Today is the National Hockey League's 2013 Entry Draft! It's always a day filled with intrigue, trades, and fast-breaking news. Stay with us here all day as the picks come in and the transactions are confirmed.
The first pick will take place shortly after 3 P.M. EDT, and the New York Islanders will pick first at #15.
As it stands now, the Isles will select at:
(Round 1) 15: RYAN PULOCK (D) Brandon Wheat Kings
(Round 3) 70: EAMON McADAM (G) Waterloo Black Hawks
(Round 3) 76: TAYLOR CAMMARATA (C) Waterloo Black Hawks
(Round 4) 106: STEPHON WILLIAMS (G) Minnesota State-Mankato
(Round 5) 136: VIKTOR CRUS-RYDBERG (C) Linkoping
(Round 6) 166: ALAN QUINE (C) Belleville Bulls
(Round 7) 196: KYLE BURROUGHS (D) Regina Pats
***
UPDATE: Nino Niederreiter has been traded to Minnesota for Cal Clutterbuck and the 70th pick (Round 3) in the draft.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
O Captain! My Captain!
With the Stanley Cup Finals beginning this evening, I decided to get back into hockey mode after a brief hiatus. As you all undoubtedly know, though they battled admirably, the Islanders fell short of this year's Finals.
The "good" news, however, is that the team that sent them packing, the Pittsburgh Penguins, also failed in their quest for hockey's ultimate prize.
The news came out today that the Islanders, fresh off their best season in six years, had traded impending unrestricted free agent Mark Streit.
The move basically concedes that at age 35, coming off a five year contract, Streit's salary demands were going to be too unpalatable for Islanders General Manager Garth Snow.
It is with some sadness and a hefty amount of respect and appreciation that I bid the former Isles captain farewell, and thank him for his years of service. He was always a gentleman in the locker room even after very tough losses and always willing to talk to the media.
Rather than lose him to free agency for nothing in return, Philadelphia agreed to trade for the Swiss defenseman, sending Shane Harper and a 2014 fourth round draft pick to New York.
For the Islanders, it means the end of an era but the beginning of a new one, as nearly everyone expects that John Tavares will be named the 14th captain in franchise history.
With this move Garth Snow has clearly try to start the summer off right, and you can start your summer off right as well by joining the Isles at their annual draft party at Nassau Coliseum.
All seven rounds of the entry draft will take place on Sunday, June 30th, in New Jersey. If you aren't crossing the Hudson River to be there live, why not cross Hempstead Turnpike and get into the air conditioning, as the Isles continue to add to their young core?
If you can't do that either, rest assured that I'll have all the picks as they are selected right on this page.
I wish you all a good summer and will have news/free agent signings if and when they happen.
Congratulations to those of you who have recently graduated, and I look forward to sharing another season of Islanders hockey with you in September! Have a great summer!
As always, thanks for reading!
The "good" news, however, is that the team that sent them packing, the Pittsburgh Penguins, also failed in their quest for hockey's ultimate prize.
The news came out today that the Islanders, fresh off their best season in six years, had traded impending unrestricted free agent Mark Streit.
The move basically concedes that at age 35, coming off a five year contract, Streit's salary demands were going to be too unpalatable for Islanders General Manager Garth Snow.
It is with some sadness and a hefty amount of respect and appreciation that I bid the former Isles captain farewell, and thank him for his years of service. He was always a gentleman in the locker room even after very tough losses and always willing to talk to the media.
Rather than lose him to free agency for nothing in return, Philadelphia agreed to trade for the Swiss defenseman, sending Shane Harper and a 2014 fourth round draft pick to New York.
For the Islanders, it means the end of an era but the beginning of a new one, as nearly everyone expects that John Tavares will be named the 14th captain in franchise history.
With this move Garth Snow has clearly try to start the summer off right, and you can start your summer off right as well by joining the Isles at their annual draft party at Nassau Coliseum.
All seven rounds of the entry draft will take place on Sunday, June 30th, in New Jersey. If you aren't crossing the Hudson River to be there live, why not cross Hempstead Turnpike and get into the air conditioning, as the Isles continue to add to their young core?
If you can't do that either, rest assured that I'll have all the picks as they are selected right on this page.
I wish you all a good summer and will have news/free agent signings if and when they happen.
Congratulations to those of you who have recently graduated, and I look forward to sharing another season of Islanders hockey with you in September! Have a great summer!
As always, thanks for reading!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Rolling With The Punches
Where to begin?
