Noah Dobson
(Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Noah Dobson, the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft, has signed his entry-level deal with the New York Islanders.

The New York Islanders had picks 11 and 12 in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and it was expected that they were looking to move at least one of those picks for immediate help.

That all changed when Oliver Wahlstrom and Noah Dobson somehow slipped out of the top 10 and became available with picks 11 and 12, respectively.

Wahlstrom has already announced that he will report to Boston College for his freshman season as planned. Had he signed his entry-level deal and reported to training camp, Wahlstrom would have lost his NCAA eligibility.

Dobson, on the other hand, plays for Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and by signing his three-year, entry-level deal he does not lose his eligibility to return to his QMJHL club if he doesn’t make the team out of training camp.

The 18-year-old defenseman scored 17 goals and 69 points in 67 regular-season games with the Titan and added three goals and 13 points in 20 playoff games en route to the team’s first-ever Memorial Cup championship.

While at development camp in June, Dobson not only impressed but expressed his desire to make an impression at training camp this September.

“You want to play in the NHL, but obviously you have to keep the big picture in mind and what’s best for your development. There’s no better guys than (Islanders general manager) Lou (Lamoriello) and (coach) Barry Trotz who know what’s best for their players.” Dobson told Brian Compton of NHL.com, “I’m going to see what they have to say in September, but obviously, I’m going to come in with the mindset to work my hardest and try and compete out there and battle for a spot.”

There were about eight players in the mix for a spot on the Isles’ blue line this season: Nick Leddy, Johnny Boychuk, Thomas Hickey, Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield, Devon Toews, and Sebastian Aho. Now, add Dobson to that list.

As a die-hard New York Islanders fan, I joined ESNY to help keep other Isles fans updated on what's going on with their favorite team. Follow me on Twitter (@Shazen21) for updates on the team and when I post new content and check out my YouTube (Islanders Highlights) for player highlight videos, pump up videos, and more!