Islanders land a potential star scorer with first pick of seven-round NHL Mock Draft

The New York Islanders will be a team to watch at the 2024 NHL Draft, as general manager Lou Lamoriello has his work cut out for him to rebuild this prospects pool. Luckily, Lamoriello still has a solid NHL club, so nobody needs to rush the development of any of the prospects taken come June. 

But he must still exercise a sense of urgency as the Islanders aren’t getting any younger, so sooner rather than later, a dynamic group of future NHL stars needs to populate perhaps the league’s worst prospects pool. 

Lamoriello will find some dynamic talent (and scorers) in the 2024 draft class, and in this draft simulation from FC Hockey, I played the longtime executive’s role and managed to land not one but two players who bring an exciting game when their team has the puck.  

Since it was a simulation, all the players you see listed in this mock fell to me with each of the team’s five picks for 2024. I wasn’t able to manipulate who would be available in any way, so it made for a realistic experience. 

Who could potentially become part of the Isles system at the end of June? Here are five dynamic and intriguing talents, regardless of where they were snagged in this simulation. 

Round 1: Liam Greentree, RW/Windsor

At 18th overall, Liam Greentree fell a few slots down from his 14th overall ranking per FC Hockey’s system, and he alone adds immense excitement to one of the NHL’s most barren prospect pools. He carries an ideal blend of size and productivity, with 90 points and 36 goals on a Windsor Spitfires team that finished with the second-lowest points total in the OHL. 

Greentree already knows how to put up outstanding numbers; now he only needs to take the next two seasons to keep growing his game.

Round 2: Leo Sahlin Wallenius, D/Vaxjo Lakers J18

The Islanders have had a tough time scoring this season, and their prospects pool doesn’t have many (if any) players with game-changing potential on the horizon to remedy those issues. A defenseman capable of putting up points would excite Isles fans, even if Leo Sahlin Wallenius likely won’t play in North America until at least 2025-26. 

Along with Greentree, Sahlin Wallenius gives the Islanders prospect pool a pair of scoring options from the front and back end, respectively, and it will be scary to think what the latter’s encore performance will be following a season when he notched nearly a point per game. 

Round 4: Jonas Taibel, LW/Rapperswil U20

Later in the draft, I wanted to roll with the best available value prospects, and Jonas Taibel was one of the more intriguing pickups. He primarily played in the QMJHL and fared adequately, but he returned to Switzerland this past season and will enter NL’s pro ranks in 2024-25. He performed well in short stints in international play, and if he gains that consistency in NL, he could factor in as a potential steal for whichever organization lands him later on Day 2. 

Round 5: Noa Vali, G/TPS

Every time I create a seven-round mock draft via a simulator, I always need to add at least one goaltender to an organization - or hypothetically add them. Noa Vali was the best overall player on the board at this spot, and he’s been phenomenal throughout his time in Finland, as his Elite Prospects profile indicates. 

He may never have Ilya Sorokin’s size, but Vali already has the speed and instincts reminiscent of the Isles current goaltender. Sorokin proved to be an excellent find back in 2014, and Vali could realistically follow a similar path. 

Round 6: Anthony Romani, RW/North Bay

High-potential picks toward the end of the draft are often my favorite, so I went with the most productive player remaining, which also came with versatility. Thanks to his 111 points in the regular season, Anthony Romani is one player another organization could “reach” for, but if he fell to the Islanders this late in the draft, Lou Lamoriello would add even more intrigue with this pick. 

(Statistics provided by Elite-Prospects)