Fish Sticks; Four Islander prospects competing in World Juniors

It’s that time of the year again!  It’s the 2018-19 World Juniors and the New York Islanders have plenty of representation.  We’ll break down each of the teams and players, but the Isles will have four players from three countries representing them in the tournament.

For those who don’t follow, the World Juniors is essentially an Olympic style tournament of all the elite hockey countries in the world, but the tournament is for all amateurs (hence the name Juniors).  The four players representing the Isles are Logan Cockerill (F – USA), Oliver Wahlstrom (F – USA), Noah Dobson (D – CAN) and Jakub Skarek (G – CZE).

Logan Cockerill and Oliver Wahlstrom (USA)

The two Americans representing the Isles are the absolute stud forward Oliver Wahlstrom and the feisty Logan Cockerill.  Wahlstrom will be the main facilitator and wingman of consensus 2019 first overall pick Jack Hughes, and Cockerill will be on the checking line for the Americans.

Ollie has struggled a bit after making the decision to head to Boston College this season.  He only has five points in 14 games played, but during last World Juniors he scored nine points in seven games.  As for Cockerill, well the 7th round pick has flourished at Boston University and snuck his way onto the American team.  He has five points in 16 games, but his game is the checking one and he does a hell of a job.

Noah Dobson (CAN)

Dobson has flown a bit under the radar becuase of Wahlstrom’s flashiness, the emergence of Kiefer Bellows and of course the ever entertaining Josh Ho-Sang.  However, Dobson is no prospect to scoff at.  He has all the makings of a steady top pair defenseman, and although he may not woo scouts with his offensive prowess, he is most certainly going to be a very good pro for a very long time.

Dobson is marked as one of the top defensemen on the Canadian WJC squad, and he will play an important role.  His point total is actually quite good, racking up 16 points in the QMJHL.  Don’t be surprised if Dobson winds up becoming the best of these players down the road.

Jakub Skarek (CZE)

The lone goaltender of the prospects, Jakub Skarek has struggled a bit in World Juniors, but was excellent in the Finnish Liiga this season, compiling a .921 Save % and a 2.00 GAA.  Skarek may not be the goalie of the future (that belongs to Ilya Sorokin after all these years), but Skarek is only 19 years old and will only get better.

He’s a decent sized goaltender at 6’3 191 lbs, but he’s got a lot of room to grow.  Skarek is pretty athletic for a bigger goalie, but most are nowadays and Skarek needs to be better positionally to make a true impact.

The Islanders have a very bright future ahead of them.  Having four prospects in the illustrious World Juniors is a very good sign of things to come, and considering two of their top prospects will be shining front and center in the tournament shows that Lou Lamoriello and crew have done a damn good job so far.