Over the past five seasons, the New York Islanders have committed to their core by becoming buyers at the trade deadline and have been forced to ship out their high draft picks – they have not made a first-round selection since drafting Simon Holmström 23rd overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. Despite that, the team has a few impressive prospects.
The organization’s two most notable prospects are Danny Nelson and Calle Odelius. Nelson, drafted 49th overall in the 2023 Draft, is a 6-foot-3, left-handed center playing for the University of Notre Dame in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). He is a former defenseman and uses his body well to win puck battles and get the puck out of the defensive zone.
Odelius is a left-handed defenseman, selected with the 65th overall pick in the 2022 Draft, and plays a strong, fast-paced game that helps drive offense and create turnovers. Playing on loan for Djurgårdens IF of HockeyAllsvenskan, he is considered one of the most NHL-ready prospects in the Islanders’ system. Besides Nelson and Odelius, there are some lesser-known prospects in the organization that fans should look forward to seeing in Long Island.
Quinn Finley
Quinn Finley should be on the radar of all Islanders fans. Drafted 78th overall in the 2022 Draft, he is a 6-foot left-winger who possesses a lethal shot. In his first year in the NCAA, playing for the University of Wisconsin, he has nine goals in 25 games. He also suited up alongside Nelson at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship for the United States, where the two led the team to gold. While Finley played sheltered minutes, he was relied on for the team’s penalty kill as well as being used late in close games.
Like Nelson and Odelius, Finley is on the younger side of his draft class. With an August birthday, he was just over a month away from being ineligible for the 2022 Draft. Being so young, he was behind in his development compared to much of the draft class, but in the NCAA, Finley stacks up well against his fellow freshmen. His nine goals trail other top u20 prospects Rutger McGroarty and Cruz Lucius, by just one. However, he leads prospects such as Matthew Wood and Isaac Howard. While he may not have been drafted in the first round, Finley has found a prominent role at the top-ranked University of Wisconsin.
Zach Schulz
Finley’s teammate, Zach Schulz, is a left-handed defenseman who the Islanders drafted 177th overall in the 2023 Draft. Like the prospects mentioned above, Schulz is on the younger side, not turning 19 until this coming June. Despite his age, he has found a significant role on that same Wisconsin team, using his discipline to prevent opposing teams from finding high-danger chances around the net as well as helping transition the puck through the neutral zone to create offensive opportunities.
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A true defensive defenseman, Schulz uses his 6-foot-1 frame to play an eerily similar style to the Islanders’ Adam Pelech. Like Pelech, Schulz has a prominent stick, using it to poke check pucks off of offenders’ sticks while maintaining strong positioning. Of course, his offense is not ideal, having just two goals and five points in 23 games so far this season. However, those 23 games should be what matters most to fans since it shows he has played in all but five of the team’s games. For a school aiming to make a push for the National Championship, Schulz has shown that even as one of the youngest players in the NCAA, he belongs.
Cameron Berg
Drafted 125th overall in the 2021 Draft, Cameron Berg did not do anything of note until this season. In two seasons at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, he put up a respectable 18 goals and 47 points in 74 games. This season, he has 15 goals and 29 points in 28 games for the University of North Dakota, another top-ranked team in the NCAA. His high hockey IQ pairs well with his elite shot, helping generate offensive chances from high-risk areas on the ice.
Berg is also phenomenal defensively, using his elite skating to forecheck and his stick to prevent the opposition from entering the defensive zone. While he may have turned 22 years old in January, his constant growth since he was drafted will set him up for a long and prosperous professional career.
Alex Jefferies
Alex Jefferies was selected 121st overall in the 2020 Draft. The right-handed left-winger has dominated for Merrimack College this season, where he sits at 12 goals in 17 games. His elite shot is another skill the Islanders need, and his familiarity on the left wing is a valuable asset that will get him far in the organization. With his signing rights set to expire on August 15, he will need to sign a contract before then for the Islanders to guarantee his retention. However, an amateur tryout signing with the Bridgeport Islanders this spring that leads to an entry-level contract is likely, and he may be the Islanders’ prospect who is closest to reaching the NHL.
Despite trading away many of their top picks in recent years, the Islanders have some talented prospects worth following. While all four players are in the NCAA, the organization has prospects across all leagues and can find players with different strengths and skills.
