New York Islanders | CollegeHockeyPlayers

12Jun

Trevor Gillies(51) Vityaz Chekhov

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Soon-to-be 14th veteran left wing, Trevor Gillies(51) will be taking his brute force game over to Russia, joining Vityaz Chekhov in the KHL for 2012/2013.

The 6’3″ 231 lbs. forward has been with NY Islanders‘ organization for the last three seasons and appeared in 56 NHL and 50 AHL games with their affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers. During that time he’s amassed a whopping 474 penalty minutes in the two leagues.

At 33-years old this is in all likelihood a good move for him to make as there’s no telling how many years he can continue to use his fists to protect teammates.

He sat out a good chunk of last season with a groin injury that limited him to 29 games.

The stocky forward was also seen helping out as an “assistant coach” behind the Sound Tigers‘ bench while he was on the sidelines.

Ironically after watching him play for the last 10 years, he skating and stick work has improved greatly over the last couple campaigns since he started extra sessions with Isles’ Skills’ Development Coach Bernie Cassell.

He will be missed at North American hockey barns, because he may be one of the toughest guys to lace up the skates but he’s also one of the nicest.

04Jun

Steve Oleksy(15) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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Undrafted, 3rd year defenseman Steve Oleksy(15) signed a pto joining the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers in October after starting the year in the ECHL with Idaho Steelheads, a team he’s played with in each of his pro years (110 total games).

He was returned after a couple of weeks but then recalled again in late November and signed an spc in late February to stay for the remainder of the season including their brief Calder Cup Playoffs‘ bid.

In 50 AHL games he had very decent point totals (a goal and 14 assists) and was an outstanding +16 plus/minus guarding the defensive zone.

The 6′ 195 lbs. also showed a willingness to mix it up when called upon.

Where the 26-year old blue liner will end up next season is anyone’s guess?

He wasn’t available to be put on Steelheads‘ protected list for 2012/2013.

The Sound Tigers should just be smart, sign him to another one-way deal for the upcoming season and be done with it.

In the meantime, he’s back home in Michigan running the Eastside Elite Hockey League, which is a summer program for pros and juniors wanting to stay game-situation sharp by skating in an 11-team non-check league.

7/2-12: Hershey Bears swoop in and grab the unrestricted free agent defenseman, signing him to a one-year AHL contract for 2012/2013.

18May

Jesse Joensuu(6) Team Finland

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Soon to be 5th year pro left wing Jesse Joensuu(6) was originally picked in the 2nd round of the 2006 draft (#60 overall) by New York Islanders.

He played for three seasons, 186 regular and postseason games with their AHL affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers putting up 46 goals and 77 assists.

The towering 6’4″ 207 lbs. was projected to be a power forward but he plays more of a finesse style of hockey than a physical one despite his large-sized frame.

In 60 NHL games, all with the Isles, he has a somewhat disappointing 8 goals and 5 assists. His first big league goal came in his first game, which got him off to a good start.

For 2011/2012 he decided to leave his restricted free agent status on the table and play in the Swedish Elite League and play for HV71, where the 24-year old seemed to prosper some with 19 goals, 16 assists in 50 games.

What could be his greatest marker in his career so far though, just recently happened at the IIHF World Championship as his home country’s Team Finland advanced into the semifinals round after he got the game-wimmer with 8.8 seconds left in regulation. In the process, he knocked Team USA out of the medal round.

Will he return to North American hockey? Maybe after this feat of heroics but not for 2012/2013 as he’s already listed on the roster for HV71.

11Apr

Trent Hunter(47) Manchester Monarchs

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12-year veteran of 497 NHL games, right wing Trent Hunter(47) was reassigned by Los Angeles Kings to their AHL affiliate Manchester Monarchs in mid-February after skating in 38 games and only putting up a pair of goals and 5 assists.

It’s his first stint in the minors since the 2002/2003 season.

He spent 10 years with New York Islanders starting in 2001, scoring 99 goals and 130 assists.

Originally drafted by Anaheim Ducks in the 6th round of the 1998 draft (#150 overall), the 6’3″ 210 lbs., 31-year old never skated a game with the team before being traded in 2000 to the Isles.

In 17 games with the Monarchs‘ he has 4 goals and 5 assists but most notably will be a leadership asset to the team if they complete their bid for a Calder Cup Playoff spot in the upcoming postseason.

04Apr

Matt Donovan (46)

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New York Islanders‘ rookie defensemen Matt Donovan(46) is having an impressive pro debut with their AHL affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

He was originally a 4th round pick in the 2008 draft (#96 overall).

In 69 games he has 10 goals and 32 assists with a +9 plus/minus on a team that has fought hard for every victory in their playoff bound 2011/2012 season. He happens to lead rookie d-men in assists and points.

