Top Shelf – Islanders Daily 9/6/13

Nov. 19, 2011; Uniondale, NY, USA; New York Islanders goalie Anders Nilsson (45) guards the goal during the second period against the Boston Bruins at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Islanders officially take the ice at the Nassau Coliseum today, albeit in limited fashion. Yes, it’s only the organization’s prospects, and yes, it’s only a preliminary training camp, but it’s hockey nonetheless. The 2013 NHL offseason is officially drawing to a close.

Considering the excitement generated by the prospect scrimmage during the Isles’ mid-summer mini camp—for mostly the same group of players—there should be plenty of talk this weekend about how the future of the team performs on-ice.

Andy Graziano (@tazman19) and I (@MichaelWillhoft) will be in attendance with the rest of the media at Saturday’s session, brining you in-person reports from the Coliseum. Be sure to stay tuned to Eyes On Isles and follow us on Twitter for updates from camp.

The big names expected to participate in the five-day training camp are Calvin de Haan, Matt Donovan, Kirill Kabanov, Anders Nilsson, Griffin Reinhart and Ryan Strome. All eyes will be on Donovan and Strome, as they’re the two players most likely to compete for roster spots with the big club, although Nilsson and de Haan have outside shots at making the team too.

In pseudo-hockey news from yesterday, Team Canada unveiled their 2014 Olympic jerseys in much the same way as an organized crime syndicate would release photos of hostages it’s holding for ransom. (Click here if you don’t believe me. Jonathan Toews has an “I’m unimpressed with the jersey design but kind of scared for my safety” look on his face.)

At least Team USA wasn’t the only squad that had its jerseys ruined designed by a Nike marketing department hell-bent on its mission of incorporating shiny fabrics into international hockey.

Take a lesson from history, Nike: less is more. (As in, the less involvement you have in hockey jersey design, the better off we’ll all be.)

-Mike (@MichaelWillhoft)

In Case You Missed It

Kyle Okposo’s Defining Season Awaits (Eyes On Isles)

Metropolitan Division: Plus / Minus (Part I) (Eyes On Isles)

New York Islanders Rookie Camp Roster Announced (Eyes On Isles)

Islanders’ Colin McDonald Meets Fans at Nassau Coliseum (Newsday)

Brian Burke: Why His Hire Spells Trouble for Jay Feaster, Calgary Flames (Bleacher Report)

B’s Campbell Returns to Ice After Broken Leg (Comcast Sports Net)

Predators Ponder Pairing Seth Jones, Shea Weber (The Tennessean)

Two Minutes For Tweeting

Speaking of fall weather, today dawned with the kind of crisp, cool air that makes you realize hockey is right around the corner. Which it is, because September.

No one’s ever accused John Tavares of slacking—on-ice or off—and with good reason.

The interwebs were awash in NFL-related commentary last night, as the season kicked off in Denver, CO. What should be taken from last night’s game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos is that we’re inching closer to the start of the NHL season. That’s it.

Even the Islanders couldn’t keep the Tavares-as-next-captain news out of the media, but Neil’s right: the front office runs a more secure ship than most national governments. I’m convinced Isles GM Garth Snow and his team could run a consulting business on the side.

Need your Islanders fix? Be sure to tune in for Gary Harding’s radio show Sunday night, where Snow will be a special guest.

As always, thanks for reading us at EyesOnIsles. Keep it right here for all of your NHL coverage and up-to-the-minute Islanders news. Be sure to check the menu bar at the top of the page for ways to connect with the EyesOnIsles staff; we’re always happy to talk hockey.