Prospects: Mayfield To USA Camp; Strome Contract? Not Yet

Kevin Allen has reported that Scott Mayfield has been invited to the USA Junior Evaluation Camp, which is the first step to being on the roster of the 2012 United States WJC-20 team in December.

CH: Mayfield is a top American talent, so it was surprising in itself that he was not on the original roster for the camp, but the fact is he is there now, and he'll have plenty of opportunity to showcase his skills. If USA Hockey needs his type of defenseman on the backline, they may go for him but with other options like Derek Forbort available, it may not be his time yet. And that's okay. He is clearly on the radar of USA Hockey and could be a shoe-in for the 2013 team as long as his play keeps up. For now, this is a great first step to showcase his skills.

AT: High hopes for Mr. Mayfield. He's still very young and Forbort, as Carey mentioned, is available. As he progresses in terms of skill and age, he will get the time he needs.

In other news, Katie Strang is reporting that Ryan Strome's camp and Garth Snow have not started discussions on an entry level deal. She did say, however, that the two sides will "touch base after camp."

CH: Deals have already been signed for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Mika Zibanejad, among others, but this is far from a big deal. Last year, Nino Niederreiter did not receive an ELC until training camp, and I expect the same for Strome. The Islanders are not in any rush to get this done, as they hold his rights until June 2013. It's obvious that Strome wants to be an Islander, and it's obvious the Islanders want him, so when they do sit down and talk, it should be a relatively smooth negotiation. Of course, if they want to do a deal this summer, his contract would not start until his 10th NHL game (in a single season), so the Islanders would have the option to slide the contract back a few years, much like they have done with Calvin de Haan. Regardless, signing Strome will have zero bearing on his chances to make the NHL squad. It's just something the team can do sooner rather than later, which

AT: Strome was wearing his Isles jersey even on the 2nd day of the draft. A deal will get done. Unlike Nino, I doubt he even gets the 9 game tryout after it is signed though. Strome is still fairly small and needs to bulk up. Nino at least had a body that was ready for NHL play. He will receive his contract soon and be developed properly. As it should be.