New York Islanders Top Five American Born In Franchise History

Kyle Okposo

From Saint Paul Minnesota we have Kyle Okposo! Okposo was drafted by the Islanders in the first-round of the 2006 NHL draft and he’d become a huge part of the Islanders playoff teams in the John Tavares era.

Oddly enough his best year came in the year John Tavares was injured. During the 2013-2014 sea, on Okposo became “the guy” with JT on the shelf. He had a career high in goals with 27 while also putting up a career-high in points with 69.

One of the most American moments was when he was snubbed from Team USA that year. He scored a game-winning goal against the Chicago Blackhawks and in the post game interview he was greeted with a “USA!” chant by the fans

Such a cool moment for Okposo, one that I’m sure he still remembers. Okposo was a fan favorite and it was tough to see him go in July of 2016. During his nine-year career with the Isles Okposo scored 139 goals and put up 369 points.

In his letter to Islander fans in the Player Tribune, he mentioned what it was like before Game 3 at the Coliseum in the 2013 playoffs. He said he woke up in the Marriott to the sound of “Let’s Go Islanders” at 7:45 am and thought “Oh s—, I can’t let these fans down now. “

Kyle never let Islanders fans down in his tenure with the team.