The Islanders had at least two selections in each of rounds 2-6 of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, but they may be remembered more for whose name they didn't call than for whose name they did.
Josh Bailey - 9th overall (1st round) Center. Windsor Spitfires
With the #1 European and WJC stand-out Nikita Filatov still on the board, the Isles traded down four spots to take Bailey, who GM Garth Snow maintains the Isles had pegged all along. The most telling trait Bailey possesses is the ability to make his teammates better players (scary to think how good Kyle Okposo could be in this case) Bailey is a tireless worker, a play-maker and will be a great asset on the Isles man-advantage in the future. His on-ice intelligence allows him to read the play in all situations. This allowed him to be one of Windsor's most effective penalty killers as well.
Bailey may be a great player, but it seems the Isles fan-base had already ordered their Filatov jerseys. Drafting the flashy Russian may have made more sense for the franchise struggling to sell tickets. Hopefully in the future, Bailey can prove the critics wrong, but one wonders if he'll put any extra bodies in Uniondale.
Corey Trivino - 36th overall (2nd round) Center. Stouffville Spirit (OPJHL)
I'll be blunt: At first glance Corey Trivino looks like a 12 year-old. The Etobicoke, Ontario native looks more like the kid hawking popcorn at the Nassau Coliseum than somebody who will be on the ice. On the ice is a different story. Trivino has never been cut from an international camp. Trivino dominated the OPJHL playoffs, proving to be a clutch scorer for the Spirit. Like Bailey, he is a pass-first center. At 6'1", 170lbs Trivino will need to add muscle to his slight frame.
Aaron Ness - 40th overall (2nd round) Defenseman. Rouseau High (Minnesota HS)
Ness, who has drawn comparisons to Phil Housley and Brian Leetch was crowned "Mr. Hockey" as Minnesota's top high school player this year. A few years ago Ness may not have been drafted at all let alone in the 2nd round of a deep draft due to his size (5'10, 157lbs) . His accomplishments on the ice (1st in scoring among defenseman, 10th overall, member of the USA U-18 squad) may be not be as impressive as his dedication off the ice. Ness took eight classes on campus and three more on-line in order to graduate early and attend the University of Minnesota in the Fall of 2008.
Travis Hamonic - 53rd overall (2nd round) Defenseman. Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
Hamonic needs to figure out if he's a physical defenseman with an offensive flair or an offensive defenseman with a physical edge. He shows signs of being capable in either capacity, but gets caught trying to do too much.
David Toews - 66th overall (3rd round) Center. Shattuck St. Mary's (Minnesota HS)
Toews is not a younger carbon copy of his brother, Chicago center Jonathon Toews. David is a solid player in his own right, but was not blessed with the gratuitous amount of hockey manna that his older brother was (but who the hell is?!) Any expectation that he will be should be negated from the start. But Toews wasn't drafted purely riding on his last name either. He's a good skater with an quick shot and soft hands. His keen hockey sense makes him a smart penalty killer and defensive center.
Jyri Niemi - 72nd overall (3rd round) Defenseman. Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
This kid looks like a meaner version of
Ivan Drago. As hard as Drago hit Rocky Balboa, Niemi's shot hits the back of the net. His 96 mph shot wowed the crowd at the Top Prospects Game. For a rookie defenseman learning the North American game, he also hit the net often, finding the back of the cage 14 times. A few more years with Saskatoon should round out his defensive game and give him more experience as a PP quarterback.
Kirill Petrov - 73rd overall (3rd round) Right Wing. Ak Bars Kazan (Russia-RSL)
The Isles passed up one skilled Russian in the first, but they made sure they didn't let another get away. This pick may prove to be the steal of the '08 draft. Petrov is a big, powerful winger who plays well in the corners as well as finding open ice for himself and his line-mates.
Petrov has made his desire to come to the NHL very clear and the Isles will be waiting at JFK as soon as he books his flight.
Matt Donovan - 96th overall (4th round) Center. Cedar Rapids Rough Riders (USHL)
Swift skating defenseman from Edmond, Oklahoma displays excellent lateral mobility which he uses well in the defensive zone as well as leading the break-out. A smart simple defenseman.
David Ullstrom - 102nd overall (4th round) Center. HV71 (Sweden-Jr)
Ullstrom will be a big body up front in a few years once his 6'3" frame fills out. Mostly used at center, Ullstrom has seen time on the wing as well. He can play physical and has a good set of hands, but is not terribly defensively adept and does not utilize his line-mates as well as he will need to in order to make it to Long Island.
David Poulin - 126th overall (5th round) Goalie. Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)
There's only a decade and change left in the "Rick DiPietro Back-Up Plan". I kid, I kid. He's a butterfly goalie with good rebound control that has won games for Victoriaville this year on his own. Big and athletic like, he is very technical and plays the game by the book. Some have questioned his dedication to conditioning though.
Matthew Martin - 148th overall (5th round) Left Wing. Sarnia Sting (OHL)
Winger with good size will mix it up and drop the gloves.
Jared Spurgeon - 156th overall (6th round) Defenseman. Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
The 5'8" Spurgeon put up 43 points in 69 regular season games for the Memorial Cup champs, playing a good two-way game. Anyone lacking Spurgeon's size needs a ton of guts to play in the WHL and Spurgeon has it. He willingly takes the body and gets into the fracas when the opportunity arises.
Justin DiBenidetto - 175th overall (6th round) Center. Sarnia Sting (OHL)
The smallish center put up 93 points for Sarnia this year as a 20 year old improving 30 points from the previous season.
in 1987-88.
