Good Morning, Islanders Country.
Before Ilya Sorokin was nicknamed The White Whale by Mike Carver, host of the Isles Seat Podcast, the white whale to Long Island high schoolers was Moby Dick. In Herman Melville's famed novel, Captain Ahab obsesses over and pursues the while whale relentlessly, yet never manages to catch it. A little over two years ago, Islanders fans worried they would end up like Ahab and the Pequod with their elusive pursuit of the 2014 draft pick ending in despair and defeat.
“Will he come to North America? Is he as good as they say? Can he become a future number one in the NHL?” Yes, Yes, and Yes.
In July 2020, Sorokin signed an entry-level deal for the remainder of a season he wasn’t able to play in. His first experience in the NHL was in the Toronto bubble. He got acclimated to the organization, took English lessons, and learned from his teammates and coaches without the pressure of having to play. When the pressure was on the following season, the moment wasn’t too big for the KHL stand-out as he led the Isles to a first-round playoff series win over the Penguins.
Now in his first full 82-game season, Sorokin has supplanted Semyon Varlamov as the team’s No. 1 goaltender with a season of highlight-reel saves, clutch stops, and dominating play on home ice. He’s on the verge of becoming the backbone of the franchise, a foundational piece that championship runs are built on. In doing so, the elusive player that was pursued for over six years has become even rarer than the metaphoric White Whale, he's the White Whale that became a reality.
Coming up, Oliver Wahlstrom and Barry Trotz are having trust issues and Noah Dobson is a breakout star at the QB position. Plus, the day the dynasty almost died and the “Polish Prince” turns 50!
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: The Islanders were off on Wednesday to rest before the latter half of a home-and-home series tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins and a matchup against the Montreal Canadiens on Friday.
◾️ In The Athletic, Kevin Kurz makes the case that Barry Trotz should lean heavily on Ilya Sorokin for the rest of the season as the 26-year-old netminder draws comparisons to Martin Brodeur and Pekka Rinne.
◾️ Sorokin’s numbers warrant seeing how he can fare against a tough schedule the rest of the way. He has been exceptional this season - especially at home (more in Sound Smart), but his overall stats in save % and GAA have him among the favorites for the Vezina Trophy this season.
◾️ In the New York Post, Ethan Sears covers the enigma that has been Oliver Wahlstrom’s season. It’s been one step forward and sometimes two steps back for the young forward as his coach searches for consistency. “He’s gotta sorta rebuild that [trust] again,” Barry Trotz said of Wahlstrom. “Give me the first shift and if the first shift’s good, then the second shift. We’ll just go shift by shift.”
Via Sportsnet, Shayna Goldman analyzed three players who had the best breakout performances of the 2021-22 NHL season. The handful of players analyzed consisted of the Robert Thomas, Jack Hughes, Tage Thompson, Troy Terry, and the Islanders Noah Dobson.
“The 22-year-old [Dobson] has put up 10 goals and 41 points for the Islanders this season. At 5-on-5, where he’s earned just under half of his points, he can be counted on to help move the puck up the ice. He can exit the defensive end with control — whether he’s carrying the puck out himself, or sending a teammate a stretch pass. Once the Islanders drive into the offensive zone, he can contribute both passes and shots. Those point shots can come in handy on Long Island, seeing as this is a team with numerous forwards who can play a net-front role and deflect shots in.”
Goldman points out that Dobson has emerged as a “key piece” to the blue line and part of the reason the Islanders have turned things around in the second half of the season. Perhaps what’s most notable about Dobson’s breakout is how he’s filled a need of a puck-moving defenseman that was left by Nick Leddy and Devon Toews’ departures in consecutive offseasons. What’s most impressive for Goldman is that he’s been able to do so “while dragging around a declining Zdeno Chara through much of this year.” That last part might be a bit harsh and Dobson himself has credited Chara with his accelerated growth and maturity.
Goldman and Dom Luszczyszyn’s model (updated on April 12th) via The Athletic love Dobson, too. Dobson’s puck movement 5-on-5 and ability on the man advantage have him ranked among some of the best power play QBs in the NHL. His production has him in the ‘Star’ tier for goals, assists, and points this season.
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins wrap up a home-and-home tonight at PPG Paints Arena. The face-off is set for 7 p.m.
📊 STANDINGS:
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, Ilya Sorokin is 13-4-3 at UBS Arena, with a 1.96 GAA and a .934 save percentage. Since February 1st, he has been even better, going 7-1-1 in nine home starts (1.81 GAA, .944 save percentage); his goals-against average is the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least two home games in that stretch.
🗓 ISLE REMEMBER: 40 years ago on April 13, 1982, the Islanders dynasty almost came to an unceremonious end. Trailing the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 in the decisive fifth game of the Patrick Division semifinals, Mike McEwen scored at 14:33 and John Tonelli followed with the tying goal at 17:39 to send the game into sudden-death overtime. In the OT, it was the clutch Tonelli scoring at 6:19 to send the Isles to the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
🎧 Nassaumen Hockey Podcast Episode 104: New York Islanders vs Pittsburgh Penguins Isles Fix Postgame & More.
🔗 Islanders Need to Help Barzal Develop Into a True Superstar, by Jon Zella, The Hockey Writers: “Mathew Barzal remains the team’s only true superstar, save for Ilya Sorokin and a budding Noah Dobson, but even he hasn’t been immune to the ups and downs of the current campaign.”
And we leave you with this…Happy 50th Birthday to Mariusz Czerkawski! In a career that spanned 12 seasons and five different teams, Czerkawski's best years were on the Island. He scored 50 or more points three times including 35 goals and 35 assists for 70 points in the 1999-00 season when he represented the Isles in the NHL All-Star Game that year.
Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter for regular updates until the next newsletter.
And please check out our newsletters about the Knicks and Mets, too.