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New York Islanders’ Eamon McAdam Signed To ELC

Goaltending prospect Eamon McAdam has been inked to a three-year entry level deal by the New York Islanders.

A Nittany Lion is invading Bridgeport.

Eamon McAdam, 21, has been inked to a three-year entry level contract by Isles GM Garth Snow on Tuesday, giving the big league team’s AHL affiliate four legitimate netminders.

As reported by every writer on the planet, McAdam will report directly to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, where he’ll join a crowded goaltending unit already comprised of Stephon Williams, Christopher Gibson and Parker Milner.

McAdam has helped a relatively new Penn State program gain relevance; in 22 games this season, he has posted a 2.98 GAA and .913 SV%. He’s currently second in program history in games played (44), games started (44), minutes (2420:08), saves (1,256), save percentage (.905), goals against average (3.27), win percentage (.463) and wins (18).

“We are very proud of Eamon and his growth as a goaltender and a teammate,” said PSU coach Guy Gadowsky in a statement. “He had a tremendous season and we will surely miss him, but we are very excited to watch his success with the Islanders. Eamon is also an excellent student and has assured us he will graduate. I know Eamon loves Penn State and he will always be a big part of our hockey program and the university.”

“Thank you to everyone at Penn State,” added McAdam. “All the staff, fans and my teammates who I’ve had the opportunity to play with here. Thank you for all the opportunities and chances they’ve given me over the past three years. It’s been an amazing time, the best three years of my life and I’m excited to see where this program will go in the near future. I came here to help set a foundation for future Penn State hockey players and I hope I helped make this program better than it was when I got here.”

McAdam was selected by the Isles in the third round (70th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft. After struggling during his freshman season (it was evident that he was overwhelmed), he posted solid numbers during his second year at Penn State, before exploding onto the scene in 2015-16.

An Academic All-Big Ten in 2014-15, McAdam is on track to repeat this impressive accolade this year. From a hockey perspective, McAdam positions well in the crease and is good at making saves in traffic. His talent and athleticsm suggests that he can be an elite netminder, but he has not yet matched his potential.

Hockey’s Future tabs McAdam as having a 6.0 prospect talent score and D probability of success. The Isles hope he’ll be the netminder to break the team’s development curse.

IN OTHER NEWS…

Parker Wotherspoon is expected to join Bridgeport sooner rather than later, Arthur Staple of Newsday tweeted. Wotherspoon, who currently plays for the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, has 11 goals and 45 assists this season. He was named the team’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Recently acquired forward Shane Prince will face his old team, the Ottawa Senators, for the first time since being traded to the Isles earlier this month. He had 13 points in 44 games with Ottawa, and spent three seasons with Binghamton, their AHL affiliate.

The Isles, who are in the midst of their first four-game losing streak of the season, will ride Jean Francois Berube in net against the Sens tonight. In addition, Ryan Pulock has been given the nod to play on defense.

CSKA Moscow and SKA St. Petersburg faced off in Game One of the Western Conference finals in the KHL Playoffs last night, with CSKA blanking SKA 3-0. This is of significance because CSKA’s goalie, Ilya Sorokin, is one of the Isles’ top prospects, while SKA’s netminder, Mikko Koskinen, is a former Isles draft pick.

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Justin Weiss is a staff editor at Elite Sports New York, where he covers the New York Islanders and Brooklyn Cyclones. In 2016, he received a Quill Award for Freelance Journalism. He has written for the Long Island Herald, FanSided and YardBarker.