New York Islanders Top 25 Under 25: #13 Alan Quine

Next up on Eyes on Isles’ Top 25 Under 25 is New York Islanders center and playoff hero, Alan Quine.

Alan Quine’s biggest success with the New York Islanders is all about luck and timing. Amid a slew of injuries at the tail end of the 2015-16 season, he got the call and he took advantage of his time with the big club.

Until opportunity called, Quine spent three seasons with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. His first wasn’t really his finest, but he improved in his second season by going from eight to 23 goals. In his third season, he scored 19 goals, but played 19 games less than the previous year.

His scouting report talks up his speed and acceleration, but also gives a good word to his offensive skill. He’s shown some of that at the AHL and he’s offered flashes of that in the very small sample of games he’s played in the NHL.

The scouting report on Quine also points to his likely success being due to his two-way game. That’s something that will take a longer look as he’s exposed to the bigger talent in the NHL.

Quine played just two regular season games before finding himself with time on the Islanders’ top line with John Tavares. He scored his first NHL goal in his first game and came through for the team when they were in a bit of a pickle.

Carrying that momentum into the playoffs, Quine offered a decent showing, scoring a goal and adding four assists in 10 games. It was the goal, though, that rocketed his value, at least for those few games. Getting a game-winning goal in the playoffs is always huge, but netting one in double overtime for a series lead is enormous.

The Islanders went on to win that series and Quine added an assist on Tavares’ magical overtime, series-winning goal.

Quine was signed to a one-way, two-year deal over the summer, so the Islanders must feel he’s got staying power with the club. It may not be likely that he’ll see the first line with Tavares at this point, but there’s a young group with which to find his place. He could very well find himself rising higher on lists like this if he shows some consistency over a larger period of time in the NHL.