Here we are again for part six of the best New York Islanders by jersey numbers series. The last list discussed the best from numbers 41-50. That article included some great players from the most recent era of Islanders hockey. It also featured a couple of members from the current Islander team.
This list will include some of the same themes from the last one with a few recent players and one current. It will also have some players that fans probably have either forgotten or never heard of.
Best New York Islanders By Jersey Numbers: 51-60
#51- Frans Nielson
Nielson was one of the Islander’s most productive players in recent memory. After being drafted to the team in the third round of the 2002 NHL Draft he went on to have a great 10-year Islander career. He was one of the best shootout guys in the league and had his signature backhand move that was near impossible to stop. Had he stayed with the team instead of leaving for the Detroit Red Wings in the 2016 offseason, he could have had been in consideration for jersey retirement with the Islanders. After leaving the team he had a decline and was never the same player again. In his 10 seasons with the team he played in 606 games and scored 349 points (119 goals 230 assists).
Honourable mention: Valtteri Filppula (Centre): One season 72 games 31 points (17 goals 14 assists).
#52- Ross Johnston
This is the number Johnston wore when he made his NHL debut for the Islanders. He would continue to wear it until Lou Lamoriello took over as General Manager, he then switched to 32. His biggest impact on the ice would come from a fight rather than a goal or an assist. The big 6 foot 5 enforcer was one of the toughest players the Islanders have had and the fans loved him for that. However toughness doesn’t always lead to production and with the NHL moving away from fighting Johnston became obsolete. In his seven seasons he played in 134 games scoring 24 points (nine goals 15 assists).
Honourable mention: Nathan Lawson (Goalie): One season 1-4 .893 save percentage 4.06 goals against average.
#53- Casey Cizikas
You would be hard pressed to find an Islander who is more liked by the fans than Cizikas. He has embraced everything it means to be an Islander both on and off the ice. On the ice he is still one of the best fourth line guys you can find and was used all around the lineup for this years team. He was the center for what many considered the best fourth line in hockey at the time with Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck. Then off the ice he has won the teams Bob Nystrom award for leadership and dedication twice in 2018 and 2019. One day his jersey could be hanging from the rafters. In his 13 seasons he’s played 815 games scoring 245 points (107 goals 138 assists).
Honourable mention: Zdeno Chára (Defensemen): Five seasons 303 games played 43 points (Eight goals 35 assists).
#54- Kip Miller
Miller wore three different numbers for all three of his stints with the team. He wore this number in his second run with the Islanders in the 1997-98 season. For the team history 54 is pretty light with only four players wearing it including Kip. The other three played a combined 23 games all together for the Islanders. Miller is the only player in New York Islanders history to play for the team three different times and that is good enough to put him on the list. In the three seasons he played for the team he appeared in 54 games scoring 29 points (eight goals 21 assists).
Honourable mention: Cole Bardreau (Forward): Two seasons 11 games two points (one goals one assist).
#55- Johnny Boychuk
Boychuk played six season with the Islanders and they were very important years to boot. When he and Nick Leddy arrived in the summer of 2014 it changed the direction of the franchise. The acquisition was big and it turned the team into contenders, they made the playoffs in four of his six years on Long Island. Boychuk was a great player and leader for the team. He unfortunately suffered irreversible deterioration in the form of poor peripheral vision and optic nerve damage that could have gotten much worse if he kept playing. In his six seasons with the team he played in 404 games scoring 131 points (35 goals 96 assists).
Honourable mention: Jason Blake (Left wing): Six seasons 426 games 258 points (127 goals 131 assists).
#56- Tanner Fritz
In the 2017-18 season Fritz played in 34 games and scored seven points in those games. That one season total is more than any of the other eight players who wore the number. It’s not a lot but it is enough to earn him the nod for this spot on the list.
Honourable mention: Andy Andreoff (Left wing): Two seasons nine games two points (one goal one assist).
#57- Blake Comeau
One of three players to wear this number Comeau was drafted by the Islanders in the second round of the 2004 NHL draft. He went on to have a respectable 16-year career in the NHL, six of those with New York. His last full season with the team in 2010-11, he scored a career high 46 points and 24 goals in 77 games. He was waived the next season after not scoring a point in the first 16 games. After his run with the Islanders he could just never reach the promise he showed in that 24 goal season again. In six seasons with the Islanders he played in 261 games and scored 121 points (56 goals 65 assists).
Honourable mention: Mark Hamway (Right wing): Three seasons 53 games 18 points (five goals 13 assists).
#58- Bill Berg
In Islanders history, just five players have worn this number. Berg was the first to do it in 1989, he only wore the number for the first seven games of his career before changing the next season. He had three points in seven games with this number. Even after switching, out of the other guys who were up for this number, Berg clears them. He went on to have a few decent seasons with the Islanders after the switch. In four seasons Berg played in 154 games scoring 49 points (21 goals 28 assists).
Honourable mention: Jesse Joensuu (Left wing): Four seasons 67 games 15 points (eight goals seven assists).
#59- Micheal Haley
Only four players in team history have worn this number. Haley is the only one who has worn it for multiple seasons. He joined the team as an undrafted free agent and played three seasons with the Islanders in the enforcer role. Haley did most of his damage with his fists, especially in a well remembered game in 2011 between the Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins. In a game where 65 penalties were assessed, including 15 fighting majors and 21 game misconducts, resulting in a total of 346 penalty minutes. Haley in his third ever NHL game fought multiple times and made a name for himself in that game. He also beat up Sean Avery in 2011 which should get him on the list by itself.
Honourable mention: Tom Fitzgerald (Right wing): Five seasons 205 games 69 points (25 goals 44 assists).
#60- Kevin Poulin
One of two players to wear this number Poulin was drafted to the Islanders in the fifth round of the 2008 NHL draft. For a a brief time it looked as if the Islanders found a goalie for the future. In his first year when he got called up from the minors he played well in a limited stint. In 7 starts he was 4-2-1 with a .924 save percentage and a 2.44 goals against average. After that showing the very next season Poulin had a freak injury and dislocated his kneecap in warmups. He was never able to return to form after that and was eventually put on waivers.
Honourable mention: Ray Schultz (Defensemen): Six seasons 45 games four points (zero goals four assists).
In conclusion
In this range of Islander jersey numbers you find a whole bunch of different players. Guys who helped the Islanders go from a doormat to a respectable team (Frans Nielson, Johnny Boychuk). One player from the current team who exemplifies everything it means to be an Islander and is loved by all the fans (Casey Cizikas). Along with a pair of enforcers who while not point productive, were loved by the fans and did good work for the team with their fists (Ross Johnston, Micheal Haley). The other guys on the list, while not names that fans might remember too well, still had an impact and deserved the recognition of being on this list. This wraps up the best Islanders to wear numbers 51-60.
Main photo by: James Guillory-Imagn Images
