After a rookie season for the ages from 2025 first overall pick Matthew Schaefer, the New York Islanders have the superstar that they need to build around for the franchise's next generation. The smooth-skating defenseman asserted himself as one of the best defenders in the world and is already the No. 1 D-man on the team.
Now they need to focus on building around that and becoming a team that can contend long-term. They have only been rebuilding for a couple of drafts, but they’ve added some very impressive prospects that should help Schaefer and the team over the next few years. They just need to focus on continuing to build and not get ahead of themselves because they have the superstar.
In our annual prospect pool series, Tony Ferrari analyzes each team’s top prospects, the strengths and weaknesses of the pipeline, a quick overview of their latest draft class, where each team's positional depth chart stands, and who could be next in line for an NHL chance.
Going in alphabetical order, the Islanders are next on the list.
INITIAL OVERVIEW OF TOP PROSPECTS
With Schaefer as the centerpiece to the Islanders' rebuild, they are going to be looking to bring in young talent over the next couple of years to help get younger and supplement their superstar blueliner. The Isles must continue adding at the draft because, though their pipeline has some good players at the top end, the drop-off is swift.
Victor Eklund fell right into New York’s lap at the 2025 draft, falling to 16th overall. The Swedish right winger plays with a relentlessness and tenacity that you dream of from your skilled players. He will outwork opponents along the wall, get into a defender's hands on the forecheck, and recover possession to start making things happen offensively.
Eklund is an excellent shooter, and he’s continued to improve as a playmaker. By season’s end, he was one of Djurgarden’s best forwards. His AHL stint to end last season was an excellent preview for this coming season, where he will be in North America full time.
One player that could benefit from the arrival of Eklund is Cole Eiserman, one of the best finishers in the Islanders’ system. After two solid NCAA seasons, putting up 25 and 18 goals in 2024-25 and 2025-26, respectively, he jumped to the AHL to end the season. Eiserman has always had a lethal shot and can bring some physical play from time to time, but he needs someone to fill the gaps in his game, and Eklund is the perfect player for that.
If they are at the AHL level together this year, they could form one of the league’s most entertaining dynamic duos.
Kamil Bednarik will be at Boston University for another year, looking to help the team bounce back from a bit of a down year while adding a bit more of an offensive punch. He’s an incredibly tactical player who works off his linemates quite well, looking to make quick decisions and advance the puck up ice as a unit. His defensive game and motor are his biggest strengths, seeming to understand how to fill the gaps of his linemates.
He’s the kind of player that just makes life easier for his line, and while the offensive upside is going to be somewhat limited, he looks like a pro.
We will see Daniil Prokhorov jump to the AHL this season, bringing his violent physicality and heavy shot to North America. The 6-foot-6 right winger is a handful for defenders in so many ways, whether he’s trying to put them through the glass or bullying them around the net. Prokhorov’s venture into the AHL should give an idea of how soon he might be ready for NHL action because the Islanders would love to have the hulking Russian in the lineup.
The Islanders will also be welcoming Quinn Finley to the Hamilton Hammers, their newly relocated AHL affiliate. Finley is a shooter who is coming off a solid three-year NCAA career at the University of Wisconsin. Finley isn’t the most fleet of foot, but he always seems to take quality paths around the ice, which helps mitigate the slight weakness.
The pros are going to be a big step up for Finley.
There is a reason that Danny Nelson has always seemed to find a way to wear the Team USA jersey, whether it was the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, the World Junior Championship, or even the World Championship this past spring. Nelson is a strong two-way presence who plays a very detailed game. His puck pursuit and relentless attitude have allowed him to outperform the raw skill and tools that he has.
Nelson feels like the kind of player who will have a good, long NHL career even if he never eclipses 50 points in an NHL season.
On the blueline, Kashawn Aitcheson is one of the more interesting names for Islanders fans. Turning 20 just before the season starts, Aitcheson is jumping from the OHL to the AHL, which is going to be a great test for him. His game is predicated on throwing massive hits, taking booming shots, and playing an in-your-face game overall.
Aitcheson has to refine some of the finer points of his defensive game because, for as fun and entertaining as the loud parts of his game are, the quiet parts are a work in progress. The AHL is the perfect place for the promising young blueliner this season.
Jesse Pulkkinen, a 21-year-old Finnish defenseman, spent most of last season in the ECHL after coming to North America. His offensive creativity and skill are undeniable, but he needs to improve his skating and fluidity because there is so much to his game that can be valuable at the NHL level eventually. He is more than willing to use his 6-foot-6 frame to pin attackers along the boards and rip pucks away.
Pulkkinen will ultimately go as far as his skating takes him.
You can’t talk about the Islanders' defense prospects without at least mentioning Isaiah George. He's a good two-way defender who is a very mobile player and a good transitional passer. George played in nearly 40 games in the NHL over the last two years, but he hasn’t truly locked down a spot.
He is a very steady depth defender who can do a bit of everything. The 22-year-old isn’t going to wow you the way Schaefer will offensively or Aitcheson will physically, but he can play solid depth minutes and ensure those guys can be game breakers.
