And With The Fifth Overall Selection…

…and with the fifth selection overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Islanders are proud to select:

As we head into the off-season from the 2009-10 NHL season, the time to speculate has begun.

The New York Islanders hold the #5 selection in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Of course, this will not bring the Isles Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin, however, outside of the top three selections it seems that picks four through ten are all of similar fashion pending on what position you are looking to add strength to at the draft.

The Islanders have a pipeline of goaltenders, which would strongly rule out the selection of Calvin Pickard and Jack Campbell . Especially when you take into consideration the second and third round selections from the 2009 entry draft; both goaltenders.

On the blueline there is a nice mix of youth and veteran presence as well as up front for this organization.

So where does that leave us?

With many options and plenty to speak of.

The ISS has released it’s current top ten list of prospects for this years draft. It is, in order, as follows:

1. Taylor Hall – Windsor, OHL
2. Tyler Seguin – Plymouth, OHL
3. Brandon Gormley – Moncton, QMJHL
4. Vladimir Tarasenko – Novosibirsk, KHL
5. Cam Fowler – Windsor, OHL
6. Nino Niederreiter – Portland, WHL
7. Erik Gudbranson – Kingston, OHL
8. Ryan Johansen – Portland, WHL
9. Jeffrey Skinner – Kitchener, OHL
10. Derek Forbort – U18, USHL

As mentioned above, you can rule out Hall, Seguin as well as Cam Fowler as they are most likely to be the top three drafted names. Even with the drop in placing by Fowler, it still seems he is the top defenseman heading into this years draft. Yes, Gormley has elevated and it leaves for further speculation.

But right now, my top three will stay the course with Hall, Seguin and Fowler respectively.

Garth Snow and his scouting staff have much to figure out between now and June 25, 2010.

Organizational observations provide the facts.

Within the system, the Islanders have a decent depth chart on the blueline that should automatically rule them out of taking a d-man with their pick. The players include: Dylan Resse, Dustin Kohn, Travis Hamonic, and Calvin de Haan. Most saw NHL ice this season, albeit limited but they got a taste of the big leagues none the less. Andrew MacDonald has become a full time NHL player and is likely to be part of the club when the season starts in October.

Of course, those are only a few of the top prospects in the organization.

Up front, most of the younger forwards have already graduated. The system lacks depth at the forward position, in my opinion.

Kirill Petrov is the only stand out name at this point, and with his abilities advancing through development, he could see NHL ice as early as he arrives in North America.  That seems to be the one main hold up.

With that, the Islanders brass and scouting team have options, and plenty at that.

But let’s break down each player and provide an analysis on what each could bring to the team if drafted:

Brandon Gormley: Defense – 6’1″ 175lbs

Gormley has size, but will need to add a few pounds of muscle in order to be the physical presence a team will be looking for. In this modern day NHL, defensemen all have an offensive side to their game. This attribute is one that Gormley provides as well. Considered an offensive defenseman, Gormley likes to compare himself to the likes of Detroit Red Wings long time great Nicklas Lidstrom.

Easy Brandon, those are some big shoes to fill. However, he does have a very smooth stride, is an excellent skater and has speed in skating backwards as well.

Gormley played two season in the QMJHL with the Moncton Wildcats. Appearing in 120 games Gormley earned himself 70 points. Numbers that many teams will hope to have mirrored as his development continues.

If not Cam Fowler, Gormley is likely to be the first defenseman selected at the upcoming draft.

Vladimir Tarasenko: RW – 5’10″ 165lbs

In 80 KHL games played the soon to be 19 year old earned himself 34 points over the course of two seasons.

Tarasenko played for his native Russia at the 2010 WJC’s and scouting reports all have a common theme about his play. A good skater that needs to work on his acceleration and a player who needs to work on his two-way abilities. In the modern day NHL, two-way play is crucial, especially for the smaller skaters.

The one main issues surrounding Tarasenko is the non-transfer agreement meaning his escape from Russia might be held back. He becomes a high risk/high reward draft choice, so with the ISS ranking him so high, it seems a bit misguided.

