New York Islanders Prospects: Three Players Deserving of Call Up
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
As the New York Islanders are in a somewhat strange position right now, as they’re on a five-game losing streak after going 5-0-1 in their last six, the New York Islanders are looking for something to ignite a fire in this team’s heart.
In my opinion, the best way for the New York Islanders to make this happen is to call up one of our main three prospects we have playing for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers; Micheal Dal Colle, Joshua Ho-Sang, or Ryan Pulock.
The current talent on the New York Islanders roster hasn’t been producing well, so adding in a player who could possibly take their spot on the roster could wake up some of the players who are underperforming; looking at you Andrew Ladd.
Each player has their own special asset to bring to the New York Islanders roster to improve this team, which makes it difficult to decide which one of these young guns to call up.
But because of the way this team is structured and the number of one-way contracts on the roster, only one of the aforementioned three can actually be called up. Without having a roster player go through the waiver wire and potentially losing said player.
As we go through this slideshow, I’ll tell you how each of these three players would positively impact this New York Islanders team, and give you my opinion on who would ultimately be the best call up for this team.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Micheal Dal Colle
Upsides:
As the New York Islanders 5th overall pick of the 2015 draft, fans have had high expectations of Micheal Dal Colle, and so far he has proven them right.
He has had quite the stellar season in the AHL this year amassing seven goals in his 27 games played, proving that he has the goal scoring ability that the New York Islanders saw in him in is run with the Oshawa Generals.
Micheal Dal Colle is also a relatively mature player with OHL playoff experience, as he lead the Oshawa Generals to a Memorial Cup Championship in 2015 as the captain of the Oshawa Generals.
With the maturity Micheal Dal Colle shows, he looks like he is ready for the NHL game and has the poise and tenacity to do so.
Downside:
Although his goal scoring ability is great, Dal Colle hasn’t produced many points without being the goal scorer.
In his 27 games, Dal Colle assisted on only five goals, which is a big issue as the New York Islanders need a player who can move the puck and make plays with his linemates, which is why this small amount of assists is an issue that would need to be fixed.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Joshua Ho-Sang
Upsides:
Joshua Ho-Sang is probably the most interesting player on this list. He’s been very close to making the New York Islanders roster, but was been sent down in the past to gain some maturity in the AHL, and experience playing against men.
Although Ho-Sang may show up to practice late sometimes or be a little bit of a goof in the locker room, the upsides outweigh the downsides.
His playmaking ability is shining bright this season, as he has amassed 13 assists in the 23 games he played in.
The playmaking ability he has, as well as his speed, is the perfect compliment to John Tavares, as he can weave through the defense and set Tavares up for a beautiful one-timer.
His playmaking ability could also help speed up the New York Islanders stagnate power play. As the way he plays his game is much needed on that powerplay
Finally, the Islanders need some new life in that locker room, so adding someone with a personality like Ho-Sang’s is more beneficial than anything for the Isles.
Downside:
The only downside I see with Ho-Sang is that he hasn’t produced many goals in the AHL with only two to his name in his 24 games played with the Sound Tigers. If Ho-Sang could find a way to score more goals, he could very well find himself on the New York Islanders roster.
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Pulock
Upsides:
Ryan Pulock has the most NHL experience out of these three players, playing in the New York Islanders first-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers as well as a few games during the 2015-16 regular season.
In the 16 regular season games Pulock played in his NHL career, he tallied up two goals as well as two assists for a total of four points, which isn’t terrible for a young defenseman like him. Pulock also played in six games during last year’s playoff run and scored one goal as well as two assists.
Pulock has also shown to be a good asset on the powerplay, with his rocket of a shot and even scored a goal on the powerplay in that playoff series against Florida.
The heavy shot he carries is a nice asset on every fasset of the game. Because he has the ability to put the puck on the net, players like Anders Lee have better chances to tip these shots in and tuck in rebounds. Which should mean more goal scoring for this New York Islanders team.
Downsides:
Pulock has missed a ton of games this season afer beraking his foot blocking a shot against the Arizona Coyotes in his first game after being called up to replace Nick Leddy on October 21st.
But with the New York Islanders having found some form of stability in their defensive pairings, he’s not likely needed on this Islanders team and as such will stay in Bridgeport to gain more experience and be available for a callup when needed.
Final Verdict: Joshua Ho-Sang
Joshua Ho-Sang Haan everything the Isles need in a player; from his playmaking ability to his locker room personality it only makes sense to call him up. The other two are great options but don’t give the Islanders what they are lacking presently; creativity.
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