Good Morning, Islanders Country.
It was Day 1 of Training Camp on Thursday, and if you follow any of the Islanders’ beat writers on social media, it was hard not to know that. Timelines were filled with line combinations, defensive pairs, goalie rotations, and optimistic, enthusiastic quotes about the season to come.
The months leading up to training camp are all about preparation. After all, the best preparation for tomorrow is being your best today.
Each player has been on their own personal journey to be better than the previous year. Some needed to get settled into their new homes, others trained with future Hall-of-Famers. Young players are trying to figure out how to break through; veterans are working to maintain their spot on the roster.
They were all eager to get back, craving the start of camp and ready for the competition to begin.
Coming up, the training camp roster has some surprises, and Noah Dobson is skating with the best. Plus, Oliver Wahlstrom thanks his injury for his mindset, Ilya’s new mask design, the Isles traded a goalie for a goalie, and Josh Bailey in another uniform.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: The Islanders released their training camp roster on Thursday morning ahead of their first practice with a few familiar names and a surprise or two mixed in. The most recognizable surprise is forward Dmytro Timashov, who played for the Isles during the 2020-21 season, appearing in just one game on Jan. 31st and seeing just 7:13 of ice time, finishing with a -2 rating. He agreed to re-sign with the Isles on a one-year deal the following season, but just a month later, Timashov and the Isles elected to terminate the forward's contract.
An unfamiliar name to all during day one of training camp is Zsombor Garát, a 26-year-old Hungarian defenseman who has played the last six seasons in his native country. Last year, Garát appeared in 36 games with Budapest Jégkorong Akadémia HC, finishing second on the team with 25 points (5 goals,10 assists).
Lastly, spending the last three seasons with the Providence Bruins of the AHL, Samuel Asselin is a 25-year-old forward capable of playing center and wing.
◾️ In the New York Post, Ethan Sears writes a feature on Noah Dobson’s off-season training, which included elite skating with Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon in Halifax, Nova Scotia. “It’s nice to get on with those guys. Obviously Crosby and MacKinnon, those are two of the highest-end [players] and top of the league, so to see their work ethic and how they’re always trying to get better is really eye-opening. Really puts things in perspective for you.”
Participating in the intense August training serves as motivation and inspiration for Dobson as he gets to be alongside elite talent who are still looking to get better after all that they have accomplished in the league. Dobson also talks about the strides he thinks he can still take offensively this season.
QUICK HITS
◾️ All the talk about Kyle Palmieri needing to stay healthy, and he wasn’t available on the first day of camp for what was described as a “maintenance day.” Head coach Lane Lambert said Palms was skating on his own but could not confirm whether he’d be able to skate with the team before Tuesday’s preseason opener against the New York Rangers.
◾️ Defenseman Alexander Romanov wasn’t fully healthy but suited up for four playoff games last Spring. After shoulder surgery, it was uncertain whether he would be ready for the first day of camp, but it proved to be another sign of toughness for the 23-year-old, stating that he feels “100%” and ready to play.
◾️ Lambert wouldn’t commit to Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat playing together at the golf outing on Monday, but there were they on the first day of practice skating together with Barzal on the wing, the spot we expect him to occupy to start the season and maybe for the next eight years!
“EFF IT” Attitude
When you miss half a season, you have plenty of time to reflect, and it appears that Oliver Wahlstrom came out of that period as clear-minded and focused as he could be. After practice, the 23-year-old talked about how “unbelievable” in a good way the injury was for him heading into a prove-it season.
“To be honest, it was probably the best eight months I’ve ever had in my life,” said Wahlstrom, the 11th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. “I got more balance in my step now. I’m stronger. I got time to work on muscles I don’t normally work on. An unbelievable reset for me just to respect the game.”
Wahlstrom said he’s as excited as he’s ever been to start a season and, despite not playing since December, is feeling more confident about his game and feels he has a much healthier mindset entering his fourth NHL season.
"My mind this year is kind of like an 'Eff it' mindset, you know, just go out there and have fun," said Wahlstrom following the Isles first day of training camp. "I already did nine months of preparing, so that's just the mindset now."
THE MASK
For The Hockey News, Stefen Rosner (a goalie himself) spoke with Ilya Sorokin about his mask design for the 2023-24 season, a product of the renowned DaveArt. Rosner has some interesting comments about the mask, which he says feels like velvet. The design is pretty straightforward, with the alternate “NY” logo on either side and the Brooklyn Bridge and a lighthouse also featured.
Sorokin also indicated that he’s already out of ideas for mask designs and is open to suggestions from Isles Nation. He’s planning to have eight more seasons on Long Island, so he’s gonna need them.
"I don't know what more I can draw for Islanders. If our fans have examples of what they can draw for the next mask, please send my way."
🎥 ISLES REWIND: On September 22, 1994, the Islanders traded goaltender Ron Hextall and a sixth-round pick to his former team, the Philadelphia Flyers, for 25-year-old fellow goaltender Tommy Söderström.
“I don’t think anybody can work harder than Ron Hextall,” said Islander General Manager Don Maloney in announcing the trade. “He had a slow start and a disastrous finish here, and New York’s a tough town.”
🎧 Nassaumen Hockey Podcast: New York Islanders Rookie & Training Camp; Barzal Back to Center?; Bailey's Goodbye “James and Jon get back behind the mic to truly kick off the 2023-24 New York Islanders season and the start of NHL training camp. The guys talk about Mathew Barzal's future position, Josh Bailey's goodbye, who needs to step up, and Islander rookie camp and who's standing out.”
🔗 Long Island for the Long Haul by Rachel Luscher, New York Islanders.com “Thursday was not the first training camp for Pierre Engvall, Scott Mayfield, Ilya Sorokin or Semyon Varlamov, but it was the first of many more after they signed long-term extensions with the team over the summer.”
🔗 How Islanders prospect Matt Maggio changed his off-ice habits to make on-ice leap: ‘Focus on the now’ by Ethan Sears, NY Post “Most guys come to the rink, they do their skate, they do their workout, they’re done for the day. Obviously I want to enjoy my summer and I want to have a good balance, but I think if I can get all those hours in during the summer and constantly improve, it’s gonna help in the long run.”
And we leave you with this…Josh Bailey in a Sens uniform, wearing No 16. Weird!
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