The NHL may not be sending players to 2018 Olympics, but fans still have reason to enjoy watching their teams future on the biggest stage.
If most fans of the New York Islanders were asked if they had watched goalie prospect Ilya Sorokin play the answer would very likely be no.
But that is about to change as Sorokin was named to Russian National team at this years Winter Olympics only a few weeks before the opening ceremony in Pyeongchang.
With NHL deciding to not send players to the Olympics this year, it has opened up a unique opportunity for many players like Sorokin to showcase their talents on the worlds biggest stage.
The Islanders selected the Russian net-minder in the third round of the 2014 NHL Draft, but it wasn’t until the 2015-16 season that people started to take notice of Sorokin.
His ridiculous stat line of a 1.06 GAA coupled with a .953 save percentage were tops in the KHL and earned him the league’s award for top goalie.
Since then everyone has taken notice of the 22 year old. He hasn’t missed a beat recording a 25-6-7 record and a “modest” .929 save percentage and a 1.61 GAA in the 2016-17 season. Those numbers have jumped back up so far in 2017-18, with a 24-8-4 record and .930 save percentage and 1.59 GAA.
Sorokin has yet to sign an entry level deal with the Islanders, and they have until later this summer to lock him up or otherwise he could find himself in another jersey.
Fans can look forward to watching some of their teams top prospects duke it out on an international stage.
