Islanders Prospect Report: May 20, 2025

Welcome to the Islanders Prospect Report, a weekly roundup of the Islanders' junior, collegiate and European prospects. Visit our In the System page for more prospect content.

NURMI ADVANCES TO MEMORIAL CUP, RITCHIE’S SEASON COMES TO AN END

Jesse Nurmi is an OHL Champion!

Jesse Nurmi won his first OHL title and the London Knights won the league for the second consecutive year on Thursday. As a result, Nurmi and the Knights punched their ticket to compete for the 2025 Memorial Cup, the top prize in Canadian junior hockey.

The win came at the expense of fellow Islanders prospect Calum Ritchie and the Oshawa Generals, whose season came to an end in the five-game series.

Nurmi and the Knights took down Ritchie and the Generals in five games in the OHL finals, including four straight wins. Nurmi, the Isles’ 2023 fourth-round pick (113^th overall), scored the game-winning goal in Game 3 on Monday late in the third period to take a 2-1 advantage in the series. The Knights cruised to a 6-2 victory on Tuesday in Game Four and ultimately earned the OHL Championship title with a 5-2 win on Thursday.

The Finnish winger totaled eight points (3G, 5A) and 27 shots on goal through 17 games of his first OHL playoff run. Nurmi and the Knights enter the Memorial Cup having only lost one game in the postseason.

The Knights are representing the OHL at this year’s Memorial Cup. The Moncton Wildcats are representing the QMJHL and the Medicine Hat Tigers are representing the WHL after both teams won their respective leagues. The Rimouski Oceanic are this year’s host team and finished second in the QMJHL, falling to Moncton in six games in the final.

Nurmi and the Knights will take on the Wildcats in their first round-robin game on Saturday.

For Oshawa, the loss was a bitter and familiar defeat as they fell to the Knights for the OHL title for the second straight year. Ritchie’s impressive postseason saw a career-high nine goals through 21 playoff games where he put up 25 points for the Generals.

The 20-year-old also put up a career-best 71 shots on goal in the postseason in his final year in junior. Ritchie, who the Islanders acquired ahead of the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, is expected to turn pro in the fall.

VEILLEUX SCORES BUZZER-BEATER IN GAME FOUR

Winner takes all.

Xavier Veilleux and the Muskegon Lumberjacks are tied at two games apiece with the Waterloo Black Hawks in the best-of-five USHL Clark Cup Finals.

The Lumberjacks took their first lead of the series with a 2-1 win in double overtime on Friday to get one win away from the championship. Although they lost in Game Four on Saturday in a 3-2 OT defeat, Veilleux made the Muskegon home crowd erupt with a buzzer beater to force overtime.

Veilleux, who was drafted by the Isles in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL Draft (179th overall) dropped to his knees in the right circle and whipped a shot with desperation, beating the goaltender as time expired.

Surrendering the OT goal to the Black Hawks 1:32 into overtime spoiled a strong comeback effort, as Muskegon was trailing 2-0 until the final 1:05 of regulation. Veilleux has a career-high eight points (3G, 5A) in 13 playoff games this year, including two points (1G, 1A) in his last three games.

It all comes down to Tuesday’s contest, as Veilleux and the Lumberjacks will face the Black Hawks with the Clark Cup on the line.

STATS

CHL:

Jesse Nurmi | London (OHL) | 58GP, 9G, 22A, 31P, 10PIM

Jesse Nurmi | London (Playoffs) | 17GP, 3G, 5A, 8P, 7PIM

Calum Ritchie | Oshawa (OHL) | 47GP, 15G, 55A, 70P, 50PIM

Calum Ritchie | Oshawa (Playoffs) | 21GP, 9G, 16A, 25P, 22PIM

USHL:

Xavier Veilleux | Muskegon Lumberjacks | 61GP, 8G, 33A, 41P, 30PIM

Xavier Veilleux | Muskegon (Playoffs) | 13GP, 3G, 5A, 8P, 2PIM