The New York Islanders Get a First Look at Their Young Prospects in Rookie Camp

It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Snap into the action this NFL season with FanDuel, while America's number one sportsbook right now, new customers get $200 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place a $5 bet. That's $200 in bonus bets, win or lose. If you've been thinking about joining FanDuel, there's no better time to get in on the action. The app is super easy to use, and there's a wide range of betting options, including spreads, player props, overunders, and more. So visit FanDuel.com, slash Lockdown, and kick off the NFL season, FanDuel, official partner of the NFL. The Islanders get their first look at their prospects at Rookie Camp and some familiar faces that are there to help, plus one Islander's prospects as he's staying in North America and not heading back to Europe. We've got all that, and more on today's Lockdown Islanders Podcast. For Sart, tease it up, and a save is made by Meprosky Nelson, Lorsell, and the Open Netany Scars! Hi, and welcome to the Lockdown Islanders Podcast, part of Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm your host, Gil Martin. I'm an Islander's columnist and historian, and I wrote the book Ice Wars, which covers the complete history of the Islanders rivalry with the Rangers from 1972 to the modern era. And welcome everybody to the Monday edition of the Lockdown Islanders Podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. I want to thank everyone who makes Lockdown Islanders your first listen every day. Don't forget to subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts so you can get new episodes as soon as they drop, and you can also find us now on SiriusXM, on the SXM app, just to research for Lockdown Islanders. Plenty to discuss on today's show, Rookie Camp. Well underway, we'll have some reports from there, but first, if there's something islanders related on your mind, if you have a question, a comment. Maybe a topic you'd like us to discuss on a future episode, send us an email at Lockdown Islanders at gmail.com. And if you leave your first name and where you're from, we're happy to mention you on the show when we discuss whatever it is that's on your mind. You can also follow the show on Twitter at Lockdown Isles, and you can follow me, Gil Martin on Twitter at Ice Wars, N-Y-R-V-S-N-Y-I. We'll keep you up to date on all the latest islanders, news notes and happenings from Rookie Camp, the training camp preseason, and all throughout the upcoming NHL season. So make sure you join us for that, and looking forward to the 2023-2024 NHL campaign. Hope everybody had a good weekend, and for those celebrating a very happy and healthy new year, Islanders Camp underway. The Rookies reported they've been skating. There are some nice quotes and stories from there, and I'll tell you, there are things to like coming out of Islanders Rookie Camp. And to me, seeing that happening and seeing the players out there on the ice, always just a real plus. And look, you got some former Islanders with a lot of experience, two veteran defensemen in Johnny Boychuck and Dennis Sidenberg. They are out there with the prospects, and basically just helping them get acclimated and learn what it takes to be an NHL player, and that's what you need. And whether or not Boychuck and Sidenberg play major roles with the team once the season gets underway, having them there at camp is just definitely a really good thing to see with this team. And you know, Aiden Fulpe, who is here, he said, I think having guys like Johnny here in Dennis Sidenberg really helped, those guys have been in every situation you can imagine. They're seeking us out on the ice, like we don't always have to go to them. They know of some things up, and I think that's a huge testament to the program, bringing in guys like that to help the new guys, shows their commitment and their level of dedication in helping the new guys to develop. So I like it, and you know, having those two guys there just helps the Islanders make that adjustment, helps these young kids grow and feel comfortable, and you know, the good thing about having Sidenberg and Boychuck there, you can go talk to them or they can go talk to you, but it's not the same as talking to either an assistant coach or a head coach. And there's maybe a little bit more of a comfort level there. You know, I kind of like that aspect of everything, and you know, that's the kind of thing that you really want to hear, so good to see it, and good to have the Islanders saying the right things and doing the right things right now. You know, kind of fun to hear from Matthew Maggio, and we all know it is not going to be easy for any of these young players to make the big team, but for Maggio, you know, this is his second prospect camp or rookie camp, and you know, he has had a great season last year with Windsor, and now after playing three games for Bridgeport last year with two assists in those games, he is making an attempt to really make the big team, and you know, he spoke to the hockey news and basically said, it's definitely kind of a 180 coming in here. Last year, I didn't know anyone. I just kind of tried to do my own thing, keep my head up and work, and now he says it feels different. I've been here for quite a bit now and just starting to skate with the team and scrimmage with the team and see how I fear with a fair with them. See what's working, what they're working on after practice has been a great opportunity. So I think coming here, there's definitely a new comfort level that I feel on and off the ice, and yet, you know, Maggio basically is saying that he wants to make the big club, and here's the quote, I'm not coming here to have a big camp and go to Bridgeport. I'm coming here to push for a roster spot, where I am now, right now. I have full confidence in myself to be able to do that or at least push as hard as I can for one and give the coaches a hard time. Look, we know