New York Islanders Top 10 Prospects In the System in 2018

Bode Wilde

Bode Wilde was steal number three for the New York Islanders att he 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Projected to be a first-round prospect, Wilde fell to Islanders at number 41 in the second-round of the draft.

With a 41 point campaign with the US National Development Program, Wilde was more productive than teammate K’Andre Miller who was selected by the New York Rangers at 22.

For some reason, Wilde’s decision to de-commit for a few schools tainted his draft stock and he plummeted out of the first round. No matter, Lou Lamoriello was there with pick number 41 and didn’t hesitate to take his third first-round quality prospect on the day.

Just read what Elite Prospect had to say about Wilde:

"Bode Wilde is a talented and competitive defender that plays a tenacious 200-foot game. His balance and acceleration in-stride is noteworthy and he is never caught in no-man’s land, or doing nothing. He is proactive and hard-nosed in pursuit if puck control, and he reads queues in all three zones naturally and quickly. Defensively, he is a beast and always looks to take time and space away from the opposition."

All of it sounds fantastic, but the part that stands out to me is “[…]defensively, he is a beast[…]”. The rest of the quote is well tailored with little emotion in the tone. But to call him a beast invokes an image that can’t be shaken.

Next: Top 10 Centers In Isles History

All I see is Shea Weber in his prime. A big defender that not only puts the puck in the net but opposition players on their backsides. I’m now incredibly excited to see Bode Wilde in Blue and Orange.