Good Morning, Islanders Country.
What to make of Simon Holmstrom? There’s always questions surrounding the 2019 first-round pick (23rd overall), though the questions always seem to change.
Two seasons ago, it was whether he could play at the NHL level. Then, after 50 games of sound, responsible two-way play, it was whether he score in the NHL. Last year, he showed that he could, especially short-handed. He finished with 15 goals and 10 assists in 75 games, but that extra gear hasn’t quite come.
As a restricted free agent, he signed a one-year contract this summer and is pushing himself and getting pushed in a way he hasn’t before. “I worked on the basics, getting stronger, get good conditioning in to make sure I’m well prepared for the season,” Holmstrom said at training camp on Monday.
That’s what you want to hear from a player, who knows, that despite being only 23-years-old, is entering a pivotal year. His spot on the Opening Night roster isn’t a given, meaning he needs to outwork the internal competition and prove to the coaching staff that he will reward them if given an opportunity.
To earn that, he’ll have to impress head coach Patrick Roy, who plans on encouraging him in his own, unique ways. “I said to Homer, 'You might not like me today, but you're going to love me down the road.' That's how I see it,” Roy said in The Hockey News. “I'm pushing on details, and I'm pushing on them, and I hope that eventually, the game is going to get easier for him and us.”
We know, for the most part, what we’re going to get from the Islanders top players. What we don’t know how is how much Roy can get out of the bottom-six forwards. The ability or inability for players like Holmstrom to answer questions once and for all, is likely to shape the story of this Islanders season.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: When Lou Lamoriello signed 29-year-old goaltender Marcus Hogberg this summer, it was an acknowledgment that the Islanders lacked organizational depth at the position. There may be young prospects in Jakub Skarek and Henrik Tikkanen, and even players such as Keith Kinkaid available for a look, but the Islanders needed someone more proven and with more upside.
As Ethan Sears wrote in the New York Post they needed insurance and like all insurance purchases, the hope is they won’t need it at all.
Hogberg has potential to be a quality NHL backup, returning to North America after three strong seasons with Linkoping HC in the Swedish League. If Hogberg remains the organization’s No. 3 goaltender, that means Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin are healthy. However, as training camp begins, he’s likely No. 2 on the depth chart with Sorokin recovering from off-season back surgery.
Sunday night was his first opportunity to show what he can do, and he came out of the game well, and remains the favorite to be the next-man up, if Sorokin is unable to work his way back in time for the start of the regular season.
“They were both very good,” head coach Patrick Roy said of Hogberg and Skarek after Sunday’s 4-2 pre-season win versus NJ. “We had a couple moments in the first, I thought we gave up too many scoring chances, so Hogberg played really well, kept the game at 1-0. He was good on those rebounds, kept the puck close to him. Skarek came in, I thought he did well, as well.”
Breaking Ground-versary
Five years, ago, on September 23, 2019, the Islanders broke ground on their new arena at Belmont Park. There was officially no turning back. It was happening. Islander fan celebrities Ralph Macchio and Kevin Connolly were in attendance.
“This today will go down as one of the great days in the history of the New York Islanders," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said during a speech at the ceremony. "This is the day that assures everybody who has anything to do with the Islanders, who cares anything about the Islanders, who is passionate about the Islanders as Islanders fans are, that this is the future of this franchise right here on Long Island.”
Prime Position
After being first rumored last month, the NHL made it official on Monday, announcing that former Islanders defenseman and current MSG Networks analyst Thomas Hickey will be part of the league’s new Prime Monday Night Hockey broadcast package. The broadcasts will stream all national regular-season Monday night NHL games throughout the 2024-25 season for Prime Members in Canada, beginning on Thanksgiving.
Per NHL.com, the entire cast is led by veteran play-by-play announcer John Forslund, alongside analysts Hickey, Jody Shelley, and Shane Hnidy. Anchoring the Prime Monday Night sports desk all from on-site will be Adnan Virk, Andi Petrillo, analyst Blake Bolden, and a mix of local guests throughout the season. Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Messier will be a contributor throughout the season, both on the desk and with vignettes.
📚 SOUND SMART: During his third year of major junior, Thomas Hickey was chosen to represent Canada for the 2008 World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic, where he helped Canada to a fourth consecutive gold medal. He was selected the next year for the 2009 World Junior Championships in Ottawa as the team captain, returning with John Tavares, P. K. Subban and Zach Boychuk from the previous year's team.
🎥 ISLES REWIND: On Sept. 23, 1991, the Hockey Hall of Fame inducted six new members, including Islanders legends Mike Bossy and Denis Potvin. Overall, the 1991 class combined for 27 Stanley Cup wins in their respective careers. Bob Pulford and Clint Smith were also inducted. The class was rounded out with head coach Scotty Bowman and official Neil Armstrong.
📺 Locked On Islanders: Can Simon Holmstrom Develop Into a Top Six Forward for the New York Islanders This Season?
🔗 Islanders’ Maxim Tsyplakov shakes off rocky start, gives glimpse of skills in first taste of NHL by Ethan Sears, New York Post “A winger who’s played his career up until now in the KHL, Tsyplakov came into camp as perhaps the biggest unknown on the roster. A preseason game is just one data point, and not an especially strong one, but the picture is a little clearer after the Russian skated 12:21 in the Isles’ 4-2 win over the Devils. “Little bit harder first shift. First and second shift, I think, I didn’t like because the puck is loose,” Tsyplakov said. “After is much better. [I] understand how to play, I’m good.
And we leave you with this…Mike Bossy’s Hall-of-Fame video introduction.
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