Don’t expect the Islanders to draft Tarasenko, and there is talk that he could drop from the first round entirely. Unless of course the team feels Petrov can help Tarasenko come over to North America.

Nino Niederreiter: LW – 6’2″ 205lbs

Niederreiter came close to being a point per clip player in his rookie campaign in the WHL. He scored 60 points in 65 games played.

The 17 year old has size and skill and his 2010 WJC performance helped his stock rise heading into this years entry draft.

‘El Nino’ uses his size to his advantage, protecting the puck well with his strength and his balance adds to his ability to play in the dirty areas. He contributes well with his ability to earn puck control from up against the boards. His grit factor helps boost his value as well.

A sure fire top five pick in my opinion, and the Islanders would be foolish to pass up a player with as much promise as Niederreiter has. If I was a betting man, I’d put my money on this kid as the next star for the Islanders.

Erik Gudbranson: D – 6’3″ 195lbs

Size seems to play the key factor when looking at Gudbranson. Through two seasons in the OHL he appeared in 104 games and earned 45 points. He also tallied 137 penalty minutes.

The freshly turned 18 year old has received many comparisons to Chris Pronger. Could this be the steal of the draft for a d-man who seems to be flying a bit under the radar?

Not an offensively gifted player, it plays out to his advantage, though his puck moving skills are growing with development. Gudbranson loves to hit, so his play without the puck is something that will be coveted by a team looking for more of a shut down, bully type d-man for their blueline future.

Ryan Johansen: C – 6’3″ 188lbs

Gifted with size, Johansen fits the mold of an NHL caliber Center perfectly.

In 71 WHL games with the Portland Winterhawks, Johansen earned 69 points (25g, 44a). I’d personally like to compare him to Minnesota Wild Captain Mikko Koivu, however he is not as defensively responsible just yet.

Give this kid another year with Winterhawks teammate ‘El Nino’ and expect him to hit the NHL by 2011-12. He will be a force to recon with, especially in the offensive zone. He is an excellent playmaker and will be able to provide whichever team drafts him a potential first line player down the road.

Jeffrey Skinner: C – 5’10″ 197lbs

The “Marian Gaborik” sans the speed of this years NHL Entry Draft class. Skinner is a pure goal scorer.

In 127 OHL games played, Skinner scored 77 goals and totaled 141 points. If his skating ability develops on par with his scoring touch, this kid will take the NHL by storm in similar fashion to his recent OHL season.

Derek Forbort: D – 6’5″ 198lbs

Forbort will be attending the University of North Dakota this fall. So do not expect him to jump to the NHL any time soon.

However, another d-man that can find himself selected in the first round, Forbort has size, speed and skill which are all top notch attributes. He’s not as barbarian like as Gudbranson, but his offensive awareness is fantastic. The puck is spread like butter on bread up the ice off of his stick. A pure two-way player that should not be overlooked by teams holding a top 15 pick.

He is good against the forecheck, as he has a very low panic point. He reads plays well and makes good, crisp passes. Forbort also has a good, heavy shot. In comparison to Braydon Coburn of the Philadelphia Flyers, Forbort, when prepared to enter the NHL, will be a beast of a blueliner.

Honorable mentions:

Brett Connolly, Alex Burmistrov, Nick Bjugstad, Austin Watson, Mikael Granlund, Emerson Etem, Mark Pysyk, Quinton Howden, Jon Merrill, Brock Nelson, Jarred Tinordi, John McFarland, Tyler Pitlick, Jaden Schwartz, Riley Sheahan, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alex Petrovic, Beau Bennett, Kirill Kabanov.

It is possible that the Islanders go off the board and select a Brett Connolly (if available) or possible the likes of Mikael Granlund, or possibly even one of Evgeny Kuznetsov or Kirill Kabanov, but whoever Snow and company agree to pursue, you have to admit that a top notch player will be skating with the franchise sooner than later.