Getting to Know Mr. Snow

This afternoon I had the great privilege of participating in the first (and hopefully not the final) "roundtable discussion" with Islanders management. Dee Karl, Tony Stabile, and I were guests of General Manager Garth Snow. There were no guidelines set or any off-topic areas to be avoided. There have never been any such rules, nor are we ever fed potential story lines by those who oversee the Blog Box. Just so you know.

I bring this up because just hours prior to our meeting with Garth emerged the unsettling news that prospect Kirill Kabanov had again been late to a team practice. While potential discipline for Kabanov falls entirely within the jurisdiction of the coaching staff, as far as I know, it does lead me into a convenient segue on a topic that I broached with Mr. Snow.

I was eager to discover how involved he is in the drafting process, since the success or failure of picks like Kabanov reflect directly on his reputation as a General Manager.

"I'm always hands-on in regards to the meetings with the scouting staff," Snow told the group. "If I don't get a chance to see a player first-hand [then] I'll see him though video." He continued in greater detail explaining the process, insisting that the communication he has with the team's regional scouts is the quintessence of the drafting process. "I go right to the [scout] that's seen [the player] twenty, thirty times."

He characterized the time leading up to the draft and the event itself as "fun." He noted that while it's an unrealistic goal, "every team wants to get every pick right," and that's his goal as well. Furthermore, he feels that he and his staff need to be especially correct about first round picks, due to their high value and ability to alter a franchise's course. By "correct" he meant in assessing both their talent and attitude.

Which brings us back to today's events.

While neither Garth nor any team officials commented on Kirill Kabanov's situation, it doesn't take much cognitive ability to realize that the Islanders are extremely upset with the young man. Garth, when speaking on other topics unrelated directly to drafting, stressed more than once how important the character of the men on the teams he builds is to him. He encapsulated that sentiment by sharing a motto of sorts: "Good people can do great things. And I believe that."

This past July I interviwed Kabanov for the first time. By now you all know his basic story: A 1st-round hockey talent that fell in the draft due to off-ice issues. In my brief assessment of him I noted how Kirill charmed the media, saying the right things. If you read the entire piece, though, I wondered if he was really as genuine as he wished to appear.

While Kabanov hasn't committed unforgivable transgressions, I am beginning to believe that my initial "read" of him was accurate. His actions are speaking for him, and not well. On the bright side, though, as fans, many of us are forgiving. Hopefully for his sake, Garth Snow's, and the team's, his youth works in his favor and not against him. He still has time to correct his immaturity and learn from this camp experience.

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With respect to Garth Snow, this is only the first of many topics that were covered during the roundtable chat. There will be other installments following this one on various subjects. Garth was generous enough to give us about an hour of his time (and almost as much recorded audio!), so we still have a lot to cover.

Hopefully I'll see some of you at Saturday (9/25) morning's scrimmage. Don't be afraid to stop, say hello, and talk Islanders hockey with me!

Some News From Media Day

While prior commitments didn't allow me to join the New York Islanders at today's media day, there was an announcement made a few moments ago. The Islanders have signed Swiss winger Nino Niederreiter to an entry-level deal.

The Islanders are obviously high on the 18-year old Niederreiter, whom you will recall was the team's 1st round draft selection (5th overall) this June. Many fans and media are speculating that the signing is a precursor to Niederreiter making the NHL squad out of training camp.

View the Islanders' full version of the announcement here.

Checking In From Rookie Camp

Rookie camp is underway on Long Island, as Scott Gordon and his coaches take up the first task of their 2010-2011 NHL season. Specifically, it's the task of evaluating and teaching some of the heralded young talent that General Manager Garth Snow has stockpiled for the team over the last few seasons.

Gordon, who shared some post-skate thoughts with the few of us in attendance, said that this week is about giving the rookies a chance to display their talents. "Every player has his own special abilities and it's important that they show those," the coach declared. He went on to say that he wasn't overly concerned with this group's mistakes, realizing that they are inexperienced and aren't really expected to perform as a team.

