Islanders prospects daily: Reece Newkirk plays 3 games in 3 days

Here’s you’re daily New York Islanders prospects report. You’ll find out who played yesterday (and how they did), who’s playing today (and what to look for), and every few updates I’ll tell you how these prospects have moved up (or down) in my prospects rankings.

New York Islanders prospects in action yesterday (1/5/21)

• Reece Newkirk (Winterhawks)
  • Stats: 1G, 6SOG, 50% FOW

Another game another point for Newkirk, this time on the power play. His efforts on the night won him third star of the game even though his team lost 3-2.

With 21 points in 19 games, his scoring rate has fallen to 1.11 points per game compared to the 1.18 he had last year. It’s typically a concerning sign when you see prospects regress a bit, but with the way the season has played out, dropping 0.07 points per game might not be the red flag it usually is for other prospects.

Prospects in action today (2/5/21)

• Reece Newkirk (Winterhawks)
• Ruslan Iskhakov (TPS)

Newkirk, again? Yeah, his team is seemingly making up for lost time. This is their third game in three nights. That’s right, back-to-back-to-back games for the Winterhawks. I understand these kids are young and fit, and that they certainly want to get back to playing hockey regularly, but three games in three nights seems insane.

Game three for TPS vs. HIFK in the Liiga semi-finals. After Iskhakov had a standout game, the series is now tied 1-1. Going up 2-1 in the best of five would be huge for either side. Hopefully, for Iskhakov, his side prevails today to take the lead in the series.

HIFK is the second seed in the league and TPS has had a difficult time with them over the year, now would be the time to get the better of the Helsinki side. Hopefully, Ruslan can play a bit part for the second game in a row.