Islanders: A deep look at left wing depth

Collin Adams and Alexander Ljungkrantz

Collin Adams is actually a pretty good prospect. He was a 6th round pick in 2016 out of the USHL, where he had nearly a point per game. He played two mediocre seasons at the University of North Dakota, scoring 15 points in 58 games over the two years.

But as a junior at UND, Adams, out of nowhere, found a new level of play. He jumped to 28 points in 35 games, then scored 34 in just 29 games last season, tied for 6th in the entire NCAA.

Sure, he was a senior, while the more well-known top scorers (Cole Caufield, Dylan Holloway, and Matt Boldy, among others) were much younger. But 6th is still 6th, and it’s something to be excited about.

By the way, Adams mostly played center at UND. But I’m including him here because he’s listed as a LW on CapFriendly and is projected to mostly play the wing in the pros.

Adams will play the 2021-22 season in Bridgeport, where we’ll be keeping an eye on him. It’s possible that this late-round pick might become a regular NHLer if he can make the transition to the pro game.

If you read the name Alexander Ljungkrantz and have no idea how to pronounce it, just imagine how Butch Goring feels. Ljungkrantz was the Isles’ 3rd round pick in 2020.

He currently plays for Brynäs IF in Sweden’s top league, although he spent a large part of last season on loan to a team in the 3rd tier league (where he scored 14 points in 16 games). His time in the top league was pretty rough, with only one point in 16 games

We won’t see Ljungkrantz in North America for a while, but he has shown flashes of talent in Sweden. A good year in the SHL could go a long way towards convincing me that he’s a real prospect. Right now, I’m not quite there yet.

To be fair to Ljungkrantz, he is only 19 years old. Could he eventually become a good NHL player? Maybe. There’s a reason Lou Lamoriello drafted him, and I certainly don’t have the scouts Lou does. Right now, I don’t think he’s all that good – but he can change my mind.