New York Islanders Daily Insight, 5/16/17: The Future Is Now
Oct 15, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) skates with the puck as New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal (13) defends in the first period at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Islanders’ minor league pipeline has been en fuégo as of late, which is a good sign.

It’s been a busy week for some of the Islanders’ most talented prospects.

Linus Söderstrom, the team’s budding Swedish goaltender, recently signed a three-year entry-level contract. He’s had to overcome a lot of adversity, as he’s notably autistic, although his work ethic and length compensates for that.

Ilya Sorokin, the Islanders’ ‘future in net,’ was perfect in a 5-0 shutout over Latvia at the Worlds. His squad will face the United States — featuring the Isles’ Brock Nelson and Anders Lee — on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Mathew Barzal was named Western Hockey League playoffs MVP, as his team won their first-ever title. His Seattle Thunderbirds will advance to the Memorial Cup, where Isles prospects Griffin Reinhart and Michael Dal Colle have both left an imprint (the former is no longer with the club).

The future is bright.

The future is now.

NOTES

In IIHF action… Ilya Sorokin (G) led Team Russia to a 5-0 win over Latvia; Calvin de Haan (D) logged seventeen minutes in Team Canada’s 5-0 win over Norway; and Italy fell to Denmark due to a spectacularly tragic own-goal as the clock winded down.

The T-Birds surmounted a lot of adversity in 2016-17, including Barzal’s early-season absence (he spent the first week of the season in Brooklyn) and constant bout with illness. Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle has the story.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet believes that the Kyle Buchberger is also under consideration for an assistant coaching post. Like Luke Richardson, who Newsday’s Arthur Staple reports will be joining the team’s staff, Buchie is a former Oilers assistant. Neither have connections to the University at Maine.

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.