U-23 PLAYERS LIKELY TO PLAY IN THE NHL THIS SEASON
Matthew Schaefer (D), Calum Ritchie (C/W), Victor Eklund (RW), Cole Eiserman (LW), Isaiah George (D)
2026 NHL DRAFT CLASS
Round 1, 13th overall - Malte Gustafsson, D, HV71 (Swe.)
Round 4, 109th overall - Lincoln Kuehne, D, Arizona State University (NCAA)
Round 5, 141st overall - Vladimir Dravecky, D, Brantford (OHL)
Round 6, 173rd overall - Artyom Matyuk, C, Nizhny Novgorod Jr. (Rus.)
Round 7, 205th overall - Bobby Cowan, RW, Western Michigan University (NCAA)
Despite a somewhat limited cupboard of draft picks, the Islanders did a good job of targeting some really interesting players. With their first-round pick, and only pick inside the top 100, the Islanders drafted the best defensive defenseman in the class, Malte Gustafsson. The 6-foot-4 defender is an excellent skater who showcases his four-way mobility at both ends of the ice.
Gustafsson was a highly effective defensive player at the junior level, using his skating and stick work to thwart chances and kill plays. When he moved up to the men’s level in Sweden, he seemingly got better, utilizing his size and physicality more while still working with the advantages he had as a skater. Gustafsson is the kind of top-four defender that every team needs to quiet the play and steady his team.
With the lack of depth at right shot defense, Lincoln Kuehne immediately became the best player at the position in the Islanders’ pipeline. He’s a defensive-minded blueliner with solid mobility and a willingness to use his size. He’s certainly not going to impress anyone with his puck skills, but he does an excellent job of mirroring attackers and quickly closing to kill a chance.
Vladimir Dravecky is an interesting blueliner who leverages advanced passing habits and puckhandling to create offense. His defensive game is a little more hit-or-miss. He seems to understand what to do, but the execution fails him at times.
The Czech blueliner is going to be a fixture on their junior teams over the next couple of years.
A flyer of Russian center Artyom Matyuk is intriguing because while he seems like a player who is a jack of all trades and a master of none, he shows some interesting playmaking flashes and intelligent off-puck habits offensively. He’s a swing late in the draft, but he’s an interesting one.
The Islanders also took 20-year-old Bobby Cowan. He was a freshman at Western Michigan University this past season, putting together a solid season with 24 points in 39 games. He’s a complementary right winger who is looking to play a support role for teammates.
He connects play, chaining small events together to make good things happen. He doesn’t have any standout tools, but he manages well with average skills across the board.
STRENGTHS
The left side of the defense is quite intriguing, especially after adding Gustafsson to that mix. It’s important to note that Schaefer is part of this group in a way, despite winning the Calder Trophy. Schaefer won’t turn 19 until September.
On top of those two, the left side includes the hard-hitting Aitcheson and puck-mover Pulkkinen. George has already played NHL games at 22 years old, and he should be a very solid depth defender next season. The Isles have a handful of left-shot D that could easily find themselves in the NHL.
WEAKNESSES
Between the right shot defenders and goalies in the Islanders pipeline, there are two weak points that feel about even. Their goalies are all dart throws in the dark, hoping that one of them can find their groove and end up being solid NHLers, even if just in a backup role. On the blueline, Keuhne is immediately the best right shot blueliner in the system and he’s a recent fourth round pick.
It’s not like he was a top 50 pick even. The Islanders need to look to the right side and in net next year in the draft because they are pretty close to bare at both.
HIDDEN GEM: DANNY NELSON, C/LW
Nelson will make his money as a defensive forward who pursues and pressures the puck with tenacity. He has shown some really solid playmaking at the NCAA level as well, continuing to round out his game.
Nelson isn’t ever going to sit at the top of any prospect lists or contend for a Calder Trophy when he gets into the NHL, but as he heads into his senior year at Notre Dame, he has developed a really strong two-way acumen and a reputation that should earn him a good look at the pro level.
NEXT MAN UP: VICTOR EKLUND, RW/LW
Arguably the steal of last year’s draft, Eklund had a very good season in the SHL with Djurgarden before jumping to North America and getting into 11 games at the AHL level, including two in the playoffs and one NHL appearance, where he registered his first NHL point.
In his nine regular-season games in the American League, he had 10 points and showed that he’s ready for the next step in his journey. Eklund is going to compete for a spot on the NHL team in camp, but he very well could head to Hamilton and be one of the league's best players.
He’s more than likely going to play in NHL games this year. It just depends on whether the coaching staff and front office want that to be a handful or a full campaign.
PROSPECT DEPTH CHART NOTABLES
LW: Cole Eiserman, Jesse Nurmi, Tomas Poletin, Quinn Finley
C: Kamil Bednarik, Danny Nelson, Luca Romano, Artyom Matyuk
RW: Victor Eklund, Jacob Kvasnicka, Daniil Prokhorov, Bobby Cowan
LD: Malte Gustafsson, Kashawn Aitcheson, Calle Odelius, Jesse Pulkkinen, Isaiah George, Sam Laurila
RD: Lincoln Kuehne, Vladimir Dravecky, Tomas Machu
G: Dmitri Gamzin, Burke Hood
For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook and Future Watch editions of The Hockey News in print.
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