New York Islanders to Hold Blue and White Scrimmage on Jun. 29
Apr 6, 2017; Raleigh, NC, USA; New York Islanders forward Joshua Ho-Sang (66) hands a puck to a fan after warmups against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The New York Islanders defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Islanders’ annual Blue and White Scrimmage will be held at Northwell Health Ice Center on June 29.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

Just kidding. As evidenced by our four articles on the exact same topic last week, the offseason is way too uneventful. Simply put, we need hockey back. Luckily, it’s returning.

The Islanders will hold the annual Blue and White Scrimmage at Northwell Health Ice Center on June 29. The event, which showcases the team’s top prospects and recent draft picks, has been held since 2006.

Open to the public for $10 a pop (all proceeds will go to the Islanders Children’s Foundation), it features three periods of split-squad action, followed by a skills competition and autographs for all fans in attendance.

Notable alumni include captain John Tavares, winger Anders Lee and defenseman Travis Hamonic. This go-round, Mathew Barzal, Michael Dal Colle and Joshua Ho-Sang headline the Isles’ rookie crop.

NOTES

Joining them will be the Isles’ first round selection, whomever that might be. We’ve detailed who they could pick before, and have also written about another scenario: Garth Snow trading the pick.

It will interesting to see if foreign goaltenders Ilya Sorokin and Linus Söderstrom make the trek to Uniondale. Both netminders’ contracts are slated to expire (note: the linked article hasn’t been updated) following the 2017-18 season, making it a possibility for them to be in Brooklyn in the near future.

To fill the rosters, the Isles always bring in local kids to experience, well… the NHL experience. And there’s always one Long Islander who impresses everybody and manages to land some sort of contract somewhere. Case in point: John Schiavo, who turned a rookie camp appearance into a gig with the Missouri Mavericks.

If one hypothetically wanted to attend the event, they could click here to purchase tickets.

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.