New York Islanders

Engvall Hits Ice With Islanders, Skates With Horvat & Lee

Published

1 year ago

March 2, 2023

EAST MEADOW, NY — On Tuesday evening, the New York Islanders went out and got much-needed NHL depth to help fill out their lineup while players remain out with injuries. For the cost of a third-round pick in 2024, forward Pierre Envgall was theirs.

“Pierre is a very versatile player. He’ll bring a dimension that he can play any one of the forward positions, and probably his biggest asset is his skating ability,” Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello said. “He’s got a long reach, being 6-5, 220.”

With the inability to get to Minnesota in time for Tuesday’s game, Lamoriello shared that Engvall would be on Long Island on Wednesday.

More from Lamoriello on the newcomer: Here’s What Lamoriello Said About Islanders Newcomer Engvall

On Thursday, he joined his new teammates as the Islanders took the ice for a practice, with a few days to prepare for a Saturday matinee against the Detroit Red Wings.

Pierre Engvall is here. #Isles pic.twitter.com/QLK46a79a8

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) March 2, 2023

Envgall will wear no. 18.

He took line rushes with Bo Horvat and Anders Lee.

“It feels really good to be here. I’m really excited to get going,” Engvall said in his first Islanders media availability. “And no, honestly, I didn’t know I was gonna get traded.

“But like I said before, I’m really, really happy to be here, and I think we have a great group of guys, and I think we can do something really good. So looking forward to that”

Although not drafted by Lamoriello, he did play under him in Toronto from 2015-2018.

“I mean, I didn’t have Lou for too long. But I mean, you know, it’s a great guy. So, you know, I’m really pleased to come here, and I’m glad that he traded for me.”

Engvall shared that he knows Simon Holmstrom and Sebastian Aho, fellow Swedes.

“I like him. Good size, and he skates well, and with any player that comes in, it’s his first day on the ice and getting climatized to the complete environment,” Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said. “So I thought he did well.”

As for where Lambert sees him as a fit.

“We know he’s a good penalty killer. They do things just a little bit differently in Toronto. So that’s an adjustment for him, which he’ll overcome, and so that was part of that today. And then we put him with Horvat right now, and we’ll just see where that goes.”

Islanders captain Anders Lee is thrilled to have Engvall join the squad.

“Pierre is awesome. Looking forward to playing with him and getting him going,” Lee said. “He brings a ton of energy. He was always a very tough guy to play against when he was in Toronto, so I know he’s going to do that for us, and I’m looking forward to him excelling.”

The 26-year-old Engvall is a versatile forward who can play all three forward positions. He’s not going to wow anyone with his offense, but he can do damage when the puck is on his stick. In 58 games, he has 12 goals and nine assists, posting his highest shootout percentage of his four-year career, at 12 percent thus far.