NY Islanders head coach Patrick Roy running first NHL training camp since 2015

Tuesday was the sixth and final day of New York Islanders Rookie Training Camp, and as enjoyable as it is to see highlights of the team’s top prospects and hear about their growth, we’re ready for the real thing, and so is Patrick Roy. Teams around the league will take their physicals and have some media scrums on Wednesday before taking the ice on Thursday, where Roy will be anxiously waiting.

This will be the Isles’ head coach’s first NHL training camp since 2015 with the Colorado Avalanche, and there’s been a lot of optimism and curiosity around what an entire camp will do for a roster that had to learn the Hall-of-Famer’s system on the fly last season.

There are a handful of additions and subtractions heading into the camp, but more than any one player, the biggest impact is expected to come from behind the bench. There's a feeling that we have only started to scratch the surface of how Roy wants the Islanders to play. There's only so much that could've been expected after his arrival in late January, and a furious 8-0-1 finish to the regular season exceeded expectations in some ways, leading to even higher ones for this season.

While Cal Clutterbuck, a mainstay for 11 seasons and a ubiquitous part of the team's core, is not returning, there are plenty of familiar faces on a team that can't shake the narrative that they are stuck in the "mushy middle" of the league despite adding All-Star Anthony Duclair and coveted KHL winger Maxim Tsyplakov to a team that has made the post-season five out the last six seasons.

There appear to be few open spots heading into camp, with Oliver Wahlstrom, Hudson Fasching, and Simon Holmstrom vying for the “12th forward” role. Kyle MacLean, who thrived after being called up in the second half and signed a three-year contract this summer, is expected to be part of a new-look fourth line. Meanwhile, Matt Martin returns on a PTO, aiming to prove that he can still play the role of team enforcer and more as he tries to extend his career on Long Island in the NHL.