Drafting the best player available is usually the way to go when an organization like the New York Islanders have very few prospects in their pool. Usually the best player available prospect will take 3-4 years to develop and hopefully put on the Islanders crest by then. This is a draft that might not be the case, and in fact it might take longer. Covid delayed a good chunk of development time to many of these players that keeping the prospects on their junior teams a year longer may be the right course of action. so instead of a 3-4 year window, you could see a 4-6 year window for these players to emerge as NHL players. The final rankings of my Wish List are the players who I believe have not only the fastest route, but the best chance of development and make it on the Islanders squad in 3-4 years. So here are the finalists from each position and an overall ranking of the players.
Finalists
Winger: Jiri Kulich: C/W;
Center: Frank Nazar: C
Defenseman: Pavel Mintyukov D;
In my opinion, (assuming they’re still available) each of these players are the best at their position at the number 13 spot. Whether or not other teams agree will be determined tomorrow. While most fans have chosen they want the Isles to draft a defenseman, my wish is for them to draft a center. With UBS now home to the Islanders, they have more financial resources to recruit whoever and from wherever they want at this point in the franchise. There is a need for defense, but needs have to be met sooner than 3-4 years and without the need for another center for around 4 years. A player like Nazar seems to fit this profile and he’s number 1 on my wish list. The need for a winger is also not as urgent as a center which is why Jiri Kulich will be my number 2 on my wish list. If the Isles believe that Pavel Mintyukov could be ready in less than 3 years, that’s good enough for me at number 3. Here is my full wish list of prospects:
1 Frank Nazar: C
2. Jiri Kulich C/W
3. Pavel Mintyukov D
4. Marco Kasper C
5. Kevin Korchinski D
6. Nathan Gaucher C
7. Liam Ohgren W
8. Connor Geekie: C
9. Danila Yurov W
10. Denton Mateychuk D
What will the Isles do with the pick: Trade up, down, package it in a deal? What should they do with the pick is up to them as long as they make the team better either for the immediate future or the not too distant one. If they do decide to stand pat and make the choice with the 13th pick we’ll see if any wishes were granted. Thanks for coming to Isles Talk as we previewed the top prospects over the last week. Stay tuned as we’ll be covering the draft tomorrow on several social media platforms. Join us!!!
PK
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