Minors: Sound Tigers Name Brent Thompson As Coach

ECHL

The Islanders and Sound Tigers have announced that Brent Thompson has been named the new head coach of the team. Thompson was most recently the coach of the ECHL's Alaska Aces for the past two seasons, where he compiled an 83-50-11 record, leading the team to the Kelly Cup (ECHL's championship) in 2010-11. He also won the 2011 John Brophy Award, which goes to the ECHL's best coach. Before that, Thompson was an assistant for St. Louis' farm team, the Peoria Rivermen from 2005-09. 

Thompson was a second round pick of the Los Angeles Kings, and plated 120 NHL games with the Kings, Winnipeg Jets, and Phoenix Coyotes.

CH: I really like this. Thompson definitely seems ready to make the next step in his coaching career, and the Isles were in a good opportunity to give it to him. The Sound Tigers were miserable last year, and were in need of a new personality. Thompson is faced with a very important task, as it is extremely important for Bridgeport to have a good season next year. He also has a chance to propel himself into the NHL circle with a solid job across the Sound. Overall, a good hire as both entities will be better off for it. Now, Snow has to go get some AHL depth in free agency to round out the tons of Isles prospects down there.

AT: He seems like the kind of guy who was ready to take the next step to the AHL. Obviously he knows the game even if it was at the equivalent of Single A baseball. Can't wait to see what he does with the Sound Tigers especially with an influx of extremely talented players coming in such as De Haan, Donovan, Ness and Cizikas. Good luck, Brent!

News: Islanders Re-Sign Tomas Marcinko

The Islanders have re-signed Bridgeport forward Tomas Marcinko to a two-way (AHL/NHL) contract, according to the team's official Twitter.

Marcinko scored 4 goals and had 5 assists in 66 games for the Sound Tigers last season. The Slovakian center was selected in the fourth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

CH: There were doubts Marcinko would be staying in the organization after he was not qualified yesterday, but clearly the Isles and his camp were working on this extension. Marcinko is a good depth centerman for the Sound Tigers. Now an AHL veteran (this will be his fourth season), he will be able to help mentor some of the Islanders' prospects as they enter the professional level. Even though he most likely will never make the NHL full-time, he still provides value to the organization, which is why they are keeping him around for another season. To be completely honest, I was a little shocked by this as I would have let him go, but depth at the pro level cannot be ignored. It's been a problem for years and we are finally getting to the point where it's becoming less of an issue.

AT: Minor signing but a good one. It's good to have the same people on the Sound Tigers to keep a solid chemistry for kids like Donovan, Ness, Cizikas and De Haan all coming in looking to play for a solid team and to create a winning atmosphere. He's that kind of minor signing which is important on a scale that many people don't realize. It's the micromanaging like this that ends up being the biggest factors in the long run.

Draft: Reviewing the picks and the job Garth Snow did

Well, the fun of draft day is over once again. We look towards prospect camp and training camp in late Summer and hope all of our prospects can pan out. While most fans seem to be very pleased with this draft, we thought we'd give the Islanders grades on each prospect and a grade on the job the Islanders did as a whole. So let's begin.

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 fixed won the draft lottery, I'm very happy with Strome and the rest of the picks, especially Mayfield. Garth restocked the D corps as was much needed and added dynamic offensive talent to the already stocked prospect pool. This was a successful draft that addressed the needs of a talent pool that was not too long ago quite empty. Good job, Garth.

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+

News: Isles Qualify Six; Not Jack Hillen

According to Katie Strang of Newsday, the Islanders have sent qualifying offers to Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau, Micheal Haley, Ty Wishart, Jesse Joensuu, and Dylan Reese. They have not sent one to Jack Hillen, who will not become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Qualifying offers are either 5% or 10% raises on the player's current salary, depending on service time. The player can choose to accept the qualifying offer or negotiate a new contract with the team (so Comeau could still get a multi-year contract). From the team's perspective, the qualifying offer is a means to retain the players' rights as they hit unrestricted free agency.

Josh Bailey

CH: This was an obvious one. Whatever the Islanders want to do with Bailey, be it trading him or re-signing him to his QO or for a multi-year deal, retaining his rights was a necessity. The Islanders made a huge investment in Bailey for better or worse, so losing him for nothing at this point is unacceptable. We'll see how this situation plays out as it's one to watch over the course of the summer.

AT: A one year stopgap is fine with me. Especially with Strome coming into the mix, you have to think Snow realizes this is the last year for Bailey to prove himself worthy or he'll most likely be traded/let go of. He's a 9th overall pick, the Islanders may have screwed up his development by rushing him into the NHL, but he's worth hanging on to for a year or so just to see if he can blossom into the player we know he can be.

Blake Comeau

CH: Again, this one is a no-brainer. Comeau is coming off a 24-goal, breakout season and deserves a raise. This was more of a formality than anything else, as I'm pretty sure the Isles want to negotiate a multi-year deal with Comeau. However, there is speculation he could be on the market as well. Either way, the Isles had no choice but to retain his rights for the time being.

