New York Islanders in a Good Place With Roy
Stephen Rosner of NHL.com : The good news for the New York Islanders is that they are believed to be in a strong position with the team. Now comes the hard part. Can the Islanders improve on last year and more than just make the playoffs?
“He’s got fire,” said Hockey Hall of Fame center Pierre Turgeon, who played with Roy on the Montreal Canadiens in 1995. “He is upset. He has all his feelings under him. He wants to win. He was like a player. It was all about one thing. He wants to win.”
Few coaches love hockey like Roy. It comes from his activities and the way he trains on the ice. Hopefully the Islanders can turn that 8-0-1 finish into a consistent start to 2024-25. His player experience is as important as his coaching experience.
New York will need both to be at their best this coming season.
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James Hagens and Top Pick
Mark Masters: It is known that Hagens is the first pick of the 2025 NHL draft. The player who plays for the US National Team Development Program Under-18 team has collected 102 points in 58 games.
He was the player who scored more than three points per game (22 in seven contests) at the 2024 World U-18 Championship.
Apparently, he wanted revenge in Canada and it showed in a big way on Saturday. Now, it’s a long way until next June but Hagens is clearly the head of the class when it comes to first draft picks. Boston College has quite the Freshman player this Fall.
The one that got away
Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey NOW: If there’s one thing Doug Wilson regrets, it’s letting Joe Pavelski leave in free agency. The San Jose Sharks Center was a mainstay until 2019. Pavelski retired as the leading scorer since the 2003 draft (1068 points and 476 goals).
People often forget that Pavelski was not selected until the 205th pick of that draft. Such a finding is rare though not impossible.
Yes, it’s still hard to believe that 204 prospects were drafted before Pavelski. Center stopped short of having the best set of hands in power play situations.
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Not seeing Pavelski on the ice this season will still feel strange.
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