that the Islander's prospects are facing a difficult and uphill task. Lulamorello, GM of the Islanders, he likes his veterans. This is a team that even with Zach Parisei not coming for training camp is more or less set as far as the roster is concerned. And yet, here is Matthew Maggio, confident, eager, ready to get out there and just do what he needs to do. And I think, you know, here's another quote from Maggio that I really liked. I have the same confidence in my skill set, but now I can just show it a little bit more. I don't think I'm as afraid to make mistakes. And look, I think that's all part of the development curve. Last year, Maggio was here for the first time. Everything was new for him. This year, he knows more of the players, he knows the coach is a little better. He's played a handful of games at the AHL level, so he's played professionally now, which is certainly not something he could say a year ago. And while he knows this is by far an uphill battle, he also knows what he can do and what's expected of him. And I think he is sort of taking that next step forward. Look, whether he is ready to make the team this year, I think that still remains to be seen. If I were, you know, going to place a bet, I would say no, but his attitude is the right attitude. And I think part of it is this, his job in rookie camp and then in training camp is to make the decision of the general manager and the coaching staff as difficult as possible when they have to determine whether or not to send him down to Bridgeport. And it goes a step further. If Matthew Maggio or William Dufour or Ruslan Iskakov, you know, those are the three big forward prospects fighting for an outside shot at a roster spot, even if they don't make the team out of training camp, who's going to be the first guy called up when there's a slump or an injury, who is going to be next in that hierarchy, how you how you play and perform in rookie camp and training camp and preseason helps make that impression. So opportunity is there and obviously the attitude is to make the most of that opportunity. We have got more to get to on today's show. We are going to talk a little bit about a European prospect who just signed with the islanders who said he's staying in North America this year, whether he makes the aisles or not, we've got that. Plus our islanders birthday the day and a whole lot more. Still the comment. Today's locked on islanders podcast. Today's episode is brought to you by Jace Medical. Everyone should be empowered to care for themselves and their loved ones during the unexpected. That's why Jace Medical offers the Jace case. The Jace case provides five life saving antibiotics for emergency use and gives you a piece of mind so that you're not just hoping that you have access to medication in an emergency. Jace Medical make sure you have the medication in hand. Jace Medical is simple. They handle everything from the online evaluation to license pharmacy medication delivery and ongoing consultation and care. Don't get unprepared. Don't get caught on prepared save more than $360 by getting these life saving antibiotics with Jace Medical plus an additional $20 off by using code locked on a checkout on jacemedical.com. That's J-A-S-E medical.com promo code locked on. While it's almost time for your favorite NHL team to start the chase for Lord Stanley's Cup, you might have a cup of your own to chase after. So check out Lockdown Podcast Networks Lockdown Fantasy Hockey to help secure your own fantasy championship. For 30 minutes every day, our all-star team of Steel Rodin and Flip Living Stone bring you the latest player insights, trend-setting draft strategies and trade secrets to propel you to the top of your lead. Don't settle for mediocrity, aim for fantasy greatness with Lockdown Fantasy Hockey, available on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. So some news also coming out of camp that I was certainly happy to hear about and that is that one of the islanders European prospects is going to be staying in North America this year. That is E2 Leukeus and he was a fifth round pick back in 2021, played well in Finland and in international competitions. But now the question becomes, where does he go next? Well, Leukeus basically making the announcement, I'm staying here. I'm not going back to Europe. I will stay here. He is 20 years old and so far he seems to be really taking to life with the islanders organization. So good, so far I'm enjoying my time here a lot. All the people here are so nice and obviously the facilities here are so good so I'm enjoying my time. And look, Leukeus right now probably projects as a bottom six forward at least initially and that seems to be the way he's thinking. He said, I'm a bottom six player. I think my strengths are there playing physical and I play a good two-way game. I'm not afraid to score either so let's see but I think my strengths are bottom six. He said I feel a lot more comfortable here than in Europe. My strengths are being physical, being good in the battles and winning those. And if you think about it, that is the kind of player that the islanders are more likely to keep around. And we saw it last year with Simon Holmstrom who we're going to talk about a little bit later on in the show. But Holmstrom didn't provide much offensively but he was sound positionally and got back and back checked and did what he needed to do in his own zone. And that kept him in the lineup rightfully or wrongfully. I know a lot of people didn't like him being brought out there game after game. But that's what Lula Morello and Lane Lambert and company kind of look for when they are looking at a young prospect. So to me, Leukeus seems to be having the right attitude. And whether or not he makes the team and I say seriously, don't think he'll make it this year. But certainly he is helping his chances by looking at it as, hey, I am going to be that defense first physical bottom six kind of player. And thereby get an opportunity to play sooner. If