome continues to play, his game is becoming more dependable when he is in his own zone. I said before the season started that I thought Strome would need 25 to 30 games in the AHL and so far this is looking about right. Hopefully he will be making his debut with the Isles soon. I will continue to update the Islanders’ prospects once a week throughout the season so we can all see the progress that they are making. As always for more on all things hockey please follow me on twitter @DanDanNoodles78.