At 6′ 202 lbs. he isn’t the biggest guy defending the blue line but always plays a rough and tumble style of hockey.

Earlier this week he received his first NHL recall and skated 24 shifts for almost 22 minutes of ice time going a -1 in the team’s 3-1 loss.

The soon to be 22-year old will likely receive a good, long look in next year’s training camp for roster spot on the Isles.

It will be the 2nd year of his 3-year entry level contract.

4/4: Donovan was one of a pair of defensemen named to the 2011/2012 AHL All-Rookie Team.

21Mar

Yury Alexandrov(41) New York Islanders

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New York Islanders got all proactive and picked up Boston Bruins‘ 2006 2nd round draft pick (#37 overall), defenseman Yury Alexandrov(41) for a bag of rocks.

He attended Bruins‘ rookie and training camps before skating his first season with Providence Bruins, where he put up 6 goals and 13 assists in 66 AHL games.

Not going to get called up to play an NHL game soon, he worked out a deal where he would go back to Russia and play in the KHL to continue his development and maturation.

He’ll still only be 24 years old when he reports to the Islanders‘ camp for the start of 2012/2013.

He mostly played pretty decently as a rookie and the Isles may be smart to continue to groom him for an NHL roster spot.

15Mar

Corey Syvret(6) Trenton Titans

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2nd year defenseman, Corey Syvret(6) was originally drafted by Florida Panthers in the 6th round of 2007 (#181 overall) but only played 4 games with their then AHL affiliate Rochester Americans after his junior career finished.

He was signed a one-year two-way deal with Bridgeport Sound Tigers for his first pro season but was reassigned to their ECHL affiliate Kalamazoo Wings without seeing any action in a higher league.

For the 2011/2012 season he inked a deal to play with newly re-hatched Trenton Titans and set career highs for games played (50) goals and assists (4 apiece).

He received his first call-up of the year to Portland Pirates, where he skated in 3 games, registering no points but did go a +1 before being returned to Trenton, where he will likely finish out the season.

It’s a bit of a wonder why he isn’t under contract with an AHL team but maybe he’s a bit of a late bloomer and needs to grow into his game a bit more. He stands 6’2″ and weighs in at 195, so it not a question of size.

His older brother is Danny Syvret, also a defenseman, has seen action in 59 NHL and 396 AHL contests.

9/19-12: Alaska Aces traded for the signing rights of the 23-year old defenseman. Chances are good that he’ll work out a contract with the team for ’12/’13.

07Mar

Mark Katic(71) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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New York Islanders‘ 3rd round pick in 2007 (#62 overall), 3rd year defenseman Mark Katic(71) hasn’t exactly been the luckiest pro at shaking off injuries. He succumbed to a second surgery right before the season started to repair a shoulder that sidelined him from the last Isles’ regular season game of 2010/2011 on April 9 until March 4.

His return was with their AHL affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers, a team he has now played 112 games for scoring 7 goals and 37 assists.

In 11 NHL games he has no goals and an assist.

He’s in the final year of his 3-year entry level deal and having spent so much time and money on medical bills it would be no surprise to see him get a qualifying offer for another year or two.

He’s still only 22 years old and definitely has potential puck moving, play making capabilities in his style of play. If there’s a downside, it’s been a pretty horrible plus/minus, although those numbers were on very subpar teams.

How he responds to his first pro postseason play will probably be huge to see where he sits on the depth chart.

29Feb

Marc Cantin(27) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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Undrafted, rookie defenseman Marc Cantin(27) gets dished by Boston Bruins in a deal that sent two youngsters to New York Islanders for a pair of veterans.

Signed to a 3-year entry level contract, he didn’t seem to find a spot with Providence Bruins and was reassigned to their ECHL affiliate Reading Royals on numerous occasions. This season he’s played 15 games with them and has a goal and 5 assists. For the P-Bruins he guarded the blue line in 19 contests but failed to register a point.

At 6’1″ 192 lbs. the Isles could have just got themselves a nice 21-year old prospect for practically nothing.

18Feb

Ty Wishart(6) New York Islanders

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Former 2006 1st round draft pick (#16 overall) defenseman Ty Wishart(6) finally got his first NHL call up by New York Islanders.

He appeared in 20 games with them last season after being acquired from Tampa Bay Lightning and put up a goal and 4 assists with a +5 plus/minus, which was no easy feat on what was a bottom feeding team.

He played a total of 17:16 and was even +/- and played some shorthanded time in the 5-1 loss against St. Louis Blues.

Currently in his fourth season, the sizable 6’4″ 218 lbs. 23-year old may be taking a bit more time to catch on as a full-time NHL-er and considering he’s hits restricted free agent status at the end of this year, he might be dangled as bait for shopping.