NY Islanders sign OHL leading scorer Matthew Maggio to three-year ELC
The New York Islanders announced on Monday that 2022 fifth-round draft pick (142nd overall), Matthew Maggio signed a three-year entry-level contract (ELC).
The 20-year-old forward is coming off a historic season with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), in which he led the league in goals (54) and points (111) in 66 games. He also tallied a career-best 57 assists this season.
After the conclusion of his OHL season, Maggio signed an Amateur Tryout (ATO) with the Bridgeport Islanders, the team's AHL affiliate, and picked up a pair of assists in three games. The deal is reportedly a two-way entry-level contract, worth 775K in the NHL and $82.K with Bridgeport, and comes with a signing bonus of $95K.
For his season, Maggio was named the winner of the 2022-23 Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy, which is presented to the Ontario Hockey League's (OHL) Overage Player of the Year as voted on by the league's General Managers. He joined Windsor's current GM, Bill Bowler, as the only players in franchise history to win the award.
Maggio was held without a point in just nine of 66 OHL games this season. His emergence throughout the year as an elite scorer at the junior level brings excitement to an Islanders prospect pool that is not highly ranked and is without their previous top prospect Aaty Raty following the Bo Horvat trade with Vancouver on Jan. 30.
Maggio, along with 2020 fifth-round pick William Dufour, are now among the Islanders' top prospects heading into next season. As GM Lou Lamoriello has traded the team's last four first-round picks, the upside from these two late-round picks is crucial to the Isles prospect pipeline.