The New York Islanders Have Opened Rookie Camp as Preparations for the 2023-24 Season Have Started

It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. VicePix is daily fantasy sports done right. It's the most fun I've had winning up to 25 times my money this football season. You just select two or more players, pick more or less on their projected stats and place your entry. PricePix now offers Apple Pay for Quaking easy deposits into your account this football season. The New York Islanders have started Rookie Camp for the 2023-24 season plus Zach Parisi makes a decision and Josh Bailey says goodbye. You've got all that plus a Stratpix signing all on today's Lockdown Islanders Podcast. Our Sartis is up and a save is made by Mbrowski Nelson, Lars L. with the open net and he scores. Hi and welcome to the Lockdown Islanders Podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm your host, Gil Martin. I'm an Islanders 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 Friday 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. You can also now hear us on Sirius XM on the SXM app. Just do a search for Lockdown Islanders. This episode is brought to you by Fandall Sports Book, Official Sports Book of Lockdown. Make every moment more. Right now new customers can bet $5 and get $200 in bonus bets guaranteed. Visit fandall.com slash Lockdown to get started. We have got a lot to discuss on today's show. 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, feel free to send us an email to 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 talk about 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 NYR VS NYI. We will keep you up to date on all things Islanders throughout training camp pre-season and through the entire upcoming 2023-2024 campaign. So please join us for that and don't forget every dayers and everybody else. We go back to a five show a week schedule starting on Monday. So it's Monday through Friday, all Islanders all the time starting next week. All right, busy, busy time, the last few days for the New York Islanders. And I guess the big news that we start with is that rookie camp has gotten underway. And that is always a good thing when they make that announcement. You know, they used to do the rookie camp shortly after the draft in July. Now they are doing it before training camp. I guess that gives them a little more continuity. And look, here are the players who are going to be at the Islanders rookie camp right now. Fourteen forwards asked in Calder, Joseph C. Ballon, William Dufour, Justin Gil, Simon Homes from Ruslan, Eskikov, Blay Jenkins, Dylan Kufler, E. Tuleukis, Kyle McLean, Matthew Maggio, Reese New Kirk, Riley Piercey, and Jacob Pavanca. Those are the fourteen forwards. You've got six defensemen, Aiden Fulpe, Isaiah George, Christian Krieger, Travis Mitchell, Kelly O'Gillius, and Vincent Savin-Yay. And then three goalies. You got Tristan Lennox, who is the most well-known of the three, and then Brent Moran and Henrik Tickenin, also going to be at this rookie camp. And it is underway. So the New York Islanders have started rookie camp by the way before the rookie camp, even started, the Islanders announcing that Isaiah George at 2022 pick in the draft. He signed a three-year entry-level deal. So Isaiah George now going to be a member of the New York Islanders going forward, going to be a professional now. And I kind of like that idea, George. As you may know, fourth round pick in 2022, six feet tall, 199 pounds, won't turn 20 until February 15th of 2024, had seven goals, 15 assists, and 22 points in 54 games with the London Knights of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. Last year was a plus 23 in those 54 games, added three assists, and 10 penalty minutes in 20 playoff games with London. So Isaiah George, most likely going to, I would say, start the season with Bridgeport, but again, we have to see, but just glad to see that we are underway with the rookie camp, and it really means that this season is going to get underway, and look, obviously some of these guys, it's important that they shine in rookie camp, allowing them to make a good first impression. And once you do that, you can make that impression before the veterans come in at training camp and sort of get a little bit of a leg up on some of your teammates, and look, you want to put the fact that there are reasons to watch you and be optimistic about your future as a prospect before the veterans get here. And to me, there are a couple of categories of guys in here, Simon Holmstrom, for example, played 50 plus games last year with the islanders, didn't produce a lot offensively, did a nice job, positionally, from a defensive standpoint. He wants to stay in the NHL, he wants to be back with the team, he has to make a good impression. And even if he does, I think the fact that he doesn't have to pass through waivers, if he is sent down to Bridgeport, may mean he starts the season in Bridgeport regardless. Then you have