"An opportunity is put in front of them. What they do with it ultimately rests in their hands." He summarized his role nicely, saying, "As a coach you try to teach; your objective is to give the players a game plan that allows them to be successful. Along the way you try to have a little fun with it."

I'm not sure if the players would agree with that last sentiment, though, as we saw a few instances of Gordon taking players to task on the ice. Kirill Kabanov's Day 1 tardiness earned him some extra sprint skating after the session, and more than a few times Gordon halted drills with his whistle to correct players on their positioning.

While we didn't recognize all of the names on the ice, we did all keep our eyes glued to Calvin DeHaan, goalie Mikko Koskinen, Travis Hamonic, Nino Niederreiter, and the aforementioned Kabanov, who sported a bright orange sweater.

We are also happy to report that Calvin DeHaan said he is fully recovered from last season's injury, and is undeterred by the defensive logjam ahead of him on the Islanders depth chart. He mentioned that he has been working on his strength and conditioning with coach Jesse Demers for the last four weeks. DeHaan will be heading to Boston tomorrow when the Isles' prospects play a game against their Bruins counterparts at the TD Garden.

Stay with us for more camp news and views later this week.

Scott Gordon, (Bridgeport head coach) Jack Capuano, and the Isles coaching staff impart their wisdom upon the youngsters.

So Close You Can Smell It

As the title implies, the days are getting shorter and hockey season is nearly upon us again.

But first a few notes to our loyal readers: we haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. We're still here, and are primed to give you more frequent and deeper coverage than ever before.

The Blog Box, with new leadership and the continued blessing of the New York Islanders franchise, rolls on into its fourth season this autumn. Opening Night may not be until October, but we're ready to deliver news and views from training camp, which begins in just a few short days.

Most of the players have arrived on Long Island, ready for another dose of Coach Scott Gordon's tutelage. For a few of the boys it will be their first camp with the Islanders, so we hope to hear from them first. We'll also catch up with Doug Weight, Kyle, and anyone else who'll grant us a few minutes of their time.

While we're not here to paint a completely rosy picture, we must say that many people we've been in contact with expect bigger things from the young Isles this season. We're excited, and we hope our forthcoming stories will encourage you to be too.

Islanders fans have hungered for a team to be proud of, and the page may finally be turning on the rebuild. The Blog Box is also changing, though you won't notice it here. We, the bloggers, are taking our cues from people with a real vision of what the Blog Box can be, which is a refreshing and positive change. Expect more interactivity and videos, for sure. We may even have a special treat for you by the middle of next week.

To our new readers, thank you for choosing Okposo Net. To those of you who have been with us a while, thank you as well, and please stick with us for what promises to be another exciting campaign.

Kyle Bats With the Minnesota Twins

Kyle Okposo checked in with Islanders TV recently when they filmed a fun, short clip of him taking batting practice with the Minnesota Twins. Kyle, as most of you know, is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota and has told me many times that he is a big Twins fan.

The Twins, currently in first place in their division, let Kyle take some batting practice swings against manager Ron Gardenhire. The clip, which can be seen here, also shows Kyle meeting some of his hometown baseball heroes, such as Joe Mauer. It looks like it was a fun day for all involved.

As I am also a big baseball fan (the Twins being one of my favorite teams), it is only right that I offer an opinion on Kyle's baseball 'skills':

My crude MLB scouting report on Kyle Okposo (20-80 scale): Batting: 70, Throwing: 20. I think he'd better stick to hockey. :)

Will Travis Hamonic Make the Team?

"I definitely feel ready." - Travis Hamonic

With each passing day we get closer to September and training camp, and while most people are not yet thinking about hockey, I am. Though I love summer weather and all of the outdoor activities that come with it, I look forward to getting back ice-side and seeing young players compete for jobs with our Islanders.

And one positional battle that I'm especially looking forward to seeing involves young defenseman Travis Hamonic.

If you recall, Hamonic was drafted during the second round of the 2008 NHL Entry draft in Ottawa, Ontario. At draft time he measured in at 6'2" and 215 pounds, but told us this summer that he was specifically trying to bulk up.

