Islanders Prospect Report: Oct. 19, 2020

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.
After the minor, collegiate and junior leagues cancelled their seasons in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hockey is back for a number of the Islanders prospects. The AHL has yet to resume, with a target date of Dec. 4.

Swedish Leagues

Over in Sweden, the Islanders have four players resuming game action. Robin Salo and is playing in the nation's top-tier league, the SHL, while Alexander Ljungkrantz is playing in Sweden's SuperElit u20 league. Simon Holmstrom and Oliver Wahlstrom are competing in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-tier of the Swedish ice hockey system, as both were loaned from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers until the North American seasons get underway.
Through eight games with Orebro, Salo has compiled four points (1G, 3A). Salo and Orebro are currently ranked fourth overall in the SHL with a 5-0-1-2 record (ROW, OTW, OTL, L). Salo, who was drafted by the Islanders 46th overall in 2017, joined Orebro back in February after spending the entirety of his pro career prior in Finland. Through 12 games with Orebro last season, Salo totaled six points (1G, 5A).

Ljungkrantz, who was the first selection of the Isles' 2020 draft class (90th overall), has recorded 10 points (7G, 3A) in 11 games with Brynas IF J20. The 18-year-old left winger compiled 27 points (15G, 12A) in 42 games last year with Brynas Jr.
Holmstrom, the Islanders' 2019 first rounder (23rd overall), was loaned to Vita Hästen HC of HockeyAllsvenskan on Aug. 28. Holmstrom has yet to record a point through three games of the 2020-21 campaign. Holmstrom and Vita Hästen HC are ranked 10th overall in the league.
Last season, in his first full season of professional North American hockey with the Isles AHL affiliate, the 19-year-old winger picked up 15 points (8G, 7A) in 46 games.
The Islanders also loaned Wahlstrom to AIK of HockeyAllsvenskan on Aug. 31. Wahlstrom, who has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Sweden, has totaled four points (2G, 2A) in five games with AIK. Wahlstrom and AIK are ranked 11th overall in the league.
The Isles 2018 first rounder (11th overall) spent last season and his full season of professional hockey with Bridgeport where he amassed 22 points (10G, 22A) through 45 games. Wahlstrom also received a nine-game stint up top with the Islanders from Oct. 14 through Nov. 7.

Finnish Leagues

In Finland, the Islanders also have four prospects actively playing in Otto Koivula, Ruslan Iskhakov, Matias Rajaniemi and Henrik Tikkanen. Koivula (HIFK), Iskhakov (TPS) and Rajaniemi (Pelicans) are all playing in Finland's top league (Liiga), while Tikkanen (IPK) is competing in the second-highest Finnish league called Mestis.
Koivula joined HIFK-Hockey Ab on loan on Oct. 9. Through three games, Koivula has scored once for HIFK. Koivula and HIFK sit in seventh place across the Liiga rankings.

The Isles' 2016 fourth-rounder (120th overall) produced 22 points (9G, 13A) in 36 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this past season and appeared in 12 games with the Islanders, including his NHL debut.
The 22-year-old winger was also on the Islanders expanded playoff roster during the team's 2020 playoff run.
Iskhakov (2018 second rounder) opted to not return to the University of Connecticut for his third season of NCAA hockey, but rather opted to head abroad to HC TPS to pursue his professional career. Through five games with TPS, the 20-year-old winger has registered five points (2G, 3A) in as many games. Iskhakov and TPs are ranked eighth overall.
In his sophomore season at UCONN, Iskhakov matched his previous career-best of 21 points and set a new career-high of nine goals through 32 games.

Rajaniemi, who the Isles drafted in the sixth round in 2020 (183rd overall), has played five games with the Pelicans, but has yet to record a point. Rajaniemi and the Pelicans are situated in 11th place overall.
The 18-year-old blueliner posted 17 points (2G, 15A) through 39 games with the Pelicans under-20 club in Finland's Jr. A SM-liiga. The lengthy 6-foot-4, 201-pound left shot also made his Liiga debut with the Pelicans' top club last season and posted two assists in 12 games.
Tikkanen, who was the Isles final draftee of 2020 (seventh round 214th overall), was hand selected by the Islanders scouting staff. The 20-year-old goaltender has played in his first four games of professional hockey with IPK in Mestis, the second-highest tier of Finnish hockey, and has posted a record of 3-1-0, a 2.51 goals against average (GAA) and a save percentage of 89.13%. Tikkanen and IPK are ranked first overall in Mestis with a record of 5-1-1.
Last season, posted an .895 save percentage (SV%) in 39 games played last season for HIFK's under-20 club in Finland's Jr. A SM-Liiga.

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)

Of the North American junior hockey leagues, the QMJHL is the sole league to have embarked on the 2020-21 campaign. But due to an outbreak of positive COVID-19 tests, the league had to suspend play in its Quebec divisions until at least Oct. 28.
The temporary suspension has sidelined Isles 2020 draftee (fifth round 152th overall) William Dufour and the Drummondville Voltigeurs, who last played on Oct. 10. Dufour had posted three assists in two games to start his final season of junior hockey. Despite the pause, Dufour and Drummondville are ranked fourth overall in the Q with a record of 3-1-0.
The 18-year-old winger set a career-best 55 points (28G, 27A) in 59 games last year split between Chicoutimi and Drummondville. During his final 28 games of the season, he put up 33 points (18G, 15A) for the Voltigeurs.

KHL

The KHL began its 2020-21 season on Sept. 2. Anatoly Golyshev, who was drafted in the fourth round (95th overall) in 2016, already has 10 points (6G, 4A) in 14 games with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Golyshev and Avtomobilist are ranked first in the East division and second overall in the entirety of the KHL with a record of 12-3-3 and 27 points.
Last season, the 25-year-old winger totaled 25 points (11G, 14A) in 38 games.

Target 2020-21 Start Dates for Other Leagues

The NCAA, WHL and OHL have yet to begin their 2020-21 seasons.
The NCAA is allowing individual conferences to sort out the best way to complete intra-conference play. For Collin Adams and North Dakota and the NCHC, that means their conference will begin play on Dec. 1 in a "Pod" split between the East and West division of teams. The Big Ten conference, which includes Christian Kryiger of Michigan State and Jake Pivonka of Notre Dame, will begin play as early as Nov. 13. Hockey East, which encompasses Logan Cockerill (Boston University), Ben Mirageas (Providence College) and Alex Jefferies (Merrimack College) has yet to release their official start date. The ECAC, which includes Andong Song (Cornell University) has not yet released their official start date.
The OHL, which could include Bode Wilde and Blade Jenkins (Saginaw) is targeting Dec. 1 as its official start date for the 2020-21 season with training camps slated to begin on Nov. 15 and exhibition games projected to commence on Nov. 20-22 and Nov. 27-29.
The WHL, where Reece Newkirk (Portland) will play his final season of junior, isn't scheduled to begin play until Jan. 8, 2021.

PROSPECT STATS