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New York Islanders: Top 25 Under 25 2019-2020 Edition

By Matt O'Leary
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 29: Mathew Barzal #13 of the New York Islanders waits for a faceoff against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 29, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Islanders defeated the Maple Leafs 4-0.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 29: Mathew Barzal #13 of the New York Islanders waits for a faceoff against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 29, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Islanders defeated the Maple Leafs 4-0.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – JUNE 23: (l-r) Lou and Chris Lamoriello of the New York Islanders attend the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 23, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Number 17: Ruslan Iskhakov (Right-Wing) | Age: 19

University of Connecticut: 6G, 15A, 21PTS
He’s small at only 5’7” and 152 pounds, but he’s dripping with talent. And size hasn’t stopped players like Theo Fleury, Martin St. Louis, or even Johnny Gaudreau.

In 2016-17 Iskhakov scored 107 points in 46 games in the U18 Slovakia league. The following year, playing for Krasnaya Armiya Moskva in the MHL (the Russian junior league) he scored 30 points in 33 games. Again, the kid is hyper-talented.

Usually, with hyper talents Russian players we have to wait years before they come over to North America. That’s not the case for Iskhakov who played for U. Conn last season.

His first season in North America had both its ups and its downs.

Iskhakov came out of the gates flying with a goal and an assist in his first game for U. Conn. Four days later he got rocked as he cut through the middle of the offensive zone against Quinnipiac. Iskhakov was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons.

There was no timetable for his return and who knows how he’d be when he eventually got back.

That hit was a reminder for Iskhakov that he won’t have the same room to create in the offensive zone than he had in Europe. He seemed to have adapted well. In the following 31 games after coming back, he scored 19 points and finish third in scoring for his team.

Iskhakov is an exciting Russian prospect that already here. We don’t have to go through the Ilya Sorokin dance we’re currently going through. You should be excited about Ruslan Iskhakov.

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