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New York Islanders

Everything to Know From Day 1 of Islanders Rookie Camp

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New York Islanders

Thursday marked the first day of on-ice work for the New York Islanders prospects and rookies as 22 skaters and three goaltenders were in attendance at Northwell Ice Center in East Meadow, NY.

Here is the New York Islanders rookie camp roster:

A few things to note about the roster. 22-year-old defenseman Bode Wilde, who decided against getting vaccinated leading to a loan overseas, was not invited to the development portion of camp. The NHL has a new rule this season that players cannot be held out of team activities due to their vaccination status, so Wilde’s situation remains up in the air.

Another thing to note is that Parker Wotherspoon was not present nor is he on the roster. He is the last remaining restricted free agent the Islanders have, and there is no update on what the holdout is.

There were two familiar faces on the ice helping out with camp in a pair of former New York Islanders defensemen Johnny Boychuk and Dennis Seidenberg. Both have been around the team since their playing days ended.

I asked New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello at the 2022 NHL Draft if there was a place for Johnny Boychuk within the organization.

“There certainly is. You know, we just have to convince him. We’ll just have to convince him to go to work.”

It has not been shared if he is joining the organization as a development coach or not.

Lamoriello was on hand to watch the first day of rookie camp.

Camp started with some simple skating drills before a bit of a ramp-up if you will. Pucks were introduced for some basic passing and shooting, with empty nets.

Towards the end, the three netminders took turns in goal but did not face any shots. Instead, they worked on their angles, moving from post to post, following the puck.

There were some talks that the New York Islanders Director of Goaltending, Mitch Korn, would not be back with the organization this season, which had nothing to do with the firing of Barry Trotz. But Mitch Korn was at camp, watching for the most part before hitting the ice to work with the goaltenders on the end.

As for the Islanders goaltending coach, Piero Greco, he is still with the club, as was expected.

There were a few players in attendance that are not rookies, like 27-year-old Grant Hutton and 23-year-old Robin Salo, who both saw time at the NHL level a season ago. The latest Islanders transaction, 24-year-old defenseman Dennis Cholowski was present as well, along with 23-year-old Arnaud Durandeau.

I caught up with a rather happy Grant Hutton following the skate as one could tell he was just happy to be back.

“It was great,” Hutton said. “Great opportunity for everybody to get on the ice. First time seeing a lot of these guys in a while since last season so good to get on the ice, get some puck touches, and it’s a good opportunity for all these guys to be on the ice with each other and be more prepared, whether it be conditioning, puck touches whatever it may be.

“Just be more prepared for camp, and it’s coming up quick.”

Robin Salo echoed Hutton’s statement.

“Felt good. You know, it’s nice to get out there again, you know, get the skating going,” Salo said. “Just trying to get ready for main camp.”

Here are some pictures from day 1:

The New York Islanders will be back on the ice Friday morning as one would expect the drills to ramp up as development camp moves along.

The current New York Islanders will be on the ice on Sept. 21 for the start of training camp.

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