Now that the Fourth of July weekend has come and gone, and what a great weekend it was all around, it is time to settle back into the work week, and more importantly, some Islander talk. That being said, let’s take a look at Part III of our Draft Recap: the goaltenders. Part I covered John Tavares and Calvin de Haan, while Part II focused solely on 6th Round Pick Anders Lee.
Mikko Koskinen (31st Overall Selection):
Prior to the draft, I placed Koskinen on a list of the four goalies I felt the Islanders were most likely to talk (along with Pasquale, Roy, and Lehner). While Koskinen was not the goalie I felt they were going to take first, I am still happy with his selection.
For a full write-up on the pros and cons of his game, be sure to check that draft preview from about two weeks ago. What I do know now that is different is the fact that the Islanders have goaltender Dwayne Roloson signed to a two-year deal, Koskinen will most likely be joining the AHL thanks in large part to the Islanders stepping away from Peter Mannino, and the Islanders have also brought in AHL goalie Scott Munroe. What does this all mean? Well, to be short, DiPietro is a giant question mark. By having three capable AHL goalies next year (Koskinen, Munroe, Lawson), and Roloson ready to take over as the number one goalie should we need it, the Islanders are anticipating either not having DiPietro for an enlogated period of time, or having some extremely competition for playing time in the minors.
While Koskinen may most likely find himself in the minors all season, I think that he will do great. Finnish goaltenders are known for taking quite some time to fully develop (if you don’t take my word, look at the late blooming of Mikka Kipprusoff in Calgary and Vesa Toskala who went from San Jose to Toronto). Here is to Koskinen meeting his potential, which many scouts believe could be a dominating number one goalie. Hopefully the naysayers won’t turn around and say I told you so, because this is a big gamble for a second round pick, especially with great offensive players still on the board.
Koskinen’s Draft Grade: B+
Keeping all this in mind, goaltending depth is important to an organization. If the first pick in the second round being used on a goalie doesn’t tell you that much, maybe the Islanders next pick of a Swedish goalie named Anders Nilsson might.
Anders Nilsson (62nd Overall):
Although Nilsson was not on my pre-draft write-up when it comes to goalies, I must be honest and say I did not anticipate the Islanders selecting two goalies. Nilsson is another massive goalie, sizing up at 6 feet, 5 inches tall and 220 pounds at 18 years old. Considered by many to be a longer-term project than Koskinen, Nilsson shows some great promise, as his game is compared to that of Henrik Lundqvist.
For his size, Nilsson is very agile and has a tremendously quick glove and quick legs as well. His positioning is considered excellent, and his ability to square up to shooters quickly is what many scouts are interested in. His weakness, like many Swedish goaltenders, is his puckhandling abilities, which he tends to shy away from as much as possible.
Overall, scouts believe it is a good pick, and could pay huge dividends in the long run. In 3-4 years, some scouts believe he could even find himself playing an important role on an NHL roster. As for the present, look for Nilsson to make an impact at home in the Swedish leagues, and hopefully make it to the World Junior rosters for Sweden either this year or next year. He has the talent and ability to do so, and he can carry Sweden to success with his skill, ability, and athleticism.
Nilsson’s Draft Grade: B
As always, comments and questions are greatly appreciated and can be either left below in the comments section, or emailed to me at IslesNet@Gmail.Com. Be sure to check back soon for the last part of our draft recap. Also, be sure to check out the blog below, as I am looking for some guest writers for New York Islanders Net.
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