"Yeah, obviously it was uh super high intensity. Everyone's competing. Everyone's giving it their best. So, it was a lot of fun," Aitcheson said after stepping off the ice. While he's still new to the organization, Aitcheson senses the shift happening on Long Island. "I think obviously there's so many great players on the current roster now and I think the young guys are just trying to learn from them and learn from all the coaching staff here
"Yeah, it was awesome," Ritchie said after day one on Long Island. "I think it's a really good group of guys. A lot of talent, a lot of great prospects here. So, it's been a lot of fun so far. Good way to get the juices flowing before camp for real training camp."
Tonight, as the Matt Martin Foundation hosts its annual Charity Poker Tournament, Will Chiarucci on X posted a photo of players' jerseys spread across different tables, and it appears Drouin will wear No. 29 with the Islanders, the number most recently worn by Brock Nelson. Being that Nelson only departed the Islanders in March, traded to the Colorado Avalanche for Cal Ritchie and a first-round pick in 2026, it'll take some getting used to for the Islanders' faithful to see another player wearing No. 29.
First reported by Anthony Di Marco of The Daily Faceoff, Laperriere joins the Islanders as a professional scout after guiding the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL for the past four seasons. The 51-year-old led the Phantoms to the playoffs three times in four years. His coaching stint in Pennsylvania followed a lengthy tenure as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers, where he spent nine seasons shaping their systems and working with young talent.
When the New York Islanders take the ice for training camp this September, one of the new faces to watch will be forward Joey Larson. The 24-year-old Michigan State product signed a one-year entry-level contract with the club earlier this summer, officially beginning his professional career with a chance to make an impression on Long Island. He was the state of Michigan's "Mr. Hockey" winner as the top player in the state in 2019 while playing for his hometown Hartland High School.
We're a quarter of the way through the 2000s, and the game of hockey has evolved so much since the turn of the millennium. While it's been 42 years since the NY Islanders last hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup, the organization has put together a few teams that have made a run in recent times. Though the Islanders teams of the 1980s may never be replicated, the franchise has produced some of its most talented players in its 52-year history.
Let's start with Alexei Yashin and Carol Alt. When Alt, a renowned supermodel and actress, dated Yashin in the early 2000s and for many years after. Their glamorous pairing coincided with Yashin's tenure as the team's marquee acquisition, putting a rare spotlight on the franchise during a period of transition, and left us wondering if we should wear more turtlenecks.
New York Islanders jersey worn by alternative captain Josh Bailey throughout the tail-end of the 2021-22 NHL season. During the season, the Islanders paid tribute to two of the franchise's legendary players and Hockey Hall of Fame Honored Members with the unfortunate passing of both Clark Gillies (age 67) on Jan. 21, 2022) and Mike Bossy (age 65) on Apr. 15, 2022).
In 2013-14, the Islanders made a bold move, trading fan favorite Matt Moulson for elite winger Thomas Vanek in hopes of finally giving John Tavares that perfect scoring partner. Vanek didn't disappoint on the scoresheet, producing 44 points in just 47 games. Despite the team's offer, Vanek had no interest in moving with the franchise to Brooklyn, bringing the experiment to an end.