AT: A raise like this would only have him making $880,000. Most 24 goal scorers are making far more than that. He will receive a multiyear deal and a raise as he should be. Comeau could blossom into a 30 goal scorer this year. 

Micheal Haley

CH: We knew this was happening since Chris Botta broke the story on the fourth-liners a few weeks back. There's little doubt Haley will take his qualifying offer, which will be a 10% raise and play on a one-year contract next year. Expect that to be done fairly quickly.

AT: Mich-eal Hal-ey! -clap clap clap clap clap-. Obviously, I'm very excited to have him back as I'd mentioned so many times previously. Makes me all the more excited for rivalry games next year.

Jesse Joensuu

CH: Somewhat surprising, but I really like this. I mentioned before that I want to keep Joensuu around, as he is a solid call-up from the AHL level. He can play both wings and can slide in on any line, so retaining his rights was a smart choice. That said, the decision is now in Jesse's court. He does not have a spot in the NHL lineup, unless it is as a 4th line player (my guess is the Isles want an upgrade). It's going to come down to if he wants to stay in North America and play in the AHL with the possibility of the NHL or go home to play in Europe. Either way, the Isles did the right thing from an organizational standpoint with him. Like Haley, if he decides to stay, he'll take his qualifying offer.

AT: No problem with this. Wasn't a fan of his play but he's still growing and will spend most of his time in the AHL anyways. I could see him slotting into the 4th line with Haley, Hunter, Martin, etc when one of them goes down (most likely Hunter). 

Dylan Reese

CH: A very surprising move, in my opinion. The Isles acquired Reese in 2010 for Greg Moore, in what was supposed to be an AHL for AHL trade. Reese has already given them more than that, but was very ineffective at the NHL level last season. If this is to gain a veteran presence on the AHL backline, I am quite alright with this, as chances are he will be operating as the #9 or even #10 defenseman. But any extended time in the NHL would not be a good thing, so let's hope it doesn't come to that. He'll accept his qualifying offer without any problems.

AT: Was never a fan of Reese, had several of his bonehead moves on ice lead to goals while playing in the NHL. I've never seen him play in the AHL but obviously he performed at a decent level down there in order to get a QO, so I guess I'm okay with it.

Ty Wishart

CH: Not surprising at all. They gave up Dwayne Roloson for him, so they weren't just going to let him go immediately. Wishart has good size and showed signs of being a solid defenseman so keeping him at the NHL level this year as a #7 guy will be good for his development. Given the Isles injury problems over the past few years, he should be plenty of playing time. From there, the Isles will have a much better idea of where Wishart is headed. He'll accept his qualifying offer.

AT: Wishart has time to grow, but needs to work on his physical play. In the games he played while called up I liked what I saw and see a lot of potential in this kid. He may never be a top 4 D-man but he could be a nice role player in the future for a bottom pairing. Glad to see him return.

Jack Hillen

CH: The qualifying offer deadline is tomorrow, so this may not be a done deal yet - but it sure seems like it. So assuming they don't offer him a QO: This was a surprise to me. I thought they would extend him an offer as Hillen played very effective at times between 2009-2011. He is a very good depth guy as a #7-8 and could help a lot of teams out there. To me, this hopefully is a sign the Islanders are going to try and improve in the free agent market. Assuming Wishart accepts his qualifying offer, the Islanders will have 7 defensemen under contract (Streit, MacDonald, Hamonic, Eaton, Jurcina, Mottau, Wishart). They need to upgrade from that list and get a minute eating guy to play with Streit as the team transitions from lottery team to playoff contender. If that player has to come at the expense of Jack Hillen, that's okay. But if the team doesn't replace Hillen with someone better, then this is a failure. We should find out over the next few weeks. Best of luck to Jack.

AT: I liked Hillen, great guy, decent play on ice, nice puck rushing role, but to me this screamed "improvement" from Garth. Hillen's good, but with such a young core coming up and 7 D-man under contract, there was not much room for him. Hopefully this signals that Garth will go out and get a top 2 D-man (Scott Hannan is my hope) which will push everyone down a slot on the depth chart and place Hamonic with MacDonald on the 2nd pair and Eaton with Jurcina on the third pair. Katic does what Hillen does and IMO does it even better, so Hillen leaving is no big loss with someone like Katic in the system.

Draft: Islanders Select Mitchell Theoret With The 184th Overall Pick

The New York Islanders have selected forward Mitchell Theoret from the Niagara IceDogs. A teammate of Ryan Strome, Theoret is a 6'1" center who only had 20 points in 66 games last season.

CH: We're talking about a 7th round pick here, so it's no big deal whatsoever, but this pick is a little confusing. Plenty of talent left on the board the team could have taken a shot on, including Myles Bell and Jeremy Boyce-Rotevall. That said, I'm sure the Isles have their reasoning so it is what it is. Overall, this was a fantastic draft as far as potential for the New York Islanders.

We will have a complete 2011 Draft rundown coming this weekend as well as on our weekly podcast next Wednesday.

