A lot of the pre-season excitement for the 2022-23 Bridgeport Islanders centered around prospects Aatu Raty and William Dufour, with fans on Long Island wondering just how long it would be before they were called up to the big club. There’s also 2018 first-round pick Simon Holmstrom, who made some big strides last season, so there are a plethora of reasons for Islanders fans to keep an eye on what’s happening with the AHL club in Bridgeport.
But a player that didn’t receive much pre-season hype is started to garner a lot of the attention down in Bridgeport: Ruslan Ishakov.
One of the big reasons why Bridgeport is off to a flying 6-1-1-0 start to the season is the Russian forward, who was the Islanders’ second-round pick (No. 43 overall) in 2018. Ishakov has four goals and seven assists, and his 11 points are tied for the club lead with Andy Andreoff.
Ishakov spent the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons playing for the University of Connecticut before returning to Europe, where he played the last two seasons, and getting that experience with the Huskies has prepared him for professional hockey in North America.
“I think it helped me adjust pretty quickly, since I already played on the smaller surface area,” said Ishakov, the AHL’s Rookie of the Month for October. “It’s a big difference (from Europe). You gotta make a decision very quickly, you gotta move the puck, and you gotta move your feet. I think that helped me a lot to adjust quickly to the AHL game.”
In two seasons at UConn, Ishakov had 15 goals and 27 assists over 64 games. During the 2020-21 season with TPS in the Finnish Liga, he played in 54 games, scoring 10 goals and adding 28 assists, and last season with Adler Mannheim in Germany, Ishakov had seven goals and 15 assists in 25 games.
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And now he’s back in North America with a resume that has turned him into a pleasant surprise.
“I think he’s confident,” said Bridgeport Head Coach Brent Thompson. “He’s confident that he can play in this league. I got to see him at UConn and I think going back to Europe and playing two years of professional hockey over there has certainly helped his development.”
The lefty-shooting Ishakov is 22 years old, and is on the small side at 5-9 165 pounds. He is a player that relies on his speed and his terrific shot, but he’s also working on his game along the boards.
“I’m trying to get better every day,” said Ishakov. “I’m not a big guy. I gotta be quick and shifty. I always make plays so I’m a pretty good playmaker and I think I have a pretty good shot.”
Playing on a team loaded with Islanders prospects like Raty, Dufour, and Holmstrom, as well as Sam Bolduc, Grant Hutton, Arnaud Durandeau, and Jakub Skarek, Ishakov is blending in nicely because he’s around so many players that are in a similar situation as his: young players trying to climb the ladder to the NHL.
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“It’s a lot of fun because we’re pretty much the same age, which is what I was missing a little bit last year when I was in Germany,” said Ishakov. “They’re really good players and very skilled players and I’m happy that we have them on the team.”
Ishakov brings a high-level skill set to the table, but he’s also shown a willingness to learn and adapt even more to the North American game. It’s still early, but so far, he is doing very well.
“He’s taking steps where we need him to take steps,” said Thompson, who recently picked up his 300th career AHL win, all with the Bridgeport Islanders (formerly Sound Tigers). “He’s finding open ice, he’s attacking the net, he’s not afraid to get on the walls. I’m excited where he’s at and again baby steps with him.”
Before he was assigned to Bridgeport, Ishakov attended New York Islanders training camp, and it was a great opportunity for him to get some experience skating with both NHL players and the pros that would be his teammates with the B-Isles.
“It was awesome,” said Ishakov. “When I got here to Bridgeport, I keep a good attitude and I’m trying to go back to the Islanders as soon as possible. That’s the plan.”
A lot of Islanders fans were planning on possibly seeing Raty, Dufour, and Holmstrom get a look on Long Island at some point this season. That may just happen, but don’t be surprise if Ruslan Ishakov finds his way into the mix for a potential call-up.
Based on his start to the season, he may already have done that.
Follow Peter Schwartz on Twitter: @SchwartzSports
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