Like the old television series 'Dragnet,' let's start with the facts. Coming into Tuesday (5/7) night's game in Uniondale, the Islanders found themselves trailing their best-of-seven series with Pittsburgh two games to one. They had also lost their previous seven playoff games on home ice, dropping their home winning percentage at "Fort Neverlose" below 66% for the first time since 1976.
After losing a 4-3 overtime heartbreaker on Sunday (5/5) afternoon, the Islanders had put themselves in a perilous position. Lose again, and they would find themselves down 3-1 in the series with a good chance of quickly closing the book on the season. The fans, who had eagerly awaited the return of playoff hockey to Long Island for six miserable seasons, would likely not see another game at Nassau Coliseum for four months.
Rather than try to find the words to tell you what an up and down, see-saw battle Game Four was, it might just be easier for you to watch the condensed highlights, courtesy of NHL.com.
Once again the crowd, in full support of their Isles, was amazing. Islanders fans seem to always been in full throat. It's quite a scene.
The emotions of the game seemed to ebb and flow drastically; the Islanders would gain a lead. They would fritter it away just as easily. They would take a punch, so to speak, but give one right back just as hard.
Travis Hamonic, amidst a very crowded and cheery post-win locker room, may have said it best.
I asked him how it was that his team "keeps getting punched in the mouth" and it doesn't seem to faze them. The 22-year old (with his own dental issues) replied, "When you only have one tooth you don't care." What a great line.
"The Hammer," as he's known, had a great game too, logging over 28 minutes of ice time. Defensive teammate and team captain Mark Streit scored two goals. John Tavares scored the winning goal and earned the evening's "first star" honor.
Kyle Okposo, who scored a mere four regular season goals, has played like a man on a mission. He netted his third goal of the series at a pivotal moment, banking the puck in off a shaky Marc-André Fleury.
But the win didn't come completely issue-free.
Andrew MacDonald, Hamonic's partner, broke his hand during the game and likely will not return for the remainder of the season.
Evegeni Nabokov, who Head Coach Jack Capuano has ridden nearly to the breaking point, had another subpar game, again allowing four goals. Not all of them were solely his fault, mind you, as there was some shoddy defensive positioning at times in front of him, a few deflected pucks, and a horrendous shift change that directly led to a Penguins goal.
Lastly, I'm usually not one to criticize officiating. I believe, whether you agree or disagree, that blaming the zebras is the domain of the sore loser and/or whiner. Let me be clear, though, the officiating in the series to this point has been putrid.
There have been blatant penalties missed, strange calls on the ice, and Pittsburgh has taken clear liberties with several Islanders players and not been made to pay for it.
Let me just briefly show a clip of what I mean. Here's Brenden Morrow face-slamming (#53) Casey Cizikas behind the play four or five times:
Is this part of professional hockey? And is this that hard to miss? Come on, guys. Get it together for the rest of the series, please.
All in all, though, it was a great night for Long Island. The Islanders, who began the series as heavy underdogs, have at least given themselves a chance to defeat the top seeded team in the East. They've already exceeded many of the pundits' expectations by just getting to this point.
I'm cautiously optimistic. If they can take everything Pittsburgh can throw at them, and so far they have, they might just shock the hockey world and advance to the Conference Semifinals.
Like the old television series 'Dragnet,' let's start with the facts. Coming into Tuesday (5/7) night's game in Uniondale, the Islanders found themselves trailing their best-of-seven series with Pittsburgh two games to one. They had also lost their previous seven playoff games on home ice, dropping their home winning percentage at "Fort Neverlose" below 66% for the first time since 1976.
After losing a 4-3 overtime heartbreaker on Sunday (5/5) afternoon, the Islanders had put themselves in a perilous position. Lose again, and they would find themselves down 3-1 in the series with a good chance of quickly closing the book on the season. The fans, who had eagerly awaited the return of playoff hockey to Long Island for six miserable seasons, would likely not see another game at Nassau Coliseum for four months.
Rather than try to find the words to tell you what an up and down, see-saw battle Game Four was, it might just be easier for you to watch the condensed highlights, courtesy of NHL.com.
Once again the crowd, in full support of their Isles, was amazing. Islanders fans seem to always been in full throat. It's quite a scene.
The emotions of the game seemed to ebb and flow drastically; the Islanders would gain a lead. They would fritter it away just as easily. They would take a punch, so to speak, but give one right back just as hard.
Travis Hamonic, amidst a very crowded and cheery post-win locker room, may have said it best.
I asked him how it was that his team "keeps getting punched in the mouth" and it doesn't seem to faze them. The 22-year old (with his own dental issues) replied, "When you only have one tooth you don't care." What a great line.
