New York Islanders Draft Options in Round Two

There has been a lot of focus on the pair of first-round picks the New York Islanders have next month. However, the Isles also have two second rounders as well and there will be a lot of good options available to them.

The New York Islanders have a pair of second-round picks in next month’s NHL Draft. The Isles have their own selections plus Calgary’s (Travis Hamonic trade). How excited should Islander fans get based on who will be available when the blue and orange pick with the 41st and 43rd overall selections of the 2018 NHL Draft? If the Isles play their cards right they could add two future core players.

Something to consider when trying to predict who will be available at the beginning of the second round of

next months draft, 

many times players predicted to go late in the first-round can slide back to the middle of the second. Conversely, certain players expected to go mid-second wind up being off the board sooner.

The Forwards

There are a number of intriguing forward prospects that could be available when the Isles pick in round two.

In terms of potential forwards available in round two for the Isles, keep an eye out for Filip Hollander, Allan McShane, Jonatan Berggren, and Jacob Olofsson. If Olofsson is on the board expect the Isles to pounce on this two-way center who plays all three zones.

McShane and Hollander would be solid picks as well, whereas Berggren might have the most questions of this group but probably has the highest upside as well.

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Defense

On the blue line there could be a really good trio on the board when the Isles are on the clock in round two. Filip Johansson, Jacob Bernard-Docker, and Adam Ginning all project to be really good defenseman with an emphasis on defense. Obviously, that was a big shortcoming for the Isles this past season.

The intriguing blueliner to watch out for is Jared McIssac. He is probably off the board when the Isles pick and while his defense is good it’s not currently on the same level of the kids mentioned above. However, his offensive skills have great potential.

Goalie’s

The question the Islanders have to ask is do they want to use one of their second-round picks on a goalie? Keep in mind there is a good chance Linus Soderstrom comes to North America next season and while Ilya Sorokin is currently in the KHL, the young netminder is still part of the NHL organization. Both goalies are young and closing in on the NHL.

Remember also that goalies take a while to develop. Keep in mind Soderstrom and Sorokin were drafted back in 2014. So if the Isles use one of their second-round picks on a goalie it will most likely be years before he is playing for the big club in Belmont.

Having said all that goalies to watch for come Draft Weekend are Jakub Sharek, Oliver Rodrigue, and Justus Annunen.

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Next: 2018 NHL Mock Draft 2.0

Islander fans don’t just focus on what the team does with their first-round picks. The selections they make in round two are very important for this franchise as well.