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Who could the Islanders draft with the 23rd Pick? (Part 1)

May 11, 2019, 2:37 PM ET [12 Comments]
Ben Shelley
New York Islanders Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The New York Islanders will be drafting 23rd overall this year and due to the depth of the class, they'll still have a chance to add some talent. It’s unlikely we see the Islanders pick Spencer Knight, probably the only goalie prospect that could go in the first round. Other than that though, both forwards and defensemen are fair game.

This article will look at five players the Islanders could take with the 23rd pick and will be split into two parts, with the second group of five players going up tomorrow. It will also go alphabetically into next article, so you can take a chance at guessing the five for tomorrow.

The article will go off the presumption that the following 18 players will already have been taken (and if one somehow manages to fall to the 23rd spot, they should be the pick):

Jack Hughes, Kaapo Kakko, Bowen Byram, Dylan Cozens, Kirby Dach, Alex Turcotte Vasily Podkolzin, Trevor Zegras, Matthew Boldy, Peyton Krebs, Cole Caufield, Philip Broberg, Victor Soderstrom, Arthur Kaliyev, Alex Newhook, Thomas Harley, Cam York and Raphael Lavoie.

Here are the first five options at pick #23:


Egor Afanasyev- LW, Muskegon (USHL)

Afanasyev, a big Russian forward playing in the USHL, only gained attention recently. In fact it was so recent that he wasn’t even ranked in Sportsnet’s March Draft Rankings, which highlights the top-31 players for the draft.



He’s a 6-foot-3 left winger playing with the Muskegon Lumberjacks and put up 62 points in 58 games this season. His draft year points per game average in the USHL was very similar to that of Eeli Tolvanen (and actually slightly higher), who was drafted 30th overall by Nashville in 2017. He’s got a great shot and would add both size and an offensive punch for the Islanders.


Ville Heinola- LD, Lukko (Liiga)

Ville Heinola’s stats in Finland are very good. He had nine points in nine games playing Jr. A, then 14 points in 34 games in the Liiga, which is quite a bit higher than Rasmus Ristolainen’s points per game average in the Liiga in his draft year.



One thing with Heinola is that he's quite small, at just 5-foot-11 and 178 pounds. It’s probably more likely the Islanders aim for forwards in the draft than defensemen as well but if Heinola is still available when it’s the Islanders turn to pick, selecting him needs to be seriously considered. Top prospects like Noah Dobson and Bode Wilde both play right side and if Heinola was taken, he would continue to build on what is looking like a very strong, upcoming Islanders defense core, playing on the left.


Brett Leason- RW, Prince Albert (WHL)

Teams are probably kicking themselves after not taking Brett Leason prior to this year. He’s 6-foot-4 and scored 89 points in 55 games this season with WHL powerhouse Prince Albert. He also represented Canada in the World Juniors this year where he had five points in five games.



Leason, like Afanasyev provides both size and offensive production. With Leason, you just hope his development continues on the same trajectory because he’s undoubtedly a late bloomer.


Connor McMichael- C, London (OHL)

The name alone kind of makes you want to draft him, right? This is another player that snuck into the spotlight a bit later in the year. McMichael is a 5-foot-11 center in the OHL with the London Knights, who have a reputation for their excellent development system and a long list of excellent alumni to show for.



McMichael finished the year with 36 goals and 72 points in 68 games, numbers sure to increase even further next year. He also had eight different games this season with at least three points, showing when he wants to, he can take over a game.


Jakob Pelletier

Pelletier is a very interesting player. He had more goals and points this season than fellow CHL forwards Dylan Cozens and Kirby Dach, who are both ranked to go in the top-10. Even in his rookie season in the QMJHL last year he carried point-per-game numbers.



So why would Pelletier still be around for the Islanders to select him? He’s just 5-foot-9. That being said, this is looking like the same mistake teams often make by passing on a player based on size, similar to a situation like Alex DeBrincat falling to the second round. These are pretty excellent production rates and though it’s a gamble, it could have a huge payoff for whoever selects him.


Part Two, highlighting five more options for the 23rd pick, will be released tomorrow.


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