The New York Islanders announced that they’ve signed Felix Bibeau, Cole Coskey and Blade Jenkins to entry-level contracts.
All three CHL forwards are Islanders draft picks– Bibeau and Coskey were both drafted by the Islanders last year, while Jenkins was selected in the 2018 draft and needed to be signed by June 1.
Bibeau, 21, was a sixth-round pick and played in the QMJHL, splitting his season between the Quebec Remparts and Chicoutimi Sagueneens. He scored 29 goals and 70 points in 63 games as an overager.
Coskey, 20, was selected in the seventh round and played his overage year with the Saginaw Spirit, where he spent all five of his OHL seasons. Coskey scored 34 goals and 80 points in 62 games.
Jenkins, 19, was a fifth-round pick and has been teammates with Coskey in Saginaw for the last three seasons. Jenkins scored 16 goals and 40 points in 47 games this year.
Honestly, if the Islanders had more contracts on the books heading into next year, I'm not sure all three of these forwards would have been signed. Jenkins needed to be signed by Monday's deadline, while Bibeau and Coskey can’t return to the CHL next year, but none of the three had outstanding numbers in the CHL considering their age. However, the Islanders only had 31 contracts signed heading into next season and even with their eight free agents on the roster that will either need to be signed or replaced, they’ll still have quite a few spots for new contracts.
Regardless, the more prospects the better and it’ll be exciting to see what lies ahead for the three forwards.
On another note, Ruslan Iskhakov, who the Islanders selected 43rd overall in 2018, has signed a one-year deal in Finland. Iskhakov has put up solid numbers in the NCAA and it'll be a nice step for him to see how he does playing professionally against stronger talent.
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