Welcome to the 2014 edition of “Top Shelf Prospects”. As we go through the Summer of 2014 I will be featuring a team-by-team look at the top prospects in the NHL. I will go team by team through the NHL bringing you a look at each Teams Top Prospects. I will be following the order of the first round of the NHL draft (as if there were no traded draft picks) and you can find all the articles here. Since we had an extensive NHL Draft preview, I will not be reviewing the players who were drafted in the 2014 draft, as there have been no games since then, and my reports on them will not have changed. What I will be doing is linking you to those articles, as well as taking a look at prospects that were acquired before this year’s draft; their progress, and their chances of making the 2014-15 roster of the NHL team in question. I will also bring you one sleeper pick – a player who was either drafted in the 4th-round or later, or was an undrafted free agent signing who I pick as my darkhorse to make the NHL. For those wondering, the cut-off for what is or isn’t a prospect is typically about 50 NHL games played or being 25 years old. These are not hard or fast rules though, and I may make some exceptions depending on the circumstances.
After making the playoffs in 2013, many thought that the Islanders were a franchise on the upswing and that good results would continue to come in for the young and improving team. However the 2013-14 season was a reminder that development of young players, or a young team is not linear, and the Isles took a step back, falling to 14th in the conference and 26th in the NHL.
A trade for Tomas Vanek blew up in Garth Snow’s face and cost him his 2015 first round pick (after the Isles decided to keep the 2014 pick to take Michael Dal Colle). However things are looking up in the offseason as Tavares is expected to be back and ready to resume his spot as one of the best centres in the NHL, Jaroslav Halak is on board and should be an upgrade over Evgeni Nabokov in net, and Mikhail Grabovski and Nickolai Kulemin should provide 2/3 of a strong possession line. Add in the possibility of Dal Colle and some other youngsters making the team and the Isles could challenge for a playoff spot in 2015.
2014 NHL Draft picks (reviewed by LWOS): Michael Dal Colle, Josh Ho-Sang
Graduates (over 50 NHL games): Brock Nelson, Thomas Hickey, Calvin De Haan, Matt Donovan,
New York Islanders Top Prospects
Top Prospect: Ryan Strome, Centre
Born Jul 11 1993 — Mississauga, ONT
Height 6.01 — Weight 187 — Shoots Right
Selected by the New York Islanders in round 1 #5 overall at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft
Ryan Strome has been at the top of our Islanders prospects rankings for all three years we have done the Top Shelf summer series. He’s not losing any steam though as Strome dominated as a rookie in the AHL with 49 points in 37 games. He even earned his way to New York where he managed 7 goals and 18 points in 37 games for the Islanders. It was a real breakthrough season as he showed that he’s ready for primetime.
Strome has all the offensive talent you would look for in a young player. He is a terrific skater with good top end speed and great acceleration. This acceleration gives Strome the ability to fool defenders by changing speeds on the rush. When he gets half a step to the outside he is able to turn it into another gear and drive past his opponent and get to the net. He also has terrific agility and edgework which help him to gain that half a step necessary to beat defenders in this way. Strome is also a terrific stickhandler, with great puck protection, and silky smooth hands. Add to that the creativity and confidence to try anything and Strome is extremely dangerous off the rush. Strome has the vision and creativity to be an outstanding playmaker as he is able to feather passes through the smallest of openings, and set up teammates with tape to tape passes to create quality scoring chances. As a sniper, he is NHL ready, having a fantastic wrist shot and release, an excellent slapshot, and a great one timer.
Strome’s issues are on the defensive side of the puck. He has continually improved that aspect of his game but the improvements are incremental, and there is a ways to go. He needs to get better in the face-off circle especially if he is to go head to head with the best the NHL has to offer. He also needs to work on his defensive zone coverage as he does have a tendency to puck watch and stop moving his feet which can cause him to be beaten by his man in coverage. He could also stand to add some upper body strength for when he will be required to contain bigger, stronger pros off the cycle.
The Islanders hope that Strome can eventually team with John Tavares to provide the team with an elite 1-2 Punch at the centre position. The team has been very patient with Strome’s development at this point. However last year he proved he is NHL ready, and I fully expect him on the team this year.
#2 Prospect Griffin Reinhart, Defence
Born Jan 24 1994 — West Vancouver, BC
Height 6.04 — Weight 203 — Shoots Left
Selected by the New York Islanders in round 1 #4 overall at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft
Reinhart and the Oil Kings finally got over the hump this year, winning the Memorial Cup for the first time in franchise history. After falling in the 2012 Memorial Cup, and 2013 WHL Final, winning the WHL again, and taking home the big prize was certainly a major accomplishment. While he was good most of the year, he really stepped up his game in the WHL playoffs and the Memorial Cup.
Reinhart comes from good bloodlines as he is the son of former Calgary Flames Defenceman Paul Reinhart, and his brothers Max (Calgary) and Sam (Buffalo, 2nd overall) are also NHL prospects. Reinhart is already 6’4″ and over 200 lbs, he is a huge presence in the defensive zone. However while he sometimes throws big hits, he really doesn’t play that physical game as consistently as he could, and isn’t really a physically punishing defender. Despite this, Reinhart is still a true shut down defenceman, with excellent positioning in the his own zone, and his big frame and long stick allow him to block shots and effectively cut down passing lanes. He also uses his great size and strength to keep the Oil Kings’ crease clear and to win board battles in the corners and is very effective in doing so. He played huge minutes for Edmonton and was almost always matched against other teams top lines, and it was a role he excelled in.
