Oliver Wahlstrom Ready to Cook Up Big Season

Oliver Wahlstrom spent most of his summer on Long Island, training for this upcoming season, his third in the NHL and his second full, 82-game campaign.
Last season, Wahlstrom scored 13 goals and added 11 assists for the New York Islanders in 73 games, his longest full season, so far, after scoring 21 points in 44 games in the shortened 2020-21 season.
"Last year was a lot of learning for everybody," Wahlstrom said. "It wasn't the result we wanted, but I just took it into the summer, I wanted to get into better shape, I wanted to get stronger."

To do that, Wahlstrom trained with other Islanders who stuck around this summer, including Matt Martin. Martin and Wahlstrom were among a small group of players who trained on the Island, and were in the training facilities working on and off-ice together most days, Martin said.

Some of their training was unorthodox, with Martin and Wahlstrom taking a trip to Longo and Weidman MMA in Garden City. Martin has 79 fights on the ice as an Islander, so the MMA gym was a change of scenery and a fun way for them to change it up. Wahlstrom has three tilts on his NHL resume and while that's not his primary focus, the training offered a different way to condition. The 22-year-old said playing his first 82-game season last year (his two previous pro seasons were cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic) was a learning experience.
"He matured in a lot of ways, which is to be expected as you go through your first full season," Martin said. "He put a lot of time into conditioning, a lot of time in gym working on the things he felt he needed to get better at, and hopefully it all translates onto the ice. He looks good. He's working hard."
Wahlstrom's adventures into new sports and adventures this summer didn't stop at MMA. Wahlstrom and Mathew Barzal

game early in the summer. He

to visit Noah Dobson and met up with fellow PEI native Ross Johnston while there.
"He's from Maine, so it's not the same, but the kind of small-town feel, he really enjoyed it," Dobson said. "We had a really good time, we both love golf so we got some good golf in, some Atlantic Canada seafood, some lobster and stuff like that. It was great to see him, and hopefully we can make it an annual trip."

Wahlstrom also said he worked on improving his cooking this summer - although Martin and Dobson said they still haven't gotten an invite over to his house for dinner yet. Martin said Wahlstrom has made him some protein shakes at the gym.
"Cooking is pretty fun," Wahlstrom said. "Last year I ate out a lot, so I learned you know can't do that every night, so it's been a good change."
That experience this summer, the training, cooking and the fun, will be critical in Wahlstrom's development this year. His shot will be an important part of the Islanders' offense this season, both at even strength and on special teams.
"He's had a great summer," Head Coach Lane Lambert said. "We're looking for him to take the next step, as well. He's a goal scorer, he can shoot the puck. What he's done in the summer away from the rink and now in the first couple of days of training camp, he's matured. He looks like a guy who's ready to fight for a job."