Meet the Islanders' 2020 Draftees

The Islanders 2020 Draft class has officially been selected
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Entering this year's virtually held NHL Draft on Oct. 7, the Isles were without a first-round pick for the first time since 2017 and were without a pick in either the first or second rounds for the first time since 2007. As a result, they meticulously identified their five newest prospects composed of three wingers (Alexander Ljungkrantz, Alex Jefferies, William Dufour), one defenseman (Matias Rajaniemi,) and one goaltender (Henrik Tikkanen).

"We're pleased [with our 2020 Draft Class]," President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello said. "We drafted three forwards, all of good size and all wingers. Our defenseman has good size also. And an exceptional size goalie that are goaltending staff thought had tremendous potential."
Get to know the newest members of the Islanders organization:
During the waning hours of Oct. 7, Ljungkrantz sat in front of the television back home in Sweden surrounded by his family watching the NHL Draft when he saw his name appear on the screen in the third round (90th overall) as the Islanders made their selection.
"I was shocked when my name got called," Ljungkrantz said. "I was just sitting with my family watching the draft...It was an unbelievable feeling getting drafted by a pro organization as the New York Islanders. I've been working for this my whole life."
The 18-year-old left winger patiently waited for the moment he'd be drafted to the NHL and it didn't disappoint. Ljungkrantz was drafted from Brynas Jr. of Sweden's J20 SuperElit league where he compiled 27 points (15G, 12A) in 42 games.
Instead of drawing a parallel between a specific NHL player whom Ljungkrantz might model his game after, he noted he heeds his attention towards the players who like to play with pace.
"[I would describe myself as a] speedy forward who works hard and creates opportunities," he said. "I have much left to learn. It will be a process."
Over in Sweden, Ljungkrantz has already returned to games and is playing for the Brynas under-20 Junior team and has also suited up for one game at the highest tier with the Swedish Hockey League's (SHL) Brynas.
Lamoriello personally announced the Isles' fourth-round pick (121st overall), Alex Jefferies. The act was a nice touch for the Jefferies family and specifically Brian Jefferies, Alex's father who played for Lamoriello at Providence College from 1989-1993.
"It's an awesome organization and an awesome franchise," Jefferies said with a grin. "I've been watching them a lot in these last playoffs and over the last couple of years. I know Lou Lamoriello and Coach [Barry] Trotz have done a great job recently. It's a historic franchise. I'm super excited to be a part of it."
The 18-year-old left winger was drafted by the Islanders out of the the Gunnery Preparatory High School (USHS-Prep), a private boarding school in Connecticut. Through 32 games, Jefferies totaled 69 points (33G, 36A). The 6-foot, 195-pound right shot prides himself on his nose for scoring goals and overall 200-foot game.

He models his game after goal scorers with a sharp hockey IQ.
"The closest one for me is Oliver Bjorkstand on Columbus," Jefferies said. "I like the way he shoots the puck. He's a goal-scoring winger. We play similar in a lot of ways. We're big players, but we're not big tough guys who run around hitting people. We just use our body to score goals and to get to the net rather than getting a lot of physicality going."
This fall, Jefferies will be a freshman at Merrimack College in the NCAA's Hockey East.
In the fifth round, the Islanders drafted a power forward in William Dufour from the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Dufour was welcomed to the organization by a few friendly face in fellow Isles prospect Felix Bibeau and was pleasantly surprised to receive a congratulations text from Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
"When I saw my name on the screen it was an unbelievable feeling," Dufour said. "I'll remember that for the rest of my life. It's one of the best days of my life."
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound winger noted the Islanders' disciplined style of play suits his dominant game and attention to detail.
"My best qualities are my offensive skills," Dufour said. "I like to shoot the puck, I like to have control of the puck, I like to make some plays in the offensive zone. I need to improve on my explosion. For a big guy like me, it's tough to explode. In the summer, I just trained a lot on those details. This year and last year I changed my mindset on the small details."

Dufour was drafted sixth overall in the QMJHL in 2018 by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, where he was teammates with current Isles defenseman Noah Dobson and Bibeau and has heard nothing but praise about the Isles from his pals.
Dufour was traded to Chicoutimi ahead of Dobson, Bibeau and Rouyn-Noranda's Memorial Cup-winning run in 2019. He was once again reunited with Bibeau before being dealt last year to Drummondville. The right-shot winger amassed a career-best 55 points (28G, 27A) in 59 games last year between Chicoutimi and Drummondville.
In his final 28 games of the season up until the put up 33 points (18 goals, 15 assists) for the Voltigeurs and hopes to build off that foundation into this final year of the 'Q' where he already has three assists in two games.
"[My goal is to] just train a lot and focus on my last year," Dufour said. "I had a very good end of the season last year. This year, I just want to try and produce the same thing as the end of last year and keep working hard."

The Islanders selected their sole defenseman of the draft in the Sixth Round (183rd overall) in Matias Rajaniemi. The 18-year-old Finn hails from Lahti.
Last year, the left-shot produced 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 blueliner also made his Liiga debut with the Pelicans' top club last season and posted two assists in 12 games. The 2020-21 campaign has already begun over in Finland and Rajaniemi has dressed in two games with Liiga's Pelicans.

The Islanders final draftee of the 2020 draft was selected with immense consideration, so much so, that the Isles took the additional steps needed to ensure that they'd have the opportunity to select 20-year-old goaltender, Henrik Tikkanen.
"He was someone that was identified because of his size and his agility and his improvement from last year to this year," Lamoriello said. "In saying that, we had our goalie department go and see him. We watched films here, all of the above. We felt that he would be there in the sixth and seventh round. Actually, we submitted his name - his name was not on the eligibility list - we submitted his name to get him eligible. I don't think you can ever have enough goalies."
Last season, Tikkanen 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. This season, the left catch has recorded a .933 SV% and a 1.50 goals against average (GAA) through two games with Iisalmi Peli Karhut (IPK) of Finland's Mestis League, the Finnish equivalent to the AHL.
Check out the Islanders weekly Prospect Report on newyorkislanders.com to stay updated on the Islanders 2020 Draft Class as well as follow the Isles prospects that are already in the system as well.