New York Islanders Bode Wilde Headed to the AHL

The New York Islanders AHL affiliate just got an extra injection of talent with defenseman Bode Wilde being loaned to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

With the 41st pick of the 2018 NHL draft, the New York Islanders selected defenseman Bode Wilde. Slated to be a first-round pick, Wilde slipped in the draft after de-committing from a few schools in the NCAA.

First, it was Harvard, then it was the University of Michigan. That was enough for NHL scouts and GMs to cool off from the offensive-minded defenseman.

It was a silly reason to cool off from a pick, and Bode Wilde made them all see why last season.

Steal of the Draft

Bode Wilde decided to play with the OHL team that drafted him, the Saginaw Spirit. For Wilde, the decision to play the OHL was all about getting reps (subscription required).

In 62 games played last season, the defenseman put up 70 points with the Spirit. Amongst OHL defensemen, Bode Wilde finished third in scoring. It’s easy to see that Wilde was the steal of the draft.

And now he’s on his way to the AHL.

Along with forwards Kieffer Bellows, Otto Koivula, Arnaud Durandeau, Simon Holmstrom, Mason Jobst, defensemen Sebastian Aho, Grant Hutton, and goaltender Linus Soderstrom, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers are an incredibly talented group.

This is probably the most talent that’s been put together for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. But it also means that all of that talent is a step away from the NHL.

For Bode Wilde, he’s now a step away from proving all of those scouts and GMs wrong for not drafting him in the first round.

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With the quality that the New York Islanders already have on the blueline, he won’t feature in the NHL for some time, but if the quality we saw in the OHL shines in the AHL he won’t be there very long.