UPDATE: 11:50 PM - After reading more on Theoret, it sounds like he does have decent upside. More likely, this is more the Islanders doing their new #1 pick, Ryan Strome, a "favor," so to speak - as I'm sure Strome pumped him up at the draft table. If it makes him happy, I'm happy.

Draft: Islanders Select John Persson With The 124th Overall Pick; Brendan Kitchon With The 126th Pick

The New York Islanders have selected Johan Persson, a Swedish CHL Import from Red Deer of the WHL with the 124th Pick of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. They have also selected Brendan Kichton from Spokane of the WHL with the 126th Pick of the NHL Entry Draft.

Persson is a 6'2" left wing who scored 61 points in 66 games for Red Deer last season with a +37 rating.

Kichton is a 5'10" defenseman who had 81 points and a +55 with Spokane. Here is a writeup on the defenseman.

CH: Without knowing much about them, they seem like decent value at this point. The Islanders don't pick again until the 7th round, so a little bit of a break here.

AT: Kichton seems to be an offensive D-man but most of that came from being on a very powerful Spokane team. Definitely has puck moving skills but he'll have to work on them in the WHL. Persson is big, strong and loves to fight. Could be a 4th line Matt Martin-esque player in the future.

Draft: Islanders Select Robbie Russo With the 94th Overall Pick

The New York Islanders have selected defenseman Robbie Russo with the 94th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Russo is a smaller D'man, only 6 foot and 180 lbs.  Has a bit of an offensive upside as well putting up some decent numbers last year.

AT: Russo's known as a complete package, eerily similar to Matt Donovan who signed with the Isles last season. He's very good at everything but doesn't really excel at any one area. Could make for a solid bottom pairing guy in a few years, but right now he needs to develop. He's reliable in his own end without being flashy about it and that's what's most important for a D-man at this point. Good pick by Snow.

CH: I had this guy pegged at #50, so getting him at #95 makes me happy. He wasn't great last year, but had a very good U-18 for the Americans in Germany. He'll have plenty of time to develop both his size and his game over the next few years. He will also play with Islanders prospect Anders Lee at Notre Dame, which is a program on the rise. Overall, a good value pick at 95.

Trade: Islanders Trade Bruno Gervais to Tampa Bay for Future Considerations

According to Darren Dreger, the Islanders have traded defenseman RFA Bruno Gervais to the Tampa Bay Lightning for future considerations. 

Gervais was selected by the Islanders 182nd Overall in the 2003 Draft. He scored 9 goals for 68 points in 331 games for the New York Islanders in his 6 years with the team. 

CH: We knew Bruno wasn't going to be back, and this is the right thing to get anything for him. Obviously, Gervais had his struggles over the past few seasons, but in the aggregate the Islanders did get very good value out of a 6th round pick. He's easily one of the nicest guys I've ever met to play for the Islanders. However, it was certainly time to move on, and I wish Gervais the best in Tampa Bay.

AT: Adios, Chef Bruno. Nice guy, loved the team, but he wasn't even good at a 7-8 D-man. Wish him all the best in Tampa Bay with the rest of the former Islanders like Roloson, MAB, Brewer, etc.

Draft: Islanders Select Andrei Pedan With the 63rd Overall Pick

The New York Islanders have selected defenseman Andrei Pedan with the 63rd overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Pedan is a Russian playing for Guelph in the Ontario Hockey League. He finished with 12 points in 51 games last year. He is another big defenseman, at 6'4" and 200 lbs. He also had a great playoffs for Guelph, averaging over a point per game.

CH: I really like this pick as well. The Islanders are addressing an organizational need on D in this draft by drafting big, physical, and mobile defenseman. Pedan fits that mold and is a good value for a 3rd round pick. He is no doubt a project, but he'll have time to develop in Guelph over the next few years. He absolutely has NHL potential, and will be interesting to see how he develops.

AT: Another great pick. For a 3rd rounder, he's perfect. Big, strong D-man (2nd for the Isles in this draft), with an offensive upside that really showed in the playoffs. Another great pick by Snow. We're doing well so far. 

Draft: Islanders select Johan Sundstrom with the 50th overall pick

The New York Islanders have selected Johan Sundstrom with with 50th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Sundstrom is a big center/winger at 6'3", 196 pounds. He played for Frolunda in the SEL last season.

AT: Was personally expecting Ryan Sproul, but I'm happy with this pick. Big, well rounded winger with great hockey sense and supposedly "tremendous" reach. Had GREAT stats in the J20 Superelit with 19 pts in 15 games in the regular season and 15 pts in 7 games in the playoffs. Loves to fight through traffic - something the Isles needed. Good, solid pick by Garth.

CH: I like this pick a lot. Might be a little bit early, but there's not much to dislike here. He was on the Swedish WJC last year, is big and has soft hands. The Islanders are really building a ton of depth at center, will be interesting to see where the team goes from here. Plenty of options, either through trade or development. Overall, a very solid pick.