Catch of the Day: Jan '25
2025-01-03
All the Islanders news that's fit to print!
Three-united
The Islanders made an interesting bit of EHE history on Wednesday night when Rasmus Dahlin, Andrei Svechnikov, and Filip Zadina all suited up for the season opener at UBS Arena against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It marked the first time ever that the top three picks from a single EHE Entry Draft have taken to the ice for the same team, with the trio originally going 1st (Dahlin, CGY), 2nd (Svechnikov, TB), and 3rd (Zadina, VGK) overall in 2018.
Given how things have panned out, it's ironic to think that back then any GM would have been drooling at the thought of drafting all three players, thereby giving their franchise a triumvirate of future stars to build around.
Indeed, only Dahlin has come close to reaching the sky-high potential he showed as an 18-year-old, developing into a productive, minute-munching All-Star blueliner after arriving on Long Island via trade.
Svechnikov, meanwhile, has often flashed the explosive upside scouts saw in him back on Draft Day, but remains too inconsistent to be considered more than a complementary top-6 winger at this point.
As for Zadina, 200 of his 350 professional games have come in the AHL, and it looks like that total will only climb in 2024-25. Unless the Czech winger miraculously improves on his career-high 14-point campaign from two seasons ago, all signs point to a permanent overseas move next year.
Add it all up and it makes for an interesting footnote in the record books—and yet another example of just how fraught the business of projecting young players can be.
Wall-Eye on a Bounceback
Down on the farm, the Toledo Walleye are aiming for a rebound after another playoff miss in 2023-24.
Whether a bounceback is actually coming is anybody's guess, of course, but Islanders ownership once again gave the green light to GM Kyle Phillips to invest in making the organization's AHL squad a contender.
To that end, Phillips signed off on a handful of pricey UFA deals—including a pair of one-way contracts—for players that should keep the Walleye in the playoff hunt, even in the AHL's tough North Division.
"We definitely feel that the group we've assembled in Toledo checks all the boxes," said Phillips. "There's quality, versatility, and depth at every position, and a really good coach at the head of it all.
"Most importantly, this is a group built to have success playing entertaining, offensive hockey. That's what we believe in at every level of the organization, and it's what we want to provide for our fans."
Putting the finishing touches on the roster, the Walleye also named their formal leadership group over the weekend, with 39-year-old centerman Adam Cracknell tapped to wear the captain's 'C'. The two alternate positions, meanwhile, went to UFA additions Alex Belzile and Joel Hanley,
Altogether, the trio brings a combined 1,566 professional games of experience to the table.
"On top of the talent in the lineup, we feel that Adam, Alex, and Joel are excellent pros who will help the whole group through the long AHL season," said Phillips. "We think they're the right players and people to get us pointed back towards contending for the Calder Cup."
Svech has 343 points in 444 NHL games. Think he's more than a complimentary top 6er :D
