Islanders: Who are their stars in waiting Barry Trotz mentioned?

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UNIONDALE, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 08: Noah Dobson #8 of the New York Islanders controls the puck during his first NHL game against the Edmonton Oilers at the NYCB’s LIVE Nassau Coliseum on October 08, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

Noah Dobson | Defense

We know very well that Noah Dobson is a talented individual. Through 186 games between the Acadie-Bathurst Titans and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, he amassed 147 points, two QMJHL trophies, a QMJHL Playoff MVP trophy, and two Memorial Cups.

He’s already made his jump to the NHL from junior. The Islanders have played 68 games this season and Noah Dobson has played in 34 of them, scoring seven points.

He might be on the roster, but Barry Trotz and Lou Lamoriello have been hesitant in throwing the defenseman, drafted 12th overall in 2018 to the wolves. They feel like a slower course is the wisest for Dobson to grow his confidence before taking the step forward in the NHL.

It’s hard to argue with Trotz on this one. Here’s the list of rookie defensemen that Trotz has turned into star blueliners in the NHL:

Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, Seth Jones, Roman Josi, and Ryan Ellis.

Of those five defensemen, Ryan Ellis is the only one not to finish in the top five in voting for the Norris Trophy. Barry knows what he’s doing when it comes to defensemen.

Dobson hasn’t been perfect in his NHL debut, but at only 20-years-old (he just turned 20 in January) he’s clearly got the skill to excel at this level. He’s got some tactical lessons to learn, but with Barry Trotz behind the bench, you know it won’t take long for Dobson to pick that up quickly.

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