"The Hammer," as he's known, had a great game too, logging over 28 minutes of ice time. Defensive teammate and team captain Mark Streit scored two goals. John Tavares scored the winning goal and earned the evening's "first star" honor.
Kyle Okposo, who scored a mere four regular season goals, has played like a man on a mission. He netted his third goal of the series at a pivotal moment, banking the puck in off a shaky Marc-André Fleury.
But the win didn't come completely issue-free.
Andrew MacDonald, Hamonic's partner, broke his hand during the game and likely will not return for the remainder of the season.
Evegeni Nabokov, who Head Coach Jack Capuano has ridden nearly to the breaking point, had another subpar game, again allowing four goals. Not all of them were solely his fault, mind you, as there was some shoddy defensive positioning at times in front of him, a few deflected pucks, and a horrendous shift change that directly led to a Penguins goal.
Lastly, I'm usually not one to criticize officiating. I believe, whether you agree or disagree, that blaming the zebras is the domain of the sore loser and/or whiner. Let me be clear, though, the officiating in the series to this point has been putrid.
There have been blatant penalties missed, strange calls on the ice, and Pittsburgh has taken clear liberties with several Islanders players and not been made to pay for it.
Let me just briefly show a clip of what I mean. Here's Brenden Morrow face-slamming (#53) Casey Cizikas behind the play four or five times:
Is this part of professional hockey? And is this that hard to miss? Come on, guys. Get it together for the rest of the series, please.
All in all, though, it was a great night for Long Island. The Islanders, who began the series as heavy underdogs, have at least given themselves a chance to defeat the top seeded team in the East. They've already exceeded many of the pundits' expectations by just getting to this point.
I'm cautiously optimistic. If they can take everything Pittsburgh can throw at them, and so far they have, they might just shock the hockey world and advance to the Conference Semifinals.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
The Mental Game
Anyone who knows me knows I'm not into the technical aspects of hockey. It's not that I wouldn't love to fully understand that facet of the game, I'm willing to learn. It's just that I never played ice hockey and have more of a fan's perspective than one of a participant.
Taking it even a step farther, I have trouble even watching the postseason games. With more on the line, I get too nervous and am prone to outbursts of violence. :)
That said, here are a few points to possibly help the Islanders win their first playoff series in twenty years:
Taking it even a step farther, I have trouble even watching the postseason games. With more on the line, I get too nervous and am prone to outbursts of violence. :)
That said, here are a few points to possibly help the Islanders win their first playoff series in twenty years:
- Going into the series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, I felt there would be one game where the Islanders would be blown out. As it turns out, that game was Game 1. The Islanders rebounded nicely in Game two, evening the series with a 4-3 win. This guy had something to do with it. Now level again, the initial 'punch in the mouth' is behind them.
- Continuing with that line of thinking, the Islanders find themselves in an even series and they haven't even played their best game yet. Game 1 was a mess; the follow up started off terribly as well but the Isles luckily found their legs before they were buried. A flukey goal (we'll take them) won the game for New York.
- The Isles need to draw inspiration from last year's Los Angeles Kings. Sure, they may be an eighth seed, but great things happened for last year's (Western) eight. This is the NHL. 'Eights' beat 'ones.'
- The Islanders need to feed off their crowd. Sunday will feature Uniondale's first postseason game in six years. The fans are ready. They're actually more than ready. An opening goal for the home side within the first ten minutes of game would likely bring the arena down.
- A key to victory will be to do what worked during the regular season. At the risk of getting "technical," they need to stay strong on the puck and fire shots at the Pittsburgh netminder. We don't yet know if they'll be facing Marc-André Fleury or Tomas Vokoun. Either way, the Islanders need to keep that man seeing rubber all afternoon.
- The hard part is over. The Islanders somehow, almost inexplicably, earned a split on road ice. They control home ice right now. Don't give it up.
- Finally, to each player, just play your game. You functioned as a team to reach this point. Continue to play that way. Josh Bailey has looked like a changed man. Evegeni Nabokov has done all that has been asked of him. The secondary scorers have scored.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Kyle's Final Stats
Just a quick note. Now that the regular season has been completed, you can see on the right that Kyle Okposo finished the season with 4 goals and 20 assists.
While it wasn't the goal output he desired, he will be going to the postseason for the first time in his National Hockey League career. He has told me many times that a playoff berth, more than any personal goal or milestone, has been something he has desired as a professional.
While the Islanders' opponent has yet to be determined, I am pleased that announce that his first playoff series will also be mine, at least in terms of attendance.
