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New York Islanders: Assessing The 5 Youngest Players On The Roster

By Ryan Grosso
UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 14: Oliver Wahlstrom #26 of the New York Islanders skates in his first NHL game against the St. Louis Blues at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on October 14, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 14: Oliver Wahlstrom #26 of the New York Islanders skates in his first NHL game against the St. Louis Blues at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on October 14, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – JUNE 22: Oliver Wahlstrom poses after being selected eleventh overall by the New York Islanders during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

The New York Islanders have 5 players younger than 25 on the roster. Today, I want to look at each of them, and discuss their roles in an evolving NHL.

When was the last time you heard the term “youth takeover”? If you follow the NHL in any capacity, it was likely some time in the past week. That’s because there has been a league-wide metamorphosis occurring.

At the heart of it: talented young, skill players who are cracking NHL rosters in droves.  There are no exceptions to the rule. The NHL is getting younger and faster by the day. Let’s take a look at how the New York Islanders are adapting with these evolving times.

The Islanders’ average team age sits at 27.5 years old as of October 16 (Note: This number does not include 33-year-old Andrew Ladd). The average age of teams league-wide is 27.3 years old, per James Mirtle’s piece (subscription required) from October 9.

Anthony Beauvillier was the youngest player to suit up on opening night at 22 years, 118 days old. The youngest player on the 23-man roster on October 4 was Noah Dobson at 19 years, 270 days old.

The current baby of the team is Oliver Wahlstrom, (19 years, 125 days) who had an impressive NHL debut on Monday against the defending champion Blues. I want to take a deeper look at these players and a couple others who constitute the team’s five youngest players. We’ll start with Wahlstrom and work our way up.

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