guys like Matthew Maggio, and Isaiah George, and guys like Ruslan Iskakov, who are really trying to a William Dufour, they have hopes of making this team, if not right out of training camp, although there is an outside shot of that, certainly down the road. And when injuries hit, where players aren't producing, guys like Iskakov and Dufour and Maggio, and guys like Isaiah George and Calo Delius, these are the guys who can get called up among the first group, and the chances of that happening certainly increase dramatically if you make that good first impression both in training camp and in rookie camp which precedes training camp, and we also get to get a look at Tristan Lennox, who is considered a bit of a prospect in goal for the New York Islanders, and again, you want to see what this guy can do. Third round pick in 2021, so not his first rookie camp with this team, but Lennox, hopefully going to play with the Bridgeport Islanders, go up to the AHL after playing in Saginaw last year, and if he can do that, and again, make an ice impression on the coaching staff and the management here before then, his stock goes up, maybe he gets a chance to play more in Bridgeport, and again, if injuries hit, who gets called up, you know, it could be Jacob Scarrick, it could be Tristan Lennox, and getting off to a good start for Lennox certainly could help his chances of being that guy who's called up. So overall, the Islanders getting this rookie camp underway, great to see some of these prospects and other players out there on the ice ready to prepare for this upcoming season, and it just gets my blood pumping because I am excited about what is ahead for the New York Islanders. Alright, we have got more to discuss on this show, Zach Parise, finally making an announcement, or at least should I say Lula Morello making an announcement about Zach Parise, we'll talk about that, and a whole lot more coming up on this episode of The Locked On Islanders podcast. Today's episode is brought to you by Fandall Sportsbook, football season is here, and Fandall is giving you the chance to win all season long because right now when you bet on a Superbowl winner, you can get bonus bets every time that team wins during the regular season. Just pick any team to win the Superbowl and you'll get bonus bets for every victory. Can the Giants bounce back from their rough start against the Cowboys? How about the Jets? I mean, will they be able to succeed without out and Rogers? No matter what team you bet on, you will get bonus bets every time they win this regular season, and you can use those bonus bets on spreads, player props, overunders, and more. 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Keep in mind, Zach Parisei did not retire, but what he did do is, while he told Lulamorello, he will not be starting training camp with the New York Islanders, which means game won against Buffalo in now less than a month, very unlikely that he is going to be in the lineup for that. Here's what Lulamorello actually said. Zach Parisei will not be here for training camp, Zach will be with his family, but then he said, we'll see how the rest of the season goes, so not a retirement announcement, but definitely an announcement that Zach Parisei isn't here, and then Lulamorello goes on. The door is always open. I think everyone knows the relationship that I have had with Zach since he was 17 years old. When you have a player like that who loves the game and who has had the success he's had, and what he did for the team, it's a tough thing for him to make that decision. You allow it to go on as long as possibly as you possibly can without pressing or asking, I think he made the right decision for his family and we'll just keep the door open for him. That's the official word on Zach Parisei by all expectations. If he comes and joins the team, maybe it's around the All-Star break or near the trade deadline, and he joins them, gets back in shape and joins them for the playoff push as it were, but as of right now, it is looking less likely that we will see Zach Parisei during the early part of this season and maybe not at all. We have to see how that ends up playing out, but now the question becomes, who out there could replace him? And you know, every day as you know, I've said in the past that I didn't think Zach Parisei was likely to come back, and one of the reasons is because the islanders had prepared for this eventuality. Signing Julian Goatee, for example, and to me he is probably the most likely candidate to replace Parisei in the lineup, you know, you don't sign him if you're confident that Zach Parisei is going to be back. And the other thing that you get from Julian Goatee is you get some pretty darn good speed, doesn't change direction as well as perhaps you want, but that speed certainly can create opportunities. The islanders also sign Carlson Culeman, whether or not he gets a long look in training camp, I think William Dufour, also a possibility, although it would