New York Islanders Blue Chip Prospects Update

5 of 5

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 20: Kieffer Bellows #20 of the New York Islanders celebrates his powerplay goal at 19:19 of the first period against the New Jersey Devils during a preseason game at the Barclays Center on September 20, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Kieffer Bellows | LW

Production: 11G, 5A, 16pts (54GP)

If not for a ton of veterans under contract at the start of the 2018-19 NHL season, Kieffer Bellows may have just made the NHL. Out of training camp, he was one of the few shining lights for the Islanders.

But with the parade of veterans that came in during the offseason, Bellows didn’t have a spot on the team. After skipping a second year of NCAA hockey for the WHL, he’d hoped to have made strides toward his goal of being an NHL player.

While it wasn’t the NHL, playing in the AHL was just a step removed from his goal. He was almost there.

Since the start of the season, Bellows has played well under Brent Thompson. His 16 points in 54 games aren’t an outstanding return, but for a 20 year old playing his first season of professional hockey, it’s a step in the right direction.

Recently, he’s hit a bit of a dry run. Since the calendar turned to 2019 he’s put up only two points (both were goals). That’s a run of 19 games with only two points.

Want your voice heard? Join the Eyes On Isles team!

Write for us!

Again, it’s his first year and runs like this are to be expected. He’ll just learn strategies to try and get out of these funks that happen to every single NHL player.