NY Islanders sign impressive late round draft pick to entry level contract

The New York Islanders made Vladimir Dravecky’s place in their prospect pipeline a little more official Wednesday, signing the 18-year-old defenseman to a three-year entry-level contract.

That alone isn’t especially unusual. Teams sign draft picks all the time.

What makes Dravecky interesting is how quickly the Islanders’ fifth-round pick has started to look like something more than a typical fifth-round project.

Selected 141st overall in June, Dravecky already came with an intriguing combination of offensive skill, confidence and experience. He had 28 points in 58 games during his first OHL season with Brantford, then helped the Bulldogs reach the Eastern Conference Final. He had also already played professional hockey in Sweden and represented Czechia internationally.

But the thing that really separated him during the draft process wasn’t necessarily his stat line.

It was the way people around him talked about his approach.

Jay McKee, who coached Dravecky in Brantford before becoming head coach of the Hamilton Hammers, called him perhaps the best practice player he had seen in 11 years in the OHL. McKee described a player who operates at full speed, communicates constantly and approaches everyday work more like a professional than a junior player.

That reputation matters because fifth-round picks rarely arrive with guarantees. Development becomes everything.

Dravecky appears to understand that.

Stories from his time in Brantford included arriving early for extra ice, staying after practice, doing additional gym work and putting extra attention into recovery. Brantford associate coach Vince Laise simply described him as having “the mindset of a pro.”

Now the Islanders are betting that mindset can eventually turn into an NHL defenseman.

There have already been encouraging signs this season. Dravecky recorded an assist during his preseason debut with the Islanders and has opened the OHL season with four points in four games for Guelph.

He’s still a long-term prospect. There’s plenty of development ahead, especially for an 18-year-old defenseman. However, only a few months after hearing his name in the fifth round, Dravecky is already giving them reasons to think they may have gotten very good value.

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