take a very, very strong training camp. He has to raise his consistency level substantially if he hopes to fill that void. And then you have Ruslan Iskakov, who isn't that young, that 23, and you know, got off to a very fast start in Bridgeport kind of slumped in the middle of the season, picked it up a little bit late. But, you know, will the islanders trust a guy who's listed at 5'9 and a $65 can Iskakov take the physicality of 82 NHL games and still be productive. He struggled mid-season in the A.H.L with the physicality, you know, is that the reason his production slowed down in mid-season, you know, that's up for the coaching staff and scouts to determine, but, you know, that's the issue with him. And, you know, the thing about Dufour and Iskakov, we have talked about this team needing to get younger, faster, and more skilled. And well, Iskakov could add a little speed, Dufour and Iskakov can certainly make you younger and more skilled. Obviously, GoTi-A would give you younger and faster, but the islanders are going to also have to figure out a way to realistically replace the 21 goals that Zach Parisse scored for them last year. And it becomes, you know, an issue because the islanders have struggled to score goals for years now, and they are really going to need to find a way to overcome the, you know, the absence offensively of Zach Parisse. So we'll see what approach they do when it comes to replacing him, you know, they can go this safe route with some of these veterans who could fill in, or they could try to be a little bit more daring and aggressive and give a chance to a rookie or a younger player who can give you more offense, but you may sacrifice consistency, you may sacrifice playing your own zone. Look, knowing Lulamorello and his MO and Lane Lambert and his MO, I think one of the veterans is more likely to get first crack at this spot, but we know Zach Parisse, not going to be in training camp, neither is, by the way, Tomas Tatar. He signed with a different team, not going to be with the islanders, so no Tomas Tatar, no Zach Parisse, and we move on to alternatives at this point, hopefully the islanders find someone who can fit in and get the job done because boy, you know, for a team that struggled offensively, losing the 21 goals is meaningful, and I'll take it a step further. Zach Parisse was also one of the better penalty killers on this team, and you don't need the same player to replace the 21 goals and be the penalty killer, you know. You could go with two different guys, you know, Hudson Fashion, for example, could be the next penalty killer in that place. Maybe Julian Goatier could do it as well because of his speed, but realistically, you've got to replace that penalty killing skill that Parisse brought, and you've got to replace the goal scoring, the 21 goals that he gave you, Oliver Lelstrom could go for goal, step in and replace Zach Parisse's production. He hasn't done it yet at the NHL level, but he's certainly capable of it, and it just remains a question of, you know, whether or not he'll get the job done, and, you know, is he a candidate for the third line, second line, first line, it's going to be interesting to see how it all plays out once training camp gets underway, and fingers crossed that the New York Islanders get the job done, and not only replace Zach Parisse and his production, but are able to supersede it by the time the season is over, and look, you're not going to replace the experience and the leadership that Parisse gave you, he was a mentor and a guy who really led by example, because he did all the little things right, but at the same time, you can replace his production, and you can meet some of those goals as far as younger, faster, more skilled. So let's see how Lane Lambert and Lulamorello decide to go about replacing Zach Parisse, and again, remember, they left the door open, it still remains possible at some point during this season that Zach Parisse rejoins the islanders we have to see how that goes. We have got more to get to on today's show, Josh Bailey, signing with another team, we'll see Annie pen to nice farewell to Long Island and Islander fans, and we'll talk about both of those things, plus our Islanders birthday of the day and enforcer from the early 90s who was very popular with this team and even had one hat trick in his NHL career, let's see if you can guess who that is, we've got all that and more coming up on today's Lockdown Islanders podcast. Today's episode is brought to you by our friends at Jace Medical, and look, everybody 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 could have access to medication in an emergency. Jace Medical makes sure you have the medication in hand and look, Jace Medical is simple. They handle everything from the online evaluation to license, pharmacy, medication, delivery, and ongoing consultation and care. So don't get caught unprepared, save more than $360 by getting these life-saving antibiotics with Jace Medical plus an