As fate would have it, our playoff debuts coincide because of a foolish decision I made 20 years ago to forsake tickets to the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals. At the time I figured I would have plenty of opportunities to take in a playoff game at Nassau Coliseum in coming seasons.
Oops.
Anyway, I'll try to bring you the same (heavily biased) coverage of their playoff games that I have provided for the past six seasons. Hopefully we'll take a fun ride together this May (and June?).
As always, thanks for reading. I appreciate all of you.
P.S. For a look at Kyle's career stats, check HockeyDB.com.
While it wasn't the goal output he desired, he will be going to the postseason for the first time in his National Hockey League career. He has told me many times that a playoff berth, more than any personal goal or milestone, has been something he has desired as a professional.
While the Islanders' opponent has yet to be determined, I am pleased that announce that his first playoff series will also be mine, at least in terms of attendance.
As fate would have it, our playoff debuts coincide because of a foolish decision I made 20 years ago to forsake tickets to the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals. At the time I figured I would have plenty of opportunities to take in a playoff game at Nassau Coliseum in coming seasons.
Oops.
Anyway, I'll try to bring you the same (heavily biased) coverage of their playoff games that I have provided for the past six seasons. Hopefully we'll take a fun ride together this May (and June?).
As always, thanks for reading. I appreciate all of you.
P.S. For a look at Kyle's career stats, check HockeyDB.com.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
We HAVE Playoffs!
Tuesday (4/23) night was the night I have waited over six years for. No, let me correct that. It was the night that we, Islanders fans, have waited for. We've waited through six seasons of misery, injuries, bad breaks, bad bounces, bad luck, and draft lotteries.
But the wait is over. The New York Islanders are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs!
Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, John Tavares, Matt Moulson, Frans Nielsen, and so many others will get their first tastes of the National Hockey League postseason.
But as excited and pleased as I am for them, I'm even happier for the fans that have been with them through the rebuild.
I'm happy for the folks in Loudville section. I'm happy for the college kids who routinely sit in the top few rows of Nassau Coliseum with an obstructed view of the scoreboard. I'm happy for the season ticket holders who held on to their seats, knowing that better days would return for Long Island's hockey team.
I'm even pleased for the doubters, naysayers, and bandwagon jumpers who have watched this team grow into a (hopefully) legitimate title contender in the coming seasons.
I feel somewhat vindicated as well, because just as things were getting ugliest for Kyle Okposo this year, he and his linemates powered the Isles to a 11-1-3 record in their last 15 games, seemingly growing into legitimate scoring force in unison.
In the month of April, Kyle has recorded 10 points. While he had a subpar season, he salvaged it in the last two weeks, feeding beautiful passes to Nielsen and Bailey in big spot after big spot. He stopped turning the puck over. He played a true power forward position. And his line added a scoring compliment the first line.
He stepped up when he was called upon. All three players did.
Even last night, down a goal to Carolina with time dwindling in the game, he found a way to get to the net and help the team secure a massive point in the standings (the tying goal was eventually reviewed and credited to Tavares).
Though his final scoring totals won't be flashy, if you prorate his assist total over a full 82-game NHL season, he would have set a career high (approximately 36).
But in a game filled with numbers, there's only one that matters right now: 0. That's the "magic number" of points needed for the New York Islanders to clinch a playoff spot.
Congratulations, everyone. See you in the playoffs! (Damn, that sounds good, huh?)
But the wait is over. The New York Islanders are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs!
Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, John Tavares, Matt Moulson, Frans Nielsen, and so many others will get their first tastes of the National Hockey League postseason.
But as excited and pleased as I am for them, I'm even happier for the fans that have been with them through the rebuild.
I'm happy for the folks in Loudville section. I'm happy for the college kids who routinely sit in the top few rows of Nassau Coliseum with an obstructed view of the scoreboard. I'm happy for the season ticket holders who held on to their seats, knowing that better days would return for Long Island's hockey team.
I'm even pleased for the doubters, naysayers, and bandwagon jumpers who have watched this team grow into a (hopefully) legitimate title contender in the coming seasons.
I feel somewhat vindicated as well, because just as things were getting ugliest for Kyle Okposo this year, he and his linemates powered the Isles to a 11-1-3 record in their last 15 games, seemingly growing into legitimate scoring force in unison.
In the month of April, Kyle has recorded 10 points. While he had a subpar season, he salvaged it in the last two weeks, feeding beautiful passes to Nielsen and Bailey in big spot after big spot. He stopped turning the puck over. He played a true power forward position. And his line added a scoring compliment the first line.
He stepped up when he was called upon. All three players did.