Its the defensive game that takes the accolades but Reinhart has also displayed some offensive potential. While his defensive game has grown by leaps and bounds since his draft year, his offensive game seems to have only shown marginal improvement, so there is some question about it. Reinhard does have a booming slapshot and excellent wrist shot which he unleashes from the point when pressured. He also makes quality passes both as part of his team’s breakout, and in the offensive zone. There are flashes of good offensive instincts and hockey sense, as he can exploit gaps in opponent’s teams defensive coverage and rarely gets caught making a bad pinch. He is very cautious though, and sometimes should pinch but doesn’t take the opportunity. Reinhart could use some work on his stickhandling and puck control as he is merely average in this area. Overall he looks like more of a powerplay trigger man than a quarterback though, as he just doesn’t have the poise and patience with the pick to set up plays at the blue line. He’s also likely to top out as a second unit guy than a true offensive catalyst.
Reinhart is improving as a skater. He has lengthened his choppy stride and improved his top end speed and acceleration. He will likely never be elite in this regard, but he has moved himself from average to good, and better edgework and agility have helped him in dealing with small and quick forwards. His positioning helps him a lot in this regard as well.
Reinhart will fight for a spot in training camp, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he starts the season in the AHL. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if he doesn’t finish the season in the AHL. I could see him being slowly worked into the lineup as he has very high end potential, but still needs a little more polish around the edges.
#3 Prospect Ryan Pulock, Defence
Born Oct 6 1994 — Grandview, MAN
Height 6.01 — Weight 218 — Shoots Right
Drafted in the 1st round, 15th Overall by the New York Islanders in the 2013 NHL Draft
Ryan Pulock had another solid season in Brandon putting up 23 goals and 63 points in 66 games. Even more impressive, he finished just one point behind Jayce Hawryluk for the team lead. His offensive spark and leadership helped Brandon back into the playoffs, and to the second round.
Pulock’s biggest asset is an absolute rocket of a slapshot and fantastic one timer which make him an extremely feared shooter on the Powerplay. His shot has been measured at over 100 MPH. Other teams are certainly shading their PK to try to minimize Pulock’s shot at this point, but despite that, he still managed to put a bunch in the back of the net. A natural PP Quarterback, Pulock makes smart crisp passes and sees the ice extremely well. He also understands the importance of getting the puck on net, and is able to utilize a good wrist shot and quick release when teams try to take away his big bomb. On the rush, he has decent stickhandling and can be the lead man with the puck or can join the attack as the trailer, ready to unleash his rocket slapper or that very good wrist shot.
Pulock is an above average skater with good mobility on the blue line. He has a very good skating stride and good top end speed, both forwards and backwards. His edgework, pivots and agility are excellent, allowing him to easily cover a lot of ice, and quickly change directions to react and keep the play in front of him. He has solid balance and is difficult to knock off the puck. The agility also gives him the ability to walk the line and open up shooting and passing lanes.
Defensively, Pulock uses his good hockey sense and strong positioning and has really improved his defensive game over the last two years. He keeps his opponent to the outside off the rush and is rarely beaten one on one. In the defensive zone he cuts down passing and shooting lanes. Pulock does play physically willing to throw hits in open ice or if an opponent tries to get by him along the boards. He could stand to work on his upper body strength which would help him to win more board battles and be more of a force in front of the net, and clearing the crease. Pulock’s first pass is excellent, and he helps his team start their transition game by moving the puck quickly out of the zone.
Pulock still needs some time before he is NHL ready, but could be running the Isles powerplay in the near future. For now though, expect to see him assigned to Bridgeport in the AHL.
Super Sleeper: Anders Lee, Centre/Left Wing
Born Jul 3 1990 — Edina, MN
Height 6.03 — Weight 227 — Shoots L
Selected by New York Islanders round 6 #152 overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft
After playing 22 NHL games and scoring 9 goals last season, I almost didn’t want to count Lee under the sleeper category, but ultimately felt he should be here. He’s looking like an absolute steal for the Islanders at this point, considering he was a 6th round pick in what has turned out to be a relatively weak draft.
A big and strong forward, Lee plays the prototypical power forward game, protecting the puck well, having great balance on his skates, and using his speed and acceleration to drive the net hard. He is an excellent forechecker who opposing defenders always have to be aware of, or they can find themselves on the wrong end of a thunderous body check. Lee is a natural goal scorer who has soft hands in tight and a powerful shot with an excellent release. His playmaking game is developing, but he is very much a shoot first player, which could see him eventually make the move to left wing at the pro game.
Lee also plays a two way game. He was a key penalty killer for Notre Dame, using his excellent size and long reach to block shots and cut down passing lanes. He is also very strong in the faceoff circle which is a reason he has remained at centre at lower levels to this point in his career. However the Isles are very deep down the middle, so moving him to the wing might be an option. Either way, I believe he should be able to win a spot in the NHL very soon, perhaps even in this upcoming training camp.
The Isles have a ton of depth at centre, and on the blueline in their prospect group. The additions of Dal Colle, Ho-Sang, and former Montreal second rounder Sebastian Collberg have really added some high end scoring potential on the wing, and a conversion of some of the excess centres to wing is certainly possible. The one area the Isles depth was challenged was in goal, and two late round draft picks added to that group, but there is still some question if they have a high end goalie prospect in the system.
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