New York Islanders prospect Dylan Kuefler, who was playing in the ECHL as recently as January 2024, is a “dark horse” to make the team’s NHL roster out of training camp, writes Stefen Rosner of The Elmonters. According to Rosner, the Islanders are “very high” on the 2022 sixth-round pick. Rosner’s report should not come as a major surprise, as in recent years the Islanders have made a habit of turning relatively unheralded prospects into viable NHL bottom-six players.
Both Kyle MacLean and Marc Gatcomb were undrafted signings who have ended up playing a notable number of NHL games over the last two or three seasons.
Kuefler, 24, could be next in line for a role like MacLean or Gatcomb. He’s a 6’2″, 196-pound winger who has developed rapidly over the last year. After finishing his WHL career in 2022-23, Kuefler had a tough transition to pro hockey in 2023-24.
He didn’t make the Islanders’ AHL team out of training camp, and began in the ECHL before earning his first AHL call-up in February. The following year, a preseason injury limited Kuefler to just 16 AHL games, and he only scored two points. But this past season, Kuefler was healthy and played in 67 games, scoring a career-high 10 goals and 25 points.
If he can build on that breakout year, it doesn’t feel like an NHL call-up is too far away for him based on Rosner’s reporting.
Other notes from Long Island:
Earlier this month, we covered reports indicating the Islanders were interested in bringing former 40-goal scorer Patrik Laine to Long Island, but only on a tryout basis. Today, The Elmonters have reported Laine isn’t the only former top prospect the team is potentially interested in signing to a PTO; Rosner “wouldn’t be shocked” if the team signed 2018 No. 11 pick Oliver Wahlstrom to a tryout agreement.
Rosner stressed that any reunion with Wahlstrom would focus on improving the depth of the team’s AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Hammers. The 26-year-old has proven to be a capable AHL scorer, and he had a career-high 24 goals and 42 points in 62 games last season.
Islanders prospect Dennis Good Bogg has changed teams over in Sweden. New York’s 2023 seventh-round pick has signed with Mariestad, a club in HockeyEttan, which is the third tier of hockey in Sweden. The Stockholm native developed in the AIK youth system before graduating to pro hockey on a full-time basis in 2024-25.
Good Bogg has spent time in Sweden’s second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan, but has mostly played in the third tier over the last two campaigns. The Islanders hold the exclusive rights to sign Good Bogg until next summer, but it seems almost impossible for the defenseman to earn an entry-level deal for the club unless he can make a dramatic leap to the upper echelon of Swedish pro hockey early on in the 2026-27 season.