Islanders prospects report: Ranking top 5 prospects in system

There isn’t a ton to report on prospects this week, so I’m doing something a bit different for my New York Islanders report. This is something I’ve been working on for the past week and plan on working on it more on an ongoing basis.

I’ve ranked the prospects in the system. Using translation factors*, I’ve set who are the top five players in the system (excluding goalies for now). Translation factors are a way to essentially determine how a player could factor at the NHL level based on how they’re performing right now.

*These are outdated numbers (I’ve updated mine), but it will give you an understanding of what translation factors are and how they work.

But, this ranking is far from perfect. For starters, it only takes into account a player’s performance this year. It also doesn’t help guys like Christian Krygier who is a defensive-defenseman that doesn’t put up points. Should he be judged on the same criteria as say Collin Adams who’s a top-line center? I don’t think so.

There’s more work to be done to make this ranking better, but for now, here are the top five prospects in the Islanders system.

New York Islanders top prospects in the system

1. Collin Adams (U North Dakota | NCHC)

Season stats: 23GP, 9G, 14A, 23Pts
Draft: 2016 sixth 

Adams is playing top-line minutes for the best collegiate program in the nation. The Fighting Hawks already grabbed the NCHC championship and have their eyes set on an NCAA championship.

He’s a point-per-game player in one of the toughest conferences of college hockey. That’s a big reason why he’s the top prospect.

What’s a bit worrying is how this is his senior year. The Islanders need to have him signed to a contract before August 15, 2021, or he will become a free agent. And I bet a number of teams are ready to line up for his services.

2. Anatoly Golyshev (Yekaterinburg Avtomobilist | KHL)

Season stats: 53GP, 12G, 15A, 27Pts
Draft: 2016 fourth

This was a down year for Golyshev. Last season, he had two fewer points in 15 fewer games. But the fact that he’s playing in the second-best league in the world helps him rise up the rankings. A stronger year would have easily had him to the standings.

With the type of production he put up this year, he’s projected to be a ~35 point player at the NHL level. Which says a lot about the strength of our system.

3. Samuel Bolduc (Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL)

Season stats: 5GP, 2G, 3A, 5Pts
Draft: 2019 second

His start to his professional hockey career has gone about as well as he could have imagined. The 2019 second-round pick is playing top-four minutes in the AHL and performing well. His production is ahead of schedule but more importantly, he’s a consistent presence on the back end.

When I spoke to his coach at the junior level, he told me the one thing Bolduc has to work on is his consistency. It might not be long till he’s at the NHL level.

4. Logan Cockerill (Boston University | Hockey East)

Season stats: 9GP, 5G, 4A, 9Pts
Draft: 2017 seventh

The sample size is low. Cockerill has only played nine games so far this season, but scoring nine points, even if it’s in the weak-ish Hockey East Conference, matters.

Just like Adams, Cockerill is in his senior and looking to go pro next season. As BU’s captain, you’d have to imagine the Isles will surely bring him at the end of the season.

5. Robin Salo (Orebro | SHL)

Season stats: 44GP, 6G, 23A, 29pts
Draft: 2017 second

He’s singed so Islanders fans don’t have to worry about him becoming a free agent and having another team nab him from us. When he makes his debut will depend on a few things, but I have to imagine he won’t play until the 21-22 season whether at the NHL or AHL level.

Here are updated stats on the rest of the prospect pool outside of the players playing with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. You can get their stats on the AHL’s website (here’s a link to BPT’s stats)

Ruslan Iskhakov (TPS): 36GP, 5G, 19A, 24pts
Josh Ho-Sang (Linkoping): 3GP, 1G
Alexander Ljungkrantz (Stromsbro): 11GP, 7G, 3A, 10pts
Christian Krygier (Michigan State): 23GP, 1G, 2A, 3pts
Anatoly Golyshev (Avtomobilist): 53GP, 12G, 15A, 27pts
Jacob Pivonka (Notre Dame): 26GP, 1G, 4A, 5pts
Ben Mirageas (Providence): 22GP, 1G, 8A, 9pts
Logan Cockerill (Boston University): 9GP, 5G, 4A, 9pts
Reece Newkirk (Melville Millionaires): 6GP, 4G, 8A, 12pts
Alex Jefferies (Merrimack College): 12GP, 4G, 6A, 10pts
Matias Rajaniemi (Pelicans): 36GP, 2G, 5A, 7pts