Tonight at the Coliseum, Islanders prospects squared off in their annual scrimmage to end rookie mini camp. The crowd for the game where all ticket sale proceeds benefited the Islanders Childrens Foundation seemed to be larger than in years past after the teams run to the playoffs last season.
Below are some guys that stood out for me:
Ryan Strome-All I have to say is wow!! I know its just a scrimmage so you can't take to much away from it, but I thought he was fantastic. He showed great vision setting up LI native Joey Diamond on the first goal and his line pretty much held control of the play each time they were out there.
Griffin Reinhart-Wasn't as much a standout as Strome but still solid. Him and Strome had a nice battle going at times throughout the night.
Joey Diamond-The LI native had a solid game tonight in front of his home town crowd and his own personal cheering sections 227/228. Given he was aided by the fact he was the winger on the line with Ryan Strome but Diamond had a good game on his own. Not sure if Diamond will ever be a regular NHL player. However, if he isn't it won't be for lack of heart or desire. Even in the scrimmage tonight you could see Diamond laying it out there including attempting to pick a fight with a defenseman nearly a foot larger then him.
Eamon Mcadam-While he struggled a bit in the second half, he was very solid in the first half making some big saves. While he is a bit away from even Bridgeport I would think, there is potential in the third round pick we acquired in the Cal Clutterbuck trade.
Jason Clark-He had a solid game and scored a couple goals, not sure if I ever see him as a regular in the NHL though.
Kirill Kabanov-While he didn't register a point tonight, he did show some good board play and the willingness to go into the dirty area. Plus he nearly pulled off the craziest move of the shootout. He was derailed last year by his wrist injury that kept him out a few months. If he can stay healthy this season I am expecting big things from Kirill.
Mike Dalhuisen-This guy has a nasty streak and some shot. If groomed correctly he could be quite the asset for us.
Victor Crus Rydberg-I am intrigued by him as a prospect because had some good moments tonight that made me go wow. Most notably his move in the shootout which reportedly hadn't worked in an environment like that since he was 15 years old.
Overall, this was a good time, could summer hockey ever be a bad time? The post game autograph signing was much more organized than the one two years ago so good on the Islanders for learning with that.
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