you are a goal scorer, we have seen in this organization that either it takes you longer to earn the confidence of the coaching staff or you don't even get a real opportunity to earn it at all. And that is, you know, I think Leukeus definitely doing the right thing by staying in North America as far as helping his chances to make the big club. And by saying, hey, I'm here to work. I'm here to check. I'm here to dig in the corners and be a bottom six guy, be physical. That will maximize his chances also. Look for Leukeus to start the season in Bridgeport and then to build on that. And again, hopefully earn a shot at some point during the season if injuries hit. And he is needed to be called up. If not, enjoy your first full North American pro season and playing in Bridgeport is definitely a plus at this stage of the 20 year olds development. One other note that is a little disappointing and it is something that I really still don't get John McLean back with the Islanders coaching the power play. And in his press conference to open training camp Lulamorello basically saying he wasn't worried about the power play. Well, look, maybe he has to say that, but I still don't understand why a change wasn't made. Yes, the lack of a sniper and the lack of elite scoring talent, especially after bars all got hurt last year definitely had something to do with the struggles of the power play. But let's face it, even before Matthew Barsall got hurt, this power play was not even in the top half of the National Hockey League. And it went beyond the lack of talent. Although again, that was definitely part of the problem. But the lack of originality, the lack of variety in the approach, in the entry to the zone, in the way that this team went about operating the power play was also part of it. And, you know, every day as you have heard me dating back to last season and maybe even further back than that saying that this team needs to move the puck faster, pass it faster. They need to have more variety in their zone entries. It can't just be Barsall skating in the puck in or the dump and chase, which seems to be the only two things they ever do, 95% of the time on the power play. And then the players need to move without the puck. The power play is predominantly an opportunity to create a breakdown, to create time and space and get a man open for a very high quality scoring opportunity. One player should be open at all times. And by moving when you don't have the puck and by moving the puck quickly with cross ice fast passes, you tire out the penalty killers, you make them move and you get them out of position and you get a player open in a high danger scoring area. Needless to say, if you go back and watch the power play from last year, this happened way too infrequently. And I would really have preferred a new assistant coach in charge of the power play. You know me, every day I don't like to call for people to be fired. I have nothing personal against John McLean. I just didn't like the results. And I hope I hope he's able to turn it around this year. And it will take a few things, including learning how to use Bohorvatt on the power play. Getting no adoption coached up as the power play quarterback in a better situation. And it will take a lot more than that to really get this team to even have an average power play this year. But I'm hoping we see it. And again, kind of disappointed that no move was made. Still hoping for the best, but can't say I'm overly optimistic. We have got more to get to on today's show. We're going to talk a little bit about Simon Holmstrom, who is trying to make the team willy. Is there a spot open? Can he improve on last year's disappointing offensive performance? Plus our Islanders' birthday of the day, a player who is better remembered as a New Jersey devil, a bottom six forward who joined the Islanders for a little more than a season in the late 1990s. Let's see if you can guess who that is. We've got all that and more still to come on today's Locked On Islanders podcast. Today's episode is brought to you by Fandall sportsbooks snap into action. This NFL season with Fandall, America's number one sportsbook right now. New customers get $200 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place a $5 bet. That's $200 in bonus bets, win or lose. So if you've been thinking about joining Fandall, there's no better time to get in on the action. The app is so easy to use. There's a wide range of betting options including point spreads, player props, overunders and more and hey, you could even bet on futures for the Islanders this season. So go to Fandall and check it out. Visit fandall.com slash Locked On and kick off the NFL season. Fandall, official partner of the NFL. If you're a business owner, listen up. Your company could be mentioned right here. With the NHL season right around the corner, Locked On has a special local's only NHL kickoff package. Two local businesses. Yes, only two local businesses can sponsor this podcast for the upcoming NHL season. Find out how you can get this exclusive sponsorship and hear your business on this podcast. Text the word advertising to 33777 or visit Locked On Podcasts.com slash advertising and let us know who you are. Our team will assist you to achieve advertising success with Locked On. Once again, text the word advertising to 33777 or visit Locked On Podcasts.com slash advertising. We look forward to hearing from you. So Simon Holmstrom played a lot of hockey, 50 games for the Islanders last year. Only six goals and nine points, not exactly numbers that you want from a guy who was a former number one draft pick. And he was a minus four which is fairly respectable. Oh, by the way, did I mention zero penalty minutes and yeah, only nine hits in 50 games. He did block some shots, 22 of those, but not a physical guy in the sense of being out there to hit opponents, not providing a lot of offense. He was out of the line up a lot more down the stretch after Pierre Engvall was acquired at the trade