Ryan Strome, C, 1st round, 5th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: 7
AT: Couldn't have been happier with this pick. It was either Couturier, Strome or Hamilton in my eyes and we got one of them. A background with Tavares and Moulson, electric playmaker, blazing (although not quite Grabner like) speed, incredible hockey vision, incredible work ethic, and most importantly he seems to love the thought of playing on Long Island. While offense wasn't a huge problem last season, Strome will help the Islanders take the next step in getting to and succeeding in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
CH: There's nothing to be upset about regarding this pick. I know a lot of people wanted Dougie Hamilton here, but the potential for a top-end forward at #5 was too good to pass up. This was a clear winner with either Couturier or Strome. They went with Ryan Strome, who has a much higher boom potential. He works out with John Tavares and Matt Moulson, so he already knew a little bit about the organization. He's a righty shot, which will complement Tavares great - either on his wing or on the 2nd line, which means that the coaching still will be able to mix and match where they'd like. Not only that, but he's absolutely ecstatic to be an Islander. Great pick.
Alex's grade: A+
Carey's grade: A
Scott Mayfield, D, 2nd round, 34th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: 33
AT: Big, mean defenseman who played for Youngstown of the USHL last year. Mayfield was originally slated to go in the late first round but with the draft being such a crapshoot, he fell. I was ecstatic with this pick as I originally hoped the Islanders would trade up to the late first in order to nab him. He fills the exact role that the Islanders are missing.
CH: Perfect pick at this spot. This was a BPA pick, and an organizational need pick. Mayfield is a bit of a project, in the sense that it will be a good 4-5 years before we see him on the team. That said, his potential from a defensive standpoint is great. He's a huge body who plays physical coming from a great league in the USHL to a great program in Denver. If all things go well, he will be a HUGE boom for this team. Even if they don't, he could still easily make the NHL at that size.
Alex's grade: A
Carey's grade: A
Johan Sundstrom, C/RW, 2nd round, 50th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: 95
AT: An interesting pick by Garth. A center/RW who will inevitably be placed in a checking role, Sundstrom will be able to really show himself off with an upgraded role this coming season in the SEL. I'm not really sure if he was the best choice for the Isles as we are loaded down with centers, but it's always good to have depth. He will certainly be fighting for a spot when his time comes.
CH: A little bit of a reach here, but there are positives to look at as he is a top-100 prospect. Sundstrom played in the SEL last year at 17 years old, which is outstanding. He was great while playing with players in his age group, so he should be primed for a big WJC-20 in December. The most interesting thing about this pick is that he is a center, which gives the Isles an influx of centers in the organization. While he does have limited offensive upside, he does have the potential to fight for a spot on the bottom-6.
Alex's grade: B-
Carey's grade: C+
Andrei Pedan, D, 3rd round, 63rd overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: 82
AT: Another pick I absolutely love. Another big, strong D-man who we so desperately need. And he is big. Mayfield big. He and Mayfield could prove to be absolute bruisers on the Isles blueline in the future. Can not wait to see these two develop. He'll go back to Guelph in the OHL and work on his skills.
CH: Exactly what the Islanders need. If either he or Mayfield work out, the Islanders will be in great shape for years to come. He really picked his game up in the OHL playoffs last year, so if he can capitalize on that at the WJC for Russia and into the season for Guelph, the Isles may have a big sleeper on their hands. For a third round pick, there is much to like here.
Alex's grade: A
Carey's grade: B+
Robbie Russo, D, 4th round, 95th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: 50
AT: He slipped quite a bit, but that happens in the later rounds. A smaller, puck moving defenseman, very similar to Matt Donovan who plays in the AHL right now. He'll never see top 4 minutes, but he could end up being a nice puck rushing D-man in the future.
CH: I had this guy pegged at 50, so to get him at 95 was good value. He's going to Notre Dame, so he'll play with Anders Lee there. He had a great WC-18 for the Americans. He has decent offensive upside, and he needs to work on his defensive game - but he has four more years to do that. I like this pick here, even if it's a little different from what the "theme" of the draft was.
Alex's grade: B
Carey's grade: B+
John Persson, RW, 5th round, 125th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: NR
AT: Big, strong winger who likes to fight. Matt Martin-esque in style in that he's tough, but he can produce offensively. Don't really know how his game will translate to the NHL, so we'll just have to see.
CH: This was very interesting. I don't know that he was on anyone's radar, so maybe they could have waited on him. That said, the Isles took an overager in Tony DeHart last year (opted not to sign him) and it didn't work out. Persson had a very good second season for Red Deer, may see time with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins this year. Very low risk, most likely medium reward type of pick, but he'll get a year to show what he can do. A top-50 pick in Seth Ambroz was still on the board here, so tough to call this pick great or terrible.
Alex's grade: B-
Carey's grade: C
Brendan Kichton, D, 5th round, 127th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: NR
AT: Played very well with Spokane in the regular season as well as in the playoffs. Another puck moving D-man (similar to De Haan), but is on the smaller side. Not sure if he'll ever make it to the Islanders or the NHL.
CH: Smaller defenseman who put up huge offensive numbers for Spokane last year. The Islanders drafted a similar type in Jared Spurgeon in 2008, who made the Minnesota Wild this past year. Very high reward here, as he is also an overager, so this year will determine a lot for him as well.
Alex's grade: C
Carey's grade: C
Mitchell Theoret, C, 7th round, 185th overall
Islanders Central Draft Ranking: NR
AT: Seems to have an offensive upside but it's yet to be seen after being limited in his role with Niagara. Very hard to rate this one right now. Did play with Strome, so hopefully he can help him turn into something great.
CH: Like Alex said, hard to rate. They say he does have some offensive upside, but more likely if he gets to the NHL it will be as an enforcer type role (had six fights last year). A teammate of Ryan Strome, the Isles saw a lot of him and I'm sure Strome was very happy to see his teammate drafted. No rating here - at this point, they were playing with house money.
Overall grade:
AT: This was a great draft for Snow. While it hurts to miss out on a franchise D-man like Larsson who would have been ours had the Devils not
CH: Very good draft here, maybe the best since 2008. They drafted 3 C, 4 D, and 1 LW, so it's an even spread across the board. Not only that, they also separated the signing deadlines for these players. Strome, Pedan, and Theoret have two years to be signed. Kichton and Persson must be signed by next June. They also have Mayfield and Russo going to college, which means they have four years to sign them. It means they will have ample time to realize what they have.
Alex's grade: A-
Carey's grade: B+
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