Soucy to Bolster Isles Blue Line with Size and Strength

Carson Soucy didn’t have to travel far to get from his old team to his new team – and stay-at-home defenseman may even wind up getting to stay at home after a trade within the Tri-State Area.

Soucy, who was acquired from the New York Rangers on Monday night, also won’t have to wait long to face his former team, as New York Islanders play the Rangers in a back-to-back, home-and-home set starting on Wednesday.

“It’ll definitely feel weird, going up against the Rangers in the next two games,” Soucy said. “But ultimately, it’s about coming in here and trying to make a playoff push.”

Soucy skated with the Islanders for the first time on Wednesday morning at UBS Arena for the team’s morning skate, alongside fellow newcomer Ondrej Palat, who was acquired from New Jersey on Tuesday. Soucy, a veteran defenseman listed at 6’4” and 211 lbs., is excited to be apart of the Islanders and their playoff push, already feeding off the energy following Monday’s 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

“It was great, good energy out there today, Soucy said after morning skate. “The guys are coming off a pretty big win the other night. Hopefully we can build off that tonight.”

Soucy is a defensive defenseman, with his bread and butter being hits (647 for his career), blocked shots (507) and the smaller details away from the stat sheet. He’s a known penalty killer, averaging 1:41 SH TOI/GP this season.

The Islanders got a taste of Soucy’s sturdy defense through rivalry matchups over the last two seasons, so they know that he can be an asset on the blueline.

“He’s a big body, strong in the corners,” Anders Lee said. “Had plenty of encounters with him down there. He reads the game really well. I think defensively, it was always tough to get around him, tough to create space in front of the net, and that's going be a huge asset for us moving forward.”

Mathew Barzal compared Soucy’s style of play to Alexander Romanov, who will be out for the remainder of the season after an injury he sustained in November. Soucy can fill that hole with grit and aggressive style of play.

“He’s a hard-to play-against d-man, kind of like Romi,” Barzal said. “He’s just a physical guy out there, not even necessarily just hitting, but cross checking. One of those d-men that anytime you're on the ice with them, if you get around them like you're getting a shot, you're taking a shot. We really need a guy like that, a guy that’ll go after top guys on the other team and make their life hard.”

A gritty defenseman who can add toughness and a smart defensive game is an asset for a team making a playoff push – defense was a huge priority for Islanders GM and EVP Mathieu Darche, who noticed that Soucy was one of two Rangers with a positive rating, as him and Adam Fox sport a plus-four.

“You see on a big presence, he can kill penalties, he’s got experience in the NHL,” Darche said. “He's a player that can play physical and you see he played pretty well for the Rangers. Plus, I think he's one of the few D's in the pluses over there. So again, we're bringing some experience in the NHL to help us.”

Soucy is looking forward to learning Head Coach Patrick Roy’s system and got a positive impression from the Islanders season so far, especially from the management and coaching. He took rushes in morning skate with Adam Boqvist on Wednesday morning.

“These guys have rallied with Patrick,” Soucy said. “This year especially, they’ve shown great signs of improvement from last year. I know he coaches a well-structured team with good systems.”

Roy acknowledged the unique situation it is for Soucy to jump right into a new team with the first task of playing your former team in back-to-back, huge games. He’s also happy that the veteran defenseman doesn’t have to uproot his family in the transition, excited for what Soucy can do for the Islanders.

“Might as well do it right away, let’s not waste time,” Roy said. “He’s a great pro, and I’m sure he’s thankful for the organization, he’s still in New York, so it’s a good situation for him. He’s going to help us, and we’re very glad to have him.”