During his pre-draft Zoom meeting with reports on Tuesday, Islanders General Manager and Executive Vice-President Mathieu Darche held up his phone to the camera when asked if he knows who he is taking with the first overall pick in Friday’s NHL Draft.
“I’ve been on this for the last few weeks and I charge it three times a day,” said Darche. “We have to get as much information as possible to make the proper decision at any aspect of the hockey operations.”
It’s not often that a first-time General Manager gets the opportunity to select first overall, but that’s what Darche has in front of him on Friday night with a selection that could bring the Islanders a franchise-type player for years to come.
Who will it be?
Most reports seem to feel it will be Erie defenseman Matthew Schaefer who is ranked number one by NHL Central Scouting. Saginaw center Michael Misa is ranked second while Boston College center and Long Island native James Hagens is third on that list.
Darche is keeping his choice close to the vest.
“I can’t tell you all my secrets but we have an idea at this point,” said Darche. “There are a few guys we like. Do I have an idea at this point? Probably but we’re going to keep doing our due diligence all the way through Friday.”
Schaefer, a 6’2” 186-pound blueliner is the likely choice when the Islanders make their selection on Friday. This past season for Erie in the Ontario Hockey League, he had 7 goals and 15 assists for 22 points and was a plus 22 over 17 games. Schaefer played in two games for Canada at the World Junior Championships and had a goal and an assist with a plus 2 rating.
The Islanders are very high on Schaefer as well as other top prospects.
“He’s an impressive young man,” said Darche when asked about Schaefer. “He’s a hell of a player. He’s a great person. Having said that, there’s a lot of other kids that we met that were very impressive. Regardless of who we pick on Friday, we’ll get a special player that’s going to help the New York Islanders fairly quickly.”
Just how quickly the player taken first overall will arrive on Long Island is still to be determined. The Islanders will have a development camp next week including a Blue vs White prospect game on July 2nd. The first overall pick will get a chance to impress Darche, Head Coach Patrick Roy and the rest of the hockey staff next week and then again at training camp to make a case for making the team.
Otherwise, the Islanders will have no problem giving their prized selection, whoever that might be, more time to grow in juniors.
“Those kids are 18 years old,” said Darche. “If the player comes here and shows me that he belongs on the NHL, he’ll be in the NHL. If we feel that he needs more time, we’ll give him more time. The player we want we want him to be here for a long time. We want him to have an NHL career just don’t rush into getting him to the NHL. If he shows us that he’s ready to be in the NHL, we’ll keep him here.”
While Schaefer is likely to go number one, there is always the possibility of the Islanders making a trade for another first round pick and if that happens, the feeling around Islanders Country is that Long Island product James Hagens could realize his childhood dream and be selected by the team he grew up rooting for.
Could the Islanders bring the Hauppauge native home and create what many Islanders fans are referring to on social media as “Schragens” if they are able to land Schaefer and Hagens?
Darche and his phone are waiting for the right call.
“My job is to do my due diligence and see what’s out there,” said Darche. “Every single day, I’m trying to improve the New York Islanders. I’m always going to be calling around and doing my due diligence to find a way to improve the team.”
This is a week that could certainly turn out to be franchise-altering for the Islanders.
ISLANDERS FANS…GET READY TO PARTY
The Islanders will be holding an NHL Draft party this Friday night at UBS Arena with all of the festivities getting under way at 5pm.
A fun and memorable day and night is on tap for Islanders fans of all ages…
-Tickets are just $5 with proceeds benefitting the Islanders Children’s Foundation.
-All fans in attendance will receive a complimentary Isles foam finger.
-There will be a pre-party tailgate with outdoor games at “The Park” at 3pm.
-Shannon Hogan and Thomas Hickey from MSG Networks will be hosting the event.
-Current and past Islanders players will be making appearances at the party including JG Pageau, Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield, Casey Cizikas, Butch Goring John Tonelli, Benoit Hogue, Shawn Bates, Eric Carins, Steve Webb and Dennis Seidenberg.
-Actor and Long Island native Kevin Connolly will interview the Islanders draft pick.
-There will be various interactive attractions at the draft party including an indoor Ferris Wheel, trading card photo station, giant inflatable slide, human jousting and much more.
-The Islanders will have an all-new draft collection available at the Isles Lab team store.
-There will be a 50% discount on all concessions throughout UBS Arena.