3 New York Islanders prospects in Bridgeport who are worth keeping an eye on

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Some prospects pools just aren’t that inspiring, and unfortunately, the New York Islanders are that unlucky team. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic has this pool dead last in the rankings, but there are always playmakers or at least potential playmakers to keep an eye on for the rest of the season.

The Isles are unfortunately going nowhere, thanks to their recent rough stretch, and the Bridgeport Islanders find themselves in the same predicament. But that shouldn’t even imply there aren’t prospects to watch in Bridgeport for the remainder of the season, as you may be looking at some future players on the big club.

One player who looks as though he will be with the Islanders for at least the foreseeable future is Kyle MacLean, who got the call-up back in January. Since joining the Isles, MacLean has six points and three goals in 20 contests, logging fourth-line minutes while playing with an edge.

Still plenty of talent to keep an eye on in the Islanders prospects pool

Samuel Bolduc is another one who proved to be worth keeping an eye on lately. After a 17-game stint last season on Long Island, Bolduc saw an additional 33 contests with the Isles, logging three points and playing a physical game while logging bottom-pairing minutes.

MacLean and Bolduc aren’t the only two players who have spent time in Bridgeport this season who have been worth following, especially after they went on their respective stints with the Islanders. There are a few others worth watching as Bridgeport’s 2023-24 AHL season reaches its final month.

None of the prospects listed below are guaranteed to do much of anything should they make the NHL. But they either developed well or at least have the potential to develop into at least garnering consideration with the big club next season if there is room in the lineup. Let’s meet three Islanders prospects whose names you should know about.

William Dufour has displayed high-upside productivity in the past

After logging 116 points in the 2021-22 season for the St. John Sea Dogs in the QMJHL’s regular season, William Dufour put himself on the map for better things in 2022-23. He played in one game that year with the New York Islanders, but he spent most of his time in Bridgeport.

Last season looked like a seamless transition when he put up 48 points and 21 goals in 69 games for Bridgeport, but he dropped off this season with less than a half-point per game. The 22-year-old has enough size and strength to become a power forward at the next level, and his improved skating gives him more than respectable speed.

Dufour remains a work-in-progress as he slowly but steadily keeps improving his overall game, and it’s something to watch toward the end of this season and even into the 2024-25 season. If he keeps improving his skating and plays to his physical strength at all times, we could see him with the big club down the road.

Productivity must be there, and it definitely can’t suffer another deep drop in 2024-25. This isn’t to say he needs to get it back up to 2022-23 numbers, but we also can’t see anywhere close to a repeat of this season.

Daylan Kuefler is another late-rounder with more upside than his draft status

Daylan Kuefler is one player who could make a list like this over the next few seasons, as he’s nowhere near a finished product, but his strength and raw tools are what make him enticing. A former sixth-round pick, Kuefler hasn’t dominated at any level, and it’s one reason he’s a fringe NHLer at best.

His most exciting season came in 2022-23 while playing for the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers when he scored 31 goals and totaled 61 points in 54 games while adding another seven points in 13 playoff outings.

Not healthy enough to start the season, we have seen a limited sample size of Kuefler so far, as he saw just 17 games of action for the ECHL’s Worcester Railers and 14 for Bridgeport, logging 12 points and seven goals in those 31 contests.

Physicality is what will most likely make him a standout in Bridgeport, and we will get an extended look to see how well he improves at the AHL level if he stays healthy all of next season.

A full offseason will benefit Kuefler, and he could surprise us productivity-wise, much like we saw from him over his last two seasons of juniors. He may not be the most well-known or the flashiest prospect, but Kuefler’s high potential makes him worth watching next year.

Eetu Liukas could be another late-round gem with size, strength

A running theme here regarding these players in Bridgeport is that they won’t wow you with productivity yet. But their size, steady improvement, and raw tools set them apart from others currently in Bridgeport who haven’t spent extended time with the Isles.

Eetu Liukas is another one of those players, drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 draft and playing his first season in North America this year. Like Dufour and Kuefler, his stat line is wowing nobody, with seven points and three goals in 41 contests, but his physicality is what also makes him an enticing prospect in Bridgeport to follow.

That said, there is a chance he picks up his scoring productivity, something we saw during his time in Finland, once, in Liiga when he amassed 14 goals in 58 games in 2022-23. He also scored another 10 goals in 13 contests in U20-SM Sarja the season before.

There were going to be struggles with the transition to North America, but once he’s got a full season under him, there is a good chance Liukas adapts and shows off that scoring ability. It won’t happen for what’s left of this season, but the physical play will draw you in.

Next year, keep an eye on that stat line, and if it trends north, Liukas will get an extended look if he combines such output with his physicality.

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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference and Elite Prospects)

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