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New York Islanders: Top 8 prospects worth getting excited about

By Colton Pankiw

Ilya Sorokin #30 of the New York Islanders. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Ilya Sorokin #30 of the New York Islanders. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /
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Robin Salo
Robin Salo of the New York Islanders. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

6. Robin Salo

Though he remains relatively unknown due to having not yet played in North America, Robin Salo is becoming one of the New York Islanders’ best prospects on the backend. The now 22-year-old has been a part of the Islanders organization since being selected with the 46th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. At the time he was drafted, he had been playing in the SM-liiga, and continued to until late in the 2019-20 season when he chose to go to Sweden and play in the SHL.

The switch to Sweden has proven to be a great one, as Salo is currently having his best season as a professional hockey player. In 40 games with Orebro HK this season, he is tied for the team lead in points with 28. The one concern regarding Salo was that heading into 2021 he had still yet to sign an Entry-Level Contract with the Islanders, however the two sides were finally able to work out a deal this past week, meaning we could finally see Salo in North America for the 2021-22 season.

Bode Wilde (74)
Bode Wilde #74 of the Saginaw Spirit. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

5. Bode Wilde

The most exciting prospect the Islanders have on the blueline is Bode Wide, who they selected in the Second-Round (No. 41 overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He was drafted shortly after playing for the U.S. National U-18 Team but, instead of going to college the following year, instead headed up to Canada to play for the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL. His first season with the Spirit was fantastic as he had 19 goals and 70 points in just 62 games.

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Thanks to the great season, the Islanders made the decision to have him play the 2019-20 season in Bridgeport rather than return to Saginaw. However, it became clear quickly that Wilde was not yet ready for professional hockey, as he had just two assists in 20 games. As a result, he was reassigned to the Spirit in February, and discovered his offensive touch once again as he had 11 points in 11 games prior to the season being shut down. He is back in Bridgeport this season and will look to prove that he now has what it takes to be a pro hockey player.

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