additional $20 off your order by using code Lockdown at checkout at jacemedical.com, that's j-a-s-e-medical.com promo code Lockdown to get your Jace case today. Jace Medical finally finding another home well temporarily, Bayley signing a try-out at PTO with the Ottawa Senators and that became official on Thursday and yet before then, on Wednesday, Bayley basically writing in the players' Tribune, a fair well to Islander fans and to the people of Long Island. And you know, a very heartfelt letter from a great guy in Josh Bayley. I want to thank not just this great fan base he wrote, but the people of Long Island as a whole. This place is special from the outside, I think a lot of people would agree what's not to love, but what really makes this place unique is the people. All of you, that's why Long Island will always be home for me and my family. And you know, he said, it's been quite a ride, not always the smoothest of rides, but I wouldn't change a thing, the tough times make you stronger and allow you to enjoy the good ones that much more and we had plenty of good ones. I do recall some rather funny moments at the Coliseum. Some nights, if I was starting the National Anthem, could be a vulnerable 90 seconds standing there at the blue line. I heard it all, the encouragement and, in quotes, encouragement. But that passion is also what provided my teammates and me with some incredible moments and memories. It's what makes Long Island life and in life, you have to earn people's respect no matter where you are or what you do in New York. You need to earn it that much more and I hope that never changes. We can't thank you enough for all the love and support over the years, wherever it has been on the island. We felt the love over and over again. It's been an honor to live on the Long Island, wear the Islander Jersey and help represent this great organization and our fans from all over. There were so many moments that stand out to me, but none compares to hearing the roar of the crowd after scoring in overtime in the playoffs and of course hearing you all saying it still gives me chills to this day. Thank you. Until next time, U-A, number 12. So Josh Bailey, with a heartfelt message to Long Island fans and then he goes out and signs a PTO with the Ottawa Senators and look, if he's not playing the New York Islanders, I wish Josh Bailey a class act all the best. I hope he can continue his NHL career. I know that's something that he really wants to do and, you know, Bales has always been a good guy from the time he was a rookie and I'm just glad that he will be getting a chance at least to continue his NHL career. Time now for our Islanders birthday of the day and Thursday was the 57th birthday of former Islanders forward Mick Vakota, undrafted, native of Saskatoon Saskatchewan, 6295 pounds, made his debut with the Islanders during the 87-88 season, topped 200 penalty minutes in his first six seasons with the Isles, stayed with the Islanders from 87-88 all the way through the 96-97 season before finishing his NHL career with brief stints with the tip of Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens, retired after the 1999-2000 season and played in 573 NHL games, 17 goals, 46 points, and yeah, 2,071 penalty minutes played in 23 playoff games, 22 of them as a member of the Islanders, including 15 during that magic Stanley Cup, well, that conference final run back in 1993 and had 73 penalty minutes in those games. This best game is an Islander tough to argue with this one, October 20th, 1989 at the Old Cap Center in Land Over Maryland Islanders going with Glen Healyan goal against Don Bopre for the capitals and in this game, Mick Vakota scored his only career NHL hat trick, it was a natural hat trick, all three goals coming in an exactly five minute span at 10 -08 of the first period, 14-40 of the first period, and 15-08 of the period Don Maloney and Jill Tibado assisting on two of them and Tibado also assisted on the third Islanders went on to win this game by a score of five to three Glen Healyan with 26 saves Islanders out shooting the caps, 33 to 29, but four Mick Vakota, three goals on five shots, hey, add seven penalty minutes in this game, which means he also dropped the gloves with Alan May in this case may also picked up an instigator, no assists, so no Gordy Hale hat trick in this one, but fan favorite and Islander tough guy Mick Vakota is our Islanders birthday of the day, want to thank everyone again for making a locked on Islanders, your first listen every day, every dayers were back on Monday, we'll have the latest from rookie camp, training camp and any other Islanders news, notes and happenings, I do want to wish everyone celebrating the holiday this weekend, a happy and a healthy new year for Rosha Shana so definitely want to send our wishes to everyone celebrating the holiday, have a great weekend everybody, thanks for tuning in, and of course, let's go Islanders. 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