Draft selection profiles

Today Islanders Crazy will give our readers some insight into the known and unknown names of the Islanders draft selections from this weekend. From Tavares who no one needs to look him up to the High Schooler Anders Lee who not only is a talented hockey player but can also hold his own on the gridiron. So now we will profile 5 of the 7 picks made this weekend by the New York Islanders.


John Tavares- The 6’0” ft center from Oakville, Ontario was the consensus pick by everyone. After receiving “exceptional player” status he allowed be drafted at the age of 14 and won rookie of the year in 2006 as 15 year old. Tavares broke the OHL record for goals in a season with 72 as a 16 year old. Won back to back gold medals with team Canada. He is a player that will bring draw a crowd to the coliseum and make every game an interesting. Described by central scouting as “an offensive player who is reliable in his defensive zone and getting better at that, but yet not asked to do that very frequently. He is pure offense and for his first years in the NHL will probably be asked to do just that." Pierre McGuire of TSN said after the Islanders drafted Tavares “the Islanders now become a team you wanna watch.”

Calvin de Hann- Played his first season in the OHL this past season and finished second in the OHL among rookie defensemen with 68 points and scored 6 goals. He played for team Canada in the under-18 championship getting in 6 assists and having a plus six rating in six games. Hockey’sfuture.com says “de Haan is a solid offensive defenseman who makes an excellent first pass and runs the power play. de Haan's greatest attribute is his outstanding skating. His fluid stride and quick feet allow him to play sound positional defense -- and make up for any mistakes he may make. Physicality isn't his strong suit right now with his slight frame, but he makes excellent decisions with the puck and interviewed well at the NHL Combine.” Some also say de Hann was a powerful one-two punch on the power play along side John Tavares.

Mikko Koskinen- The 6’5” Finnish goalie who was taken 1st in the 2nd round adds much needed depth to the goalie position. A big presence in front of the net Koskinen posted a 1.91 goals-against average and a .931 save- percentage. Hockey’sfuture.com say “Koskinen’s greatest asset is his size, which he uses to seemingly fill the entire net and he covers a lot of space in the butterfly. He is inexperienced in terms of the number of games played and has not had a lot of international experience – excelling in the SM-Liiga where he ordinarily does not see the booming slapshots or accurate snipers more common in North America. Still learning as a goaltender, he must work to improve his quickness and foot speed. Very good at anticipating chances and setting himself to limit scoring opportunities. Quality teammate who has earned the respect of the veteran players in Espoo.“ According to Islanders Point Blank, Peter Mannino was not offered a Qualifying Offer which opens room for Koskinen to head to Bridgeport next season.

Casey Cizikas- Picked 92nd by the Islanders and was rated 92nd by central scouting the 5’10” center from Toronto Played 2 years with Mississauga St. Michael's of the OHL put up 16 goals last season with 20 assists. Hockey Prospect calls him “A player who has a solid all around game and does a lot of things right. He has decent offensive skills, putting up 18 goals and 41 points in his rookie season in the OHL last year. He is capable of far more offensively. He is a great passer, has great skating ability and a knack for finding room for himself. This player is definitely very crafty with the puck when pressured. He also has a very nice set of hands and should shoot a little more than he does. He does need to get a little stronger in his upper body, to be able to better battle in traffic. He’s a good solid prospect who at 5-11, 185 lbs will get a little more filled out. We like his upside.” Wouldn’t expect to see him with the big club for a few years.

Anders Lee Not only a gifted hockey player Anders Lee is an extremely intelligent person, possessing a 3.97 grade point average in school. Playing for Edina High in Minnesota Lee posted 20 goals in 25 games in his final season at Edina. A man-child (Hockey’s future’s words not mine) Lee is 6’2” and a whapping 210lb Hockey’sfuture.com says “He is exceedingly strong on his skates and quite mobile. What stands out about Lee’s skating however is the great balance and agility that he has for such a big man. He also has some speed to go with it. Lee utilizes his large frame, strength and long reach to great advantage. He is not only a difficult player to move off of the puck, but he can also power his way through the opposition’s checks too. He is very strong along the boards and in the corners. Where Lee’s use of his size and strength are particularly noticeable are in his relentless drives to the net and in protecting the puck. He can also deliver some bone-jarring hits as well. One of Lee’s greatest attributes is his very heavy shot. He can get pucks to the net and gets his shots off very quickly. He is a smart player who competes hard and sees the ice remarkably well. He is defensively responsible and is a competent penalty killer. An area where Lee really excelled this season with Edina was on face-offs. He possesses nice hands and is very poised with the puck. While his passing skills are good, it’s an area that can and should improve with maturity and development.” Lee is also a talented football prospect that was recruited by some notable schools such as Harvard, Denver and Minnesota but turned them down to go play hockey at the university of Notre Dame.

Sidenote- Islanders Crazy will profile the final two selections at a later date.