The New York Islanders were without a first-round pick this year’s NHL Draft, but did select six players in rounds 2-7. Here’s a recap of all players selected by the Islanders this year.
2nd Round, 52nd overall: Aatu Raty (F)
At one point, Raty was projected as a potential first-overall pick for the 2021 NHL Draft, however, he fell all the way to the 52nd pick, where the Islanders took him. The center had a somewhat disappointing season but still played 35 games in Finland’s highest professional league, where he scored three goals and six points. Considering he was projected by many to be a first-round pick, this could be a steal for the Islanders.
3rd Round, 93rd overall: Tristan Lennox (G)
Lennox was the sixth goalie selected in the draft. It’s very difficult to judge the pick, given he didn’t get into any game action this year, with the OHL season being cancelled. That said, his stats in the 2019-20 OHL season were quite poor, posting just an .876 save percentage in 33 games with the Saginaw Spirit.
4th Round, 125th overall: Cameron Berg (F)
Berg was passed over in the 2020 NHL Draft but produced well enough to be taken in the fourth round this time around. The center had an impressive 27 goals and 58 points in just 51 USHL games with the Muskegon Lumberjacks this year, finishing second on the team in both goals and points.
5th Round, 157th overall: Eetu Liukas (F)
Liukas also spent most of his season in Finland’s top professional league, where he managed three points in 19 games – a very similar points per game pace to Raty. He’s a big player, standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing 205 pounds, and plays on the wing.
6th Round, 189th overall: Aleksi Malinen (D)
The first defender taken by the Islanders in the draft, Malinen was yet another pick out of Finland. He spent the entire season in the Liiga as just a 17-year-old, scoring three points in 30 games.
7th Round, 221st overall: Tomas Machu (D)
Machu is a 6-foot-4, right-handed defender who’s spent his entire career in the Czech Republic thus far. As an interesting note: Machu is the first Czech-born skater to be drafted by the Islanders in 17 years.
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Were you happy with the Islanders' 2021 selections?
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