On Monday, the Islanders offered a glimpse of their future in their summer developmental camp at Northwell Health Ice Center.
Young players such as Calum Ritchie, Cole Eiserman, and Isiah George took part in it. First-year Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche’s draft picks, such as Matthew Schaefer, Victor Eklund, Kashawn Aitcheson, Daniil Prokhorov, Luca Romano, Tomas Poletin, Sam Laurila, Burke Hood, and Jacob Kvasnicka, participated in it, too.
It would not be a big deal to have a developmental camp in most years, but this year is an exception. Islanders fans are searching for hope after years of stale hockey from aging players, which eventually led to Lou Lamoriello losing his job as the Islanders’ hockey boss.
It was a nice turnout for the team’s first summer developmental camp. Fans had an opportunity to watch these guys in action. They hope these guys come up sooner rather than later.
Matthew Schaefer (photo courtesy NBC News)
You have to think Schaefer will make the roster on Opening Night, especially after the Islanders traded Noah Dobson hours before the draft started. As long as the No. 1 overall pick shows some competence, he is going to make the team. He was not drafted to get playing time in the minors. Most No. 1 overall picks tend to be on the NHL roster to get a learning curve right away.
There was an inkling that Darche was going to draft Schaefer as the Islanders’ No. 1 overall pick. Reports circulated that the Erie Otters player from the OHL was the favorite to be drafted first in the week of the draft. Then, the Dobson trade made it official that he would be drafted first after the team made room for him to be on the roster.
It was the right choice to make by Darche. If Schaefer was the best player in the draft by all accounts, there’s no reason to overthink it. The new Islanders hockey boss had enough intel on Schaefer to make the decision. He had to trust his instinct with the information that was given to him.
Schaefer appears to be ready to play in the NHL. His experience in junior hockey and the OHL should have prepared him sufficiently to play in the big leagues right away. He fits the blueprint for which Darche was hired, namely to build a roster with speed and skating. The scouting report says he can do it all as a defenseman, whether it’s to kill power plays or to hit. The kid also embraces playing in New York. He’s mature for his age and seems to be just the right fit.
Darche also did the right thing by not overpaying for Dobson, who has regressed in the last two seasons. The Islanders are in no position to do that while they are in the midst of rebuilding. It made sense to acquire value in the form of first-round draft picks (Nos. 16 and 17) from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Dobson.
Ideally, Darche wanted to trade those draft picks and move up to draft James Hagens, but that did not happen, which is okay. It was unrealistic to think teams were giving up first-round draft picks anyway. Getting Hagens in a trade was nothing more than a pipe dream, and the Islanders made the most of it by drafting Eklund as the No. 16 overall draft pick and Aitcheson as the No. 17 overall draft pick.
Ecklund (L) and Aitcheson (photo courtesy NHL.com)
Drafting those two players accelerates the team’s rebuilding process. Eklund can skate and score, and the Islanders can never get enough of that. Aitcheson can hit and provide size. Neither will be on the team right away. Those two are likely going to need to develop in the minors before they can make it to the roster.
In the second round, Darche selected Prokhorov. Not only can he hit, but he can crash into the net and score the greasy goals that come in handy in the playoffs. Then, in the third round, Darche drafted Romano. Again, the kid fit the vision of what Darche wanted, which was to score and be an all-around player.
The critics gave great reviews for Darche in those draft picks, and Darche lived up to what the Islanders hired him to do in making the team younger and faster.
We will have to wait and see if this strategy proves effective, but one thing is sure: Darche has reinvigorated Islanders fans through his draft process. That’s a step in the right direction!
