Who Is Mike Halmo?

photo by hockeysfuture

Today, along with teammates Anders Lee and Ryan Strome, Mike Halmo was called up to the Islanders.  What set Halmo apart from Strome & Lee is that he has never been with the big club before.  This unfamiliarity caused some Islanders fans to wonder who exactly he is when news that he was called up came out.

Halmo was a prospect who went un-drafted that the Islanders signed in March of 2012 to a 3 year entry level contract.  In his final year in juniors Halmo was 5th in the OHL in scoring with 85 points in 66 games and also served as team captain in his final season.

While he does have a scoring touch, Halmo does play with an edge to.  In his final year in juniors Halmo amassed 162 penalty minutes.  He is perhaps best known for getting a 10 game suspension after placing an illegal hit on Nail Yakupov.  

Halmo didn't stop playing with his edge when he left juniors.  He has continued with that edge in his time with Bridgeport.  In his 104 games with Bridgeport Halmo amassed 167 penalty minutes.  He doesn't spend all his time in the box though as he has also put up 52 points in that same 104 game span.

I don't really know enough about Halmo to have an opinion but on the surface it appears as though Halmo has the ingredients to be a fan favorite at the NHL level should he pan out.