Peter DeBoer and the New York Islanders' Expectations for Training Camp

The New York Islanders' training camp is off to a strong start, with almost half of the preseason games having been played. This being head coach Peter DeBoer's first training camp at the helm creates many storylines. A lot can happen before the September 30th opener in Toronto, but what is the coaching staff looking for to consider this a successful training camp?

After having the benefit of coaching this team at the end of last season and being around for the offseason plans, DeBoer is a step ahead of other first-year coaches. Having said that, the expectations for camp should be higher. Besides losing captain Anders Lee, DeBoer has the same group of players that he inherited. The new captain is Bo Horvat, and he has the experience of being the captain in Vancouver.

Due to this roster having many established veterans, but sprinkled with top young talent, the expectations for the season and camp vary. Seeing the progression of younger players like Liam Foudy, Victor Eklund, Cole Esierman, Kashawn Aitcheson, and Daniil Prokhorov is an enormous goal for the coaching staff this September.

More importantly, the immediate future will see Calum Ritchie and Matthew Schaefer continue to take bigger strides in both development and production for the upcoming season. Both players will have a big part in whether this team makes the playoffs.

Another form of success will be weeding out the veterans who will not be impactful to the NHL roster this season. The main player who comes to mind is Pierre Engvall. Others could be Ondrej Palat and Anthony Duclair. The fourth line may have a cycle of these players depending on injuries and production.

Ultimately, this team needs to get comfortable with DeBoer's system and philosophy as quickly as possible before the start of the season. That will be the true determinant of how this coaching staff feels before hopping on a plane to Toronto.

It may be a common cliche of coaches across the sport, but leaving camp healthy will be the biggest sign of success. The Islanders know this more than most teams right now after the news of Mathew Barzal being sidelined at the beginning of camp.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Schedule