Islanders Acquire Future Building Blocks at 2020 Draft 2020-10-25 Draft day has always been a critical part of any off-season. The Islanders have always tried (and as a necessity) build through the draft, and the Islanders acquired several future building blocks. Overall 6 promising young players were brought into the organization, along with a second cash injection of 4 million dollars. The cash-strapped Islanders, with the continuing transitional stadium situation and an upcoming flat cap (and with gate revenues in question for the forseeable future), decided to use a draft asset to inject cash into the organization, in order to prepare for the upcoming financial uncertainty and the impending pay raises for core players. With the 20th pick of the EHE draft, the Islanders did not hesitate to draft Rodion Amirov from S.Y.UFA of the KHL. "Rodion is a guy we've been tracking for awhile now" - quoted GM Tony Chiu, who's personally run the draft for the past 5 years. "He's super skilled and has basically become too good for the Russian junior league. He's playing real minutes in the second best pro league at age 19, and he has real high-end skill. We're not sure if he can stay at center, but he certainly has the vision and offensive gifts to be productive at any position in the big leagues." The Islanders selected two more forwards in the second round of the EHE draft, Thomas Bordeleau of the USNTDP and Sam Colangelo from the USHL. Critics of team (rightfully so) often note the forward heavy nature of drafts, and the need for a high-end defenseman in the Islander system. "Yes, I feel that is a legitimate concern. We've got some reinforcements coming. Noah (Dobson) is coming. JBD is coming. However, we are not drafting for now. We are drafting for 2 to 3 years down the road. We've all seen Thomas play for the USNTDP. Great skill, great hands, great vision. The USNTDP does such a good job developing players in both physical and skill attributes. He's got NHL bloodlines. He's going to a top-notch NCAA program at Michigan. He's a first round talent we got in the second round. The fans should be excited for him." The Islanders have selected a player from the USNTDP every single year 5 drafts in a row since GM Tony Chiu has taken over in 2016. "We trust the job they do down there. The players play the right way. The coaching staff is brilliant top to bottom." "Sam (Colangelo) is another player we consider a first round-tier talent that we are very pleased to be able to introduce to our organization in the late second round. He's a big body, he can make plays, and he can finish. The Northeastern program he's going to is also just another fantastic program. There are multiple NHL prospects playing on that team, and Sam will get the time he needs to learn to use his big frame and wonderful hands to be a productive player. He reminds us of Matt (Boldy)" The Islanders drafted two defenseman in the third round. From Finland, the Islanders selected defenseman Topi Niemela. "Topi is a pick of the Mikko (Kokkonen). He's calm, he's poised, he stays out of trouble, he can get out of trouble, and he's been doing it against pros as a teenager. We love the vision with his passing range. He does need some time with our strength and conditioning coaches though, but they do a good job of that in Finland." The second defenseman drafted was defenseman Michael Benning from the AJHL. Brother of NHL defenseman Mat Benning and nephew of village dolt Jim Benning, Michael put up big numbers in the second tier junior league. "Michael is a little undersized, but he's such a great skater. He absolutely dominated his competition. We feel he's got first-round talent that he needs to work hard to harness due to his smaller frame. He's going to the Denver program, and they pump out NHLers like an iPhone factory. " With their 4th round pick, the Islanders selected forward Evan Vierling from the OHL. "He struggled to start the season, but just turned it on in the second half before the world fell apart. He's got the playmaking ability we're looking for, and we expect him to take further strides when the CHL resumes" The work now turns to free agency, where the Islanders must re-sign up to a quarter of their pro roster, including key core components. Additional depth also must be acquired through free agency at both the minor and major league levels, although it will be challenging due to the various cap raises and cash concerns.