"I’m going to continue to put on a couple more pounds of muscle mass and grow and get stronger and get fitter in the weight room," he said after his Long Island Blue vs. Orange scrimmage appearance. He mentioned that he would be spending time in Winnipeg this summer skating with pros in order to prepare himself for the coming preseason camp.

"It's going to be all mindset and physical set," Hamonic continued. "I've got to make sure that I come in knowing that I have an opportunity to make the team. The coaching staff is definitely going to do what they feel is right with me and I'm going to do it with a smile on my face."

Hamonic went on to further make his case by saying "I've had a lot of success in Juniors," but now that he's 20 years old "things have changed from last year" and it's time to "turn a page" into professional hockey.

Well, Hamonic did turn a page of sorts this spring when the Islanders inked him to a 3-year entry level pro contract. So the Islanders are obviously happy with his development to this point, but while the ink was drying on the paperwork they went out and radically reshaped their defense. So the question to be asked is not if Hamonic can make the team out of camp, but will he?

Most of the projections I have seen put Travis as an eventual top 4 defenseman. But with the signings of Mark Eaton, Milan Jurcina, and the trade for James Wisniewski it seems as if Travis is bound to get squeezed down the depth chart, if not out of the picture for this season completely. With a healthy Radek Martinek back and Mark Streit going nowhere, I'm also wondering what will come of the Hillen/MacDonald/Gervais battle for the last spots on D.

So, is Hamonic destined for Bridgeport (AHL) this season? Well, if he looks as improved in camp as he did on both sides of the puck in the scrimmage, it will be tough to ship him out. If there are a flurry of early injuries at the NHL level then he'll definitely be in the mix. But I think even if he comes out and knocks everyone's socks off this preseason, the Islanders will still be hard pressed to move him ahead of their veterans. In a fact, a mandatory year of pro development at Bridgeport may already be the plan for the 20-year old, as far as we know. And this is why I love the preseason. Because the only way we're going to know is by letting it all shake out next month.

Let's Learn More About Brock Nelson

When we last saw Brock Nelson, he had taken part in the Islanders summer Orange-Blue scrimmage and was preparing for World Juniors evaluation camp. We had a chance to speak with Brock after his Long Island appearance and get his thoughts on a few things, and we have an update on his recent performance.

If you remember, the Islanders selected Nelson with the final pick (30th) in the first round back in June's entry draft. Admittedly, we didn't know much about the young centerman at the time.

Currently enrolled at the University of North Dakota and already taking summer classes, Brock first told us about his draft day experience. He mentioned that it was a bit of a surprise and an honor for the Isles to move up and snatch him in the first round. Nearing the end of Day 1, he and his family expected to hear Brock's name called on the second day of the draft, but felt elated when they heard the New York Islanders select him just before the end of the round.

It was equally thrilling for Brock to get the chance to play in an NHL arena (at the scrimmage) just weeks removed from high school, though he admitted that he didn't get to speak very much with the Islanders coaching staff or some of their young stars. He did speak a bit about his congratulatory phone call from Kyle Okposo, who just wished him the best and told Brock to have fun at this time in his life.

With regards to the scrimmage itself, we can happily report that Brock did not look out of place, but noted that the one area he wishes to improve is his overall strength. He knows that the NHL game is much faster than anything he has experienced to this point in his career. He was also sure to praise Long Island and its fans; always a good move in our book. He mentioned the prospect fishing trip and their Mets game as two of the week's highlights.

More recently Brock has shined at the World Junior development camp in an attempt to make that squad in December. His 2 goal, 1 assist (in 3 games) performance in Lake Placid apparently impressed both the USA coaching staff and that of the Islanders. The talk now is of how much an asset his large frame may be to the Isles in the future. He told us that he models his game after Anze Kopitar's; not a bad player to emulate.

As the summer drags on, we'll have a few more tidbits from other prospects who participated in the scrimmage. Come September and October Okposo Net expects to bring you greater and more frequent access to Islanders players and prospects unlike ever before. We are getting very excited about the coming season, and we hope you are too.