deadline and then he did not appear in the playoffs. And I guess the question becomes whether or not Simon Holmstrom has more to offer this team. And I think he does, but I think he was really rushed to the NHL last year. They needed somebody there to, excuse me, to kind of feel in a position and the fact that he was defensively sound, put him out there. But look, even in Bridgeport is numbers were better, but three goals, five points and 16 games last year go back to 2021, 2022, 12 goals, 43 points, and 68 games. These are respectable numbers, but not the kind of numbers you expect from a number one pick who may become a scorer. I think Simon Holmstrom is going to be a third line or fourth line, more likely a third line kind of player if he has a future in the NHL. And he is the oldest guy, not in age necessarily, but oldest guy as far as NHL experience is concerned on the rookie camp roster. And he's there a little bit as a mentor, as a guy who's going to help some of these younger players to acclimate who, you know, he is like the big brother because he's been to the NHL, played most of his season there. He can help them and he could also certainly help some of the European players adjust to the narrower rank and the different style of play in the national hockey league. So having Holmstrom there both gives him some extra reps and helps him on his game before training camp gets underway and it also allows him to mentor some of the other rookies who have less experience in camp. I think Holmstrom starts the season in the NHL unless he really, really shines in training camp because he has the islanders can send him down and then bring him back up without placing him on waivers. And that is a big deal for this team with the roster pretty well set. I would say, you know, if there's 18 skaters on the opening day roster, I would say 16 of those spots are more or less solidified and the team has a pretty good idea who the other two are going to be. There are always surprises but to me, you know, don't want to risk losing a guy on waivers. The fact that Holmstrom can be sent down without having to go through waivers to me means that barring that really, really good performance. And I mean like outstanding in training camp, he is going to start the season back in Bridgeport. Maybe not, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he gets a call up during the season but that's the story right now. I, time now for our islanders birthday of the day and today is the 57th birthday of former islanders Winger Tom Chorsky. Chorsky a first round pick of the Canadian's back in 1985, spent two years, excuse me, at the University of Minnesota made his NHL debut with the Habs back in 1989, 90 went on to the Devils in 1991, 92 and won a cup with the Devils in 94, 95, then played for the Senators, enjoying the islanders for the 1997, 98 season, had 12 goals, 35 points in 82 games, a plus seven that year for the Isles, a team that did not make the playoffs, he played two games for the islanders, the following year picked up an assist and then was finished out his career with the Capitals, the Flames and the Penguins, his last NHL season, 1999, 2000, spent the following year with the Houston arrows of the IHL but that was it. Now in the native of Minneapolis, Minnesota enjoyed some good games with the Isles including March 18th, 1998, at the Carell Center in Ottawa Senators and Islanders weighed Florida the goalie for the Islanders, Damien Rhodes started for Ottawa but Ron Tugnut did replace him and in this game Tom Chorsky had two goals, they were both unassisted, this game was frustrating for the Islanders, the two goals helped them take a four nothing lead early in the third period and then four goals by the Senators caused this one to end in a tie. I hate to say it but Alexei Yashin assisting on one of those goals so a future Islander at that point weighed Florida he made 38 saves, Islanders were outshot 42 to 24 but for Tom Chorsky two goals, he was a plus one, they both came at even strength and they came on four shots on goal so Tom Chorsky is our Islanders birthday of the day, he turns 57 today and we wish him all the best. I want to thank everybody for making locked on Islanders your first listen every day, every day or tomorrow on the show, we have more from Islanders camp so we'll have all the latest updates some quotes and try to give you an idea of who's shining and who's not plus all the latest Islanders news notes and happenings again we are back on our Monday through Friday schedule so make sure you subscribe to get new episodes as soon as they drop and remember we're here every week day this week so join us for that until then have a great day everybody thanks for listening and of course let's go Islanders James Allen dot com is the online destination to easily design a customized engagement ring and save up to 50% compared to traditional stores you pick a diamond whether it's lab created or Earth created James Allen has over 200,000 conflict free stones then you pick your ring setting and metal and if you need some help they have real time diamond consultations available where an expert can walk you through it all get 25% off your order at James Allen dot com code locked on that's James Allen dot com code locked on if you're a business owner listen up your company could be mentioned right here with the NHL season right around the corner locked on has a special locals only NHL kickoff package two local businesses yes only two local businesses can sponsor this podcast for the upcoming NHL season find out how you can get this exclusive sponsorship and hear your business on this podcast text the word advertising to three three seven seven seven or visit locked on podcasts dot com slash advertising and let us know who you are our team will assist you to achieve advertising success with locked on once again text the word advertising to three three seven seven seven or visit locked on podcasts dot com slash advertising we look forward to hearing from you