Top Prospects Talk Islanders and Describe Their Games at NHL Combine

The top prospects in the NHL Draft were in Buffalo this week for the NHL Combine.

NewYorkIslanders.com caught up with six of them, including the top four North American-ranked skaters: defenseman Matthew Schaefer, forwards Michael Misa, James Hagens and James O’Brien, as well as the top two Internationally-ranked skaters in forwards Anton Frondell and Victor Eklund.

Here are some highlights:

Describe Your Game / NHL Comparable

Matthew Schaefer to NewYorkIslanders.com

"I'm a two-way defenseman. I'm really competitive. I love winning and hate losing. Really good hockey IQ and really good skating ability. I like to play in all three zones and just be a defenseman that can play anywhere, power play, penalty kill, go on with the minute left to gain the lead, or go on with a minute left to protect the lead. I want to be an all-around player."

(Editor’s note: Schaefer told reporters he likes to watch Colorado’s Cale Makar and Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen, but doesn’t necessarily model his game after either. He praised Winnipeg Jets’ forward Brandon Tanev’s shot blocking ability on the PK)

Michael Misa to NewYorkIslanders.com

"My playmaking is probably my strongest asset. I'd give it to my speed and shot too. Those three things are something I look to take with me to the next level, and I think it's going to help my game a lot.

Coming into this year, I've just tried to round out my game with that 200-foot player. Offensively, I like to make plays, I got good hockey IQ, I just like to make players around me better. Defensively, I've tried to become more reliable and just be harder on the puck defensively, to make myself that 200-foot player."

(Ed note: despite being a center, Misa told reporters he models his game after Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov)

James Hagens to NewYorkIslanders.com

"I think I'm an exciting player to watch. I'm someone that uses the skating, his hockey IQ, to be able to see the ice and make plays. I love to compete, especially on the ice, I'm able to play a full two-way game, able to be trusted in all zones of the ice."

(Hagens compared his game to New Jersey’s Jack Hughes)

Jake O’Brien to NewYorkIslanders.com

I'd say a very smart player, high hockey IQ. My ability to pass the puck is high. I feel like I'm very good at passing through little seams and under pressure. I'm a good 200-foot player, and I make those around me better.

(O’Brien compared his game to Dallas’ Wyatt Johnston)

Anton Frondell

"[I model my game after Aleksander] Barkov in Florida. Captain, good size, strong. Good hockey sense. A smart player that likes to compete, I would say, Barkov. I play like him."

Victor Eklund

"[I model my game after] Travis Konecny. He definitely plays with a lot of energy and tries to get under the skin of the opponents and just play pretty physical like I do."

What do you know about the Islanders?

Schaefer to NewYorkIslanders.com

"I've heard a lot of great things about the organization. Obviously, I'd love to be an Islander. Obviously, I'd love to go first overall. I mean, there's nothing I can really control now, you know, it's who they think's the best player. I think I've done everything on the ice and off the ice."

Misa

"I've got to know them over the last couple days, I did an interview with them, went out to dinner with them. They're a great organization. They have so many good players coming up. Great, young core. It's an exciting time."

Hagens to NewYorkIslanders.com:

"I grew up in Hauppauge, little out east… I grew up skating in rinks all around Long Island, like Kings Park. I grew up watching games in the Nassau Coliseum back in the day with the Isles, so I grew up being an Isles fan."

(Editor’s Note: Hagens’ Isles ties run deep. His favorite player as a kid was John Tavares, he has a picture with Matt Martin on the wall in his room and has playoff memories – and towels from Nassau Coliseum. He told the NHL Draft Class podcast he’d want to win a Stanley Cup as an Islander, but followed up with reporters on Friday that the goal is the same no matter what team drafts him.)

O’Brien

"They're really nice guys. They made me feel comfortable and the interview went well. They asked good questions and I thought I had a good answer for all the questions they asked. They were just really good guys. It was cool."

MISCELLANEOUS

Schaefer on being the top-ranked North American despite an injury shortened season:

"There's a lot of great players in the draft class. Misa is a great one. I've only played 17 games, [so people may ask] why are you at the top of that list? In those 17 games, I took it as opportunities, and I worked as hard as I could, and I left it all out there where maybe, if I didn't, [my ranking] would maybe be otherwise. But I think I really showed what I was capable of in the 17 games."

(Ed note: Schaefer had 22 points (7G, 15A) in those 17 games before breaking his clavicle at the World Juniors. He’s fully cleared, but will not participate in the bench press or pull ups at the combine.)

Schaefer on working out at the same gym as Adam Pelech this summer to NYI.com:

"He works out at the same gym that I'm working out at now, so I'll be working out with him. Haven't got to really meet him yet, just because I got to go to the combine, but I've heard so many great things. I mean, our trainer loves them, so excited to be working with him."

Misa on moving back to center

"Coming to the OHL, I primarily did play winger my first two years. Ultimately, I wanted to make that jump back to center and I think, you know, it helped my confidence level a lot. I just feel a lot more comfortable down the middle. Got a lot more puck touches, just carrying the play on my stick, more is definitely something that that helped me."

(Ed note: Misa led the OHL with 134 points)

Hagens on how playing a year at Boston College helped his game to NYI.com:

"You're playing against guys that are older and stronger. It makes you mature, makes you learn how tough it is, and just you know you need to be able to handle yourself on the ice. The game's fast, it's hard, so it's a lot of things are thrown at you. You just need to be able to overcome them."

Hagens on embracing the combine experience:

"This is an exciting time... You grow up watching the NHL, you grow up dreaming of playing in the NHL, and now you're talking to teams, and that dream is coming true. So it's just a moment we have to soak in. You just have to be grateful for every meeting you have, every interaction you have with a team. So this is a week that you will remember for the rest of your life. It only comes around once."