Islanders first rounder finds his scoring form in AHL

Over the last four games, New York Islanders first-round pick from 2019 Simon Holmstrom has four goals to his name. It took a while, but the Isles prospect is finding his form.

There was a lot of confusion when the New York Islanders drafted Simon Holmstrom 24th overall at the2019 NHL draft.

It’s not that the kid wasn’t talented, it’s that he wasn’t seen as a first-round pick. The product of Sweden’s HV71 was ranked 27th overall for international skaters by the NHL’s Central Scouting.

Certain mock drafts had him going deep in the second round. Draft Site had him 52nd overall. Dobber Prospects had him at 58th overall. The only mock draft I could find with him in the first round was from SportsNet who said Holmstrom could be a home run pick.

He’s still not that home run pick yet, but after a slow start to his North American career, Holmstrom is finding the back of the net with some consistency.

Finding His Form

Drafted just last season, most of us thought Holmstrom would start the year back in Sweden with HV71. But after signing his ELC with the Islanders over the summer, Holmstrom was placed with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL.

Through his first 32 games with the Sound Tigers, Holmstrom scored three goals and three assists.

It’s his first year of professional hockey, the expectations for Holmstrom aren’t particularly high. This year is all about acclimatizing himself to the speed and physicality of the game.

But over his last four games, it seems that Holmstrom has begun to find the back of the net with some regularity. With two goals on Saturday night, Holmstrom now has four goals over his last four games.

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

Write for us!

It’s a small sample size, but in that short time, Holmstrom has doubled his goal production in a fraction of the time. The youngster seems more confident out on the ice and his using his skill sets that made him a first-round pick to great effect.