Eyes On Isles
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Islanders: Best and worst draft classes of the 2010s

By Michel Anderson

DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: Noah Dobson poses after being selected twelfth 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)
DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: Noah Dobson poses after being selected twelfth 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) /
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TORONTO, ON – DECEMBER 29: Michael Dal Colle #28 of the New York Islanders skates 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) /

The Worst Classes

Worst of the Wost: 2012

Best Pick: Adam Pelech 65th Overall

A top-five pick technically wasted here. Garth selected Griffin Reinhart fourth overall in 2012. Thankfully, Reinhart would eventually turn into Mathew Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier. But Reinhart has the second-fewest NHL games played in the first round. He was a bad, bad pick.

Fortunately, the Islanders were able to take Adam Pelech in the third round.

Could have been disastrous: 2014

Best Pick: Devon Toews 108th Overall

Garth Snow would leave the 2014 draft with two first-round picks: Michael Dal Colle (5th overall) and Josh Ho-Sang (28th overall). In the later rounds, he’d get Ilya Sorokin (78th overall), Linus Soderstrom (95th) and Devon Toews (108th).

While Michael Dal Colle is now in the NHL, he’s not having the impact a fifth overall pick would be expected to make.

Josh Ho-Sang was a risky pick. Blame who you will for how things turned out, but the risk didn’t pay off.

Devon Toews has been the best pick made in the 2014 draft. Although that could change when Ilya Sorokin makes his debut in 2020-21.

Could have been better: 2010

Best Pick: Brock Nelson 30th Overall

Nino Niederreiter is technically still a good NHL player, but he was never that player for the Islanders. And that’s on the Islanders. They failed to do their due diligence to evaluate the character of the player and completely alienated him within two years.

At least, they’d get a good player out of the first round by taking Brock Nelson 30th overall. To be fair, they were only able to get the best version of Brock Nelson seven years later when Barry Trotz would eventually become the head coach.

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