I watched as the White team left the ice and headed for the locker room after the Blue team won the evening. Wearing his yellow mask on the top of his head, Cody Rosen was all smiles. Why shouldn’t he be? He will be able to tell how he stopped Nino Niederreiter from scoring and how he gave up Ryan Strome’s 1st goal in an Islanders sweater. It was a good night.
I introduced myself to him and the well-bred young man extended his hand. Cody is taking Entrepreneurship and business management in college. “I really like it.” he told me wiping the sweat from his eyes. When I told him I thought he did very well out there, his eyes and his smile grew wider. “Oh, Thanks! I had a lot of fun out there. Whenever you get a chance to play, you want to make the most of it. It’s what I do at school, you do the same thing here. This was a good opportunity for me to come in off an injury and try to nurse it back to health and get ready for camp in August for school. I expect big things next year.”
This is Rosen’s second mini-camp so I asked him how this year’s camp compared to last season’s. “Well, last year I just tried to take it all in. You know being drafted is quite an honor. It was a pretty big shock to me. It was a pretty big shocker. But you know, it doesn’t matter. I just want to take in the pro experience and what it’s like to be with these guys. It’s quite an honor.”
It’s an honor that most young men will never get. He continued. “This year was more of a stepping stone, try to improve my game even more, get better, get back on the ice. Get a good feel for it.”
While Rosen played the full twenty minute first period, it was the skills competition that was nerve wracking. When I asked him what the most difficult part of the evening for him was, the answer came easily. “The seven breakaways in a row.” he chuckled. “I got pretty tired. But it was all fun for everybody. I hope the fans enjoyed it. It seemed like they did. I know I definitely enjoyed it.”
Well, it was definitely no “day at the beach,” that came today before the boys go home and get ready for next season, where ever it is that they may play.
Monday 7:32 am: Here was the follow-up question I posed to Danny Linell after the Blue & White Scrimmage on Saturday. After seeing that the prep school boy had some pretty slick moves, I asked him how he felt out there.
"I was a little nervous at first, but once I started to settle down enough, I kind of came into my own a little and started to play my game. I felt a little better."
When I asked him what he felt the hardest part of the night was he answered, "Just adjusting to the scenery and playing in the Coliseum in front of all the people out there. I was a little nervous. Also the adjustment to playing a real high-speed game. Once I got up to my speed, it was okay. But speed WAS a little bit of an adjustment. But, that's my game and I just love it."
That's the amazing thing about these camps, they really do "just love it."
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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