The New York Islanders roster beginning to take shape
The New York Islanders' roster has begun to take shape as the team enters the stretch drive of the preseason. The roster is down to one main group with some players still on the outside looking in.
On Sunday morning, the New York Islanders roster was whittled down to a single group following a round of cuts. In total, 12 players were sent down to Bridgeport of the AHL to resume preparation for their season.
Meanwhile, the main group consisting of 25 players hit the ice for practice on Sunday morning. The only two absences on the day were Hudson Fasching who is nursing a lower-body injury and Semyon Varlamov who had a maintenance day.
NHL.com reported the following players on the ice for Sunday’s practice:
Forwards:
13 - Mathew Barzal
53 - Casey Cizikas
11 - Anthony Duclair
18 - Pierre Engvall
16 - Julien Gauthier
10 - Simon Holmstrom
14 - Bo Horvat
27 - Anders Lee
32 - Kyle MacLean
17 - Matt Martin
29 - Brock Nelson
44 - Jean-Gabriel Pageau
21 - Kyle Palmieri
7 - Maxim Tsyplakov
26 - Oliver Wahlstrom
Defensemen:
25 - Dennis Cholowski
8 - Noah Dobson
34 - Grant Hutton
24 - Scott Mayfield
3 - Adam Pelech
6 - Ryan Pulock
2 - Mike Reilly
28 - Alexander Romanov
Netminders:
50 - Marcus Hogberg
1 - Jakub Skarek
The Islanders will be in action again on Monday night against the Philadelphia Flyers. The lineup for that matchup could resemble something close to what fans can expect for opening night. The tandem of Hogberg and Skarek will mostly likely suit up for Monday night’s tilt as the backup role still seems to be up for grabs at the moment.
Notes from Day 11 of the New York Islanders preseason camp
12 players sent to the AHL
In total, 12 players are headed to Bridgeport ahead of the AHL season. These players are:
Willam Dufour
Marc Gatcomb
Alex Jefferies
Eetu Liukas
Matthew Maggio
Camden Thiesig
Aidan Fulp
Isaiah George
Travis Mitchel
Calle Odelius
Marshall Warren
Henrik Tikkanen
Several of the players on this list had a strong showing at camp. Unfortunately, roster spots are limited. With the Isles’ penchant for veterans, the likelihood of these players making the team was slim.
Five players still on the outside looking in
Five additional players are still on the outside looking in. Matt Martin and Keith Kinkaid are still on PTOs. They haven’t seen any game action this preseason. Still, there’s reason to believe they’ll get in at some point to show what they’ve got.
Meanwhile, Samuel Bolduc, Liam Foudy, and Fredrik Karlstrom are still with the big club. Any of these three, or perhaps all three, still have a chance to make the team. Coach Patrick Roy has praised Karlstrom and Foudy for their performances thus far. So, it remains to be seen if they could make the team out of camp.
Roy impressed with Tsyplakov
During Roy’s media availability on Sunday, he addressed Maxim Tsyplakov’s play thus far. Roy lauded Tsyplakov, underscoring his size, good puck movement, and strong defensive play.
In particular, Roy highlighted that Tsyplakov has looked good on the power play, specifically, the netfront presence that he offers.
Moving forward, Roy confirmed that the Isles will give Tsyplakov opportunities to play in various roles before settling on the final spot for him in the lineup.
Tsyplakov could be poised to have a great first season in the NHL. So, there’s plenty of optimism for Isles fans regarding the team’s newest import.