Even last night, down a goal to Carolina with time dwindling in the game, he found a way to get to the net and help the team secure a massive point in the standings (the tying goal was eventually reviewed and credited to Tavares).
Though his final scoring totals won't be flashy, if you prorate his assist total over a full 82-game NHL season, he would have set a career high (approximately 36).
But in a game filled with numbers, there's only one that matters right now: 0. That's the "magic number" of points needed for the New York Islanders to clinch a playoff spot.
Congratulations, everyone. See you in the playoffs! (Damn, that sounds good, huh?)
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Critical Games Coming Up
While it is protocol to stay stoic in the press box, I'll freely admit that I had a hard time getting over last Saturday (4/13) night's 1-0 overtime loss to the New York Rangers.
Ask anyone who was with me; I was a nervous mess up on the press level and was going "Jerry Tarkanian" on the pile of napkins immediately to my left.
In that contest, the Islanders outplayed their Manhattan rivals for long stretches of the game, however they were unable to solve Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist. The Isles rang several posts, but a win wasn't in the cards that evening.
A silver lining was found, however, when the Islanders' overtime "loser point" allowed them to retain an edge over the Rangers in the standings at the end of play on Saturday.
Fast forward to last night (4/16), when the Isles demolished the nearly hapless Florida Panthers, 5-2. It was a game the Islanders had to win, and they did. Kyle Okposo chipped in an assist, raising his season's total to 19 points, which you can see to the right.
As an aside, the victory moved Head Coach Jack Capuano into second place all-time in Islanders coaching victories, with 82. He has some work to do before he catches Hall of Famer Al Arbour (740).
Additional good news, not of the Islanders' doing, came later in the evening when it was revealed that the Rangers lost to Philadelphia, frittering away the momentum and points they had gained in their win on Long Island.
But this Islanders team isn't about looking back. It's about looking forward. And staring them right in the face are two important games that could seal their playoff fate.
Tomorrow night (Thursday, 4/18) the Isles will take on a tough Toronto team at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs currently hold the 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, and if New York has designs on moving up the table they likely need a victory. The two points would also go a long way in helping them vault clear of the trailing Rangers and Winnipeg Jets, who both sit on 46 points. The Islanders currently possess 49. The Rangers have a game in hand.
Taking a longer view, on Saturday (4/20) afternoon the Islanders travel to Winnipeg to take on the aforementioned Jets. As a critical "4 point game," a win in this one would basically assure the Islanders of a trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
As well as the Islanders have been playing of late, it would be nice for them to win (or at least earn points) in both games, but if there's a "must have" game coming up, it's the one versus Winnipeg.
Thanks for reading, and as always, Let's Go Islanders!
Ask anyone who was with me; I was a nervous mess up on the press level and was going "Jerry Tarkanian" on the pile of napkins immediately to my left.
In that contest, the Islanders outplayed their Manhattan rivals for long stretches of the game, however they were unable to solve Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist. The Isles rang several posts, but a win wasn't in the cards that evening.
A silver lining was found, however, when the Islanders' overtime "loser point" allowed them to retain an edge over the Rangers in the standings at the end of play on Saturday.
Fast forward to last night (4/16), when the Isles demolished the nearly hapless Florida Panthers, 5-2. It was a game the Islanders had to win, and they did. Kyle Okposo chipped in an assist, raising his season's total to 19 points, which you can see to the right.
As an aside, the victory moved Head Coach Jack Capuano into second place all-time in Islanders coaching victories, with 82. He has some work to do before he catches Hall of Famer Al Arbour (740).
Additional good news, not of the Islanders' doing, came later in the evening when it was revealed that the Rangers lost to Philadelphia, frittering away the momentum and points they had gained in their win on Long Island.
But this Islanders team isn't about looking back. It's about looking forward. And staring them right in the face are two important games that could seal their playoff fate.
Tomorrow night (Thursday, 4/18) the Isles will take on a tough Toronto team at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs currently hold the 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, and if New York has designs on moving up the table they likely need a victory. The two points would also go a long way in helping them vault clear of the trailing Rangers and Winnipeg Jets, who both sit on 46 points. The Islanders currently possess 49. The Rangers have a game in hand.
Taking a longer view, on Saturday (4/20) afternoon the Islanders travel to Winnipeg to take on the aforementioned Jets. As a critical "4 point game," a win in this one would basically assure the Islanders of a trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
As well as the Islanders have been playing of late, it would be nice for them to win (or at least earn points) in both games, but if there's a "must have" game coming up, it's the one versus Winnipeg.
Thanks for reading, and as always, Let's Go Islanders!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
