Islanders could have found diamond in depths of 2025 NHL Draft

The New York Islanders’ 2025 NHL Draft was a home run, slam dunk, touchdown, or whatever other sports metaphor you’d like to use. The Isles literally won the lottery with Matthew Schaefer. Not only did the first-overall pick make the team this season, but he’s even surpassed the hype.

A draft-day deal also landed two more promising prospects in Victor Eklund, and Kashawn Aitcheson with the 16th and 17th overall picks, respectively.

As it stands, the Islanders’ prospect pipeline could soon become an embarrassment of riches. But amid the high-end pieces, there’s one prospect who could emerge as a diamond in the rough.

That diamond could be seventh-rounder Jacob Kvasnicka.

The Islanders picked Kvasnicka with the 202nd overall pick. For most, getting selected at that stage represents a thrill, but hardly a sure path to the NHL.

But according to a December 15 piece in The Athletic, the Islanders could have yet another promising young player in Kvanicka.

Corey Pronman wrote the following about the Isles’ forward prospect:

“Kvasnicka didn’t have a great draft season, but he’s looked promising in his draft-plus-one in the WHL. He’s a good skater with legit skill who has shown more consistent effort. His size is the only issue in his projection at 5-foot-11.”

The comments suggest Kvasnicka won’t be a power forward. But then again, we’ve seen other seemingly undersized NHL forwards thrive in the league. They utilize their speed and skill to compensate for their lack of physicality against larger forwards. Brendan Gallagher of the Montreal Canadiens and Logan Stankoven of the Carolina Hurricanes come to mind. 

Kvansicka is actually bigger than both Gallagher and Stankoven. So, there’s certainly an upside here.

Perhaps the best comparable could be Kyle Palmieri. Palmieri is slightly taller than Kvansnicka. But Palmieri’s apparent lack of size hasn’t stopped him from being a high-end scoring winger in the NHL.

While Pronman’s comments are hardly an endorsement for Kvaniscka to make the NHL any time soon, they could be a harbinger for a player who could become a draft steal. If Kvasnicka can deliver on his promise, the Islanders could have a highly valuable depth piece to offset the eventual departure of some veteran forwards down the line.