The 2023 NHL Entry Draft has come and gone. Connor Bedard went number one overall to the Chicago Blackhawks, the Anaheim Ducks made a surprising selection with Leo Carlsson, and all 32 teams looked to add elite young talent to their farm systems.
Related: 2023 NHL Draft: Live Tracker
The New York Islanders only had five selections in the draft and only two in the first four rounds. Despite the limited number of picks, general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello made sure to address the need for scoring. The Islanders scored only 2.95 goals per game this year and the team must strengthen the forward unit for next season. The prospects selected reflected that urge to improve the unit with the first three picks being forwards. While some of them will need time to develop, the expectation is that they will upgrade the offense in the near future.
Second Round: Danny Nelson
Danny Nelson is committed to playing for Notre Dame in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) next year. However, he is a forward worth investing a second-round pick in. He’s a bigger-bodied (6-foot-3, weighing 200 pounds), two-way player, and an instinctive goalscorer. He didn’t start his career as a forward, as he initially was a defenseman but as he developed, he switched positions. The transition to center made him a great defensive forward but also a skater that could take advantage of his scoring instincts.
The player to compare him to is Anders Lee, which seems appropriate. Lee grew up in Minnesota and made a name for himself at Notre Dame before he became the Islanders’ captain. Nelson is not only taking a similar path but taking on a similar playstyle. He’s a scorer with a great shot and looks for the puck near the net and in high-danger areas which is something the Islanders need in their offense. He’s not a great skater but he uses his size and power to impact games.
The question will be whether the Islanders should have taken Carson Rehkopf with the 49th overall pick instead of Nelson. Rehkopf had a great year with the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and he has a high upside. Lamoriello passed on him and he fell to the Seattle Kraken, who took him with the next pick. However, Nelson’s great play overall was too good to pass up, making him the team’s first selection in the 2023 Draft. The Islanders are hoping that they’ve selected another two-way player that like Lee, can be a pivotal part of the forward unit for years to come.
Fourth Round: Jesse Nurmi
The Islanders didn’t have a selection in the third round because of the Andrew Ladd trade in the 2021 offseason, but when they were on the clock in the fourth round, they took a swing with their pick. At 5-foot-11, and weighing only 165 pounds, size is a concern for Jesse Nurmi as he’s one of the smaller prospects in this draft. However, the skill set that he provides makes him one of the higher-upside selections in this draft.
Nurmi is a great playmaker who established himself this season in the Finnish Liiga, scoring 21 goals and 29 assists in only 49 games. His best attribute is his passing as he finds open skaters in the offensive zone and creates scoring opportunities with quick centering passes from the wing. Along with that, Nurmi also has a good shot and speed to potentially make him a dynamic forward at the NHL level. The Islanders need a scoring presence on the wing and with their fourth-round selection, they might have filled that need.
Nurmi will have to adapt when he joins the American Hockey League (AHL) and the NHL, specifically, he’ll have to adjust to a hard-hitting game and bigger opponents. However, he can become a great forward in a few years if he continues to develop. Nurmi can use his passing and puck-moving skills to become a valuable part of the offense in a similar fashion to Mathew Barzal, who is also a pass-first player with elite speed.
Fifth Round: Justin Gill
Justin Gill is an older skater at 20 years old and has already spent multiple seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Charlottetown Islanders and the Sherbrooke Phoenix. While his development is stagnating, he’s progressed into a great playmaker at the center position. This season, he scored 44 goals and 49 assists with the Phoenix and showed that he can be a well-rounded forward at the NHL level.
The downside to Gill is that he’s already 20, making him a player the Islanders would hope to have on the roster soon. His production has also been inflated by the QMJHL, a league where defenses aren’t as challenging. He lacks a high ceiling but his floor could make him a potential replacement for Casey Cizikas as a two-way center in a bottom-six role.
Islanders Select Defense to Round Out the Draft
Lamoriello addressed the defense with his last two selections. He went with Zachary Schultz in the sixth round and then Dennis Good Bogg in the seventh. Schultz doesn’t have great skills on the offensive end but he’ll have time to work on them as he’ll be playing for the Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA next year. Good Bogg, along with having the best name in the draft, is a bigger defenseman at 6-foot-2 and weighing 200 pounds and the hope is that he can become a hard-hitting shot-blocking skater at the NHL level.
The bottom line is that the Islanders needed to add depth to the forward position and Lamoriello did just that. They didn’t have a lot of draft capital because of the Ladd and Bo Horvat trades but Lamoriello took advantage of his five selections. With three forwards selected in the first five rounds, the Islanders can look for one or two of them to become starters in the near future. Nelson was the safe bet, Nurmi was the high-risk, high-reward pick, and Gill will add depth if he works out.
