#44 Freddy Meyer (John P – author)

In 64 games played, Freddy Meyer tallied 4 goals and 11 assists for 15 points. He was a -2 and earned 40 penalty minutes. Not being among the top six defensemen at the start of the season, he was another of the guys who benefited from the injuries that plagued us throughout the season. Frankly, he was simply a steady force for the team, who did everything asked of him and Much More.

For a guy who is not exactly huge in size, Meyer played Much Bigger than his 5′ 11 190 LBs. In fact, his physical play rivaled that of Andy Sutton at times, and his work ethic was something often talked about on the television broadcasts. How many times did Freddy level an opposing player or make the solid, smart play in his own end. Frankly, the Islanders have gotten a lot out of the guy. Even offensively, he stepped up often and seemed to make the smart play. Personally, I’d have to say that he became one of my favorite blue liners we had this season.

Overall, I’d have to give him a solid B. Again, one might not consider him to be among the top back liners, but he’s one of those guys who has more value than might appear to be present. The problem is that it’s hard to tell what future he has here on the island. Most likely, he won’t be one of the UFAs we have who Garth will sign, but, then again, I would have to say that he also has earned consideration to be back in an Islander uniform next season..

#47 – Andrew MacDonald (John P)

Andrew MacDonald played in 46 total games, and totaled 1 goal and 6 assists for 7 points while being a +4. He was another of the defensemen who was called up because of injuries, but he quickly made a major impact with his solid play. A 6th round draft pick in the 2006 entry draft, the 23 year old was yet another of the young core of back liners who really stepped up and did a remarkable job. In fact, I can recall personally being quite impressed with his play in a very short period of time.

Like Jack Hillen, MacDonald is one of the “sleeper” picks who the Islanders were hoping would become part of the building blocks for the future. I can remember him making so many solid plays throughout the season, and his use of his big stick was something talked about quite a bit on the TV broadcasts. If I am not mistaken, I think his goal on the year was scored against the New york Rangers, which is not a bad time to find the twine. Even having an injury during the season that caused him to miss some games, he returned to continue to play well.

Overall, I’d have to give Andy a B grade. He certainly responded well to being placed in a difficult spot, yet he logged some serious minutes and became a steady force on the blue line. He was also signed to a long term contract as well, so he will undoubtedly be a part of the defense for the New York Islanders for the future.

#51 – Frans Nielsen (Gary)

Stats:  76GP 12G 26A +4 6PM 1SH 1GW

This is a season that is starting to define this young man’s career.  If it was not for Pavel Datsyuk, and the fact that few hockey experts would be able to recognize, Frans should be a nominee for the Lady Byng.

6PM in 76 games?  That is the award in a nutshell!

Also – he is a great defensive forward, capable of doing so much on the PK.  His offensive numbers are starting to develop as well.  To me – there is no doubt that he can be a 20-25 goal scorer with regularity.  He just had to get a little stronger on his skates, and learn to be a little more elusive.

He is making his country of Denmark proud of his play, and I surely hope that he is a fixture on this Islander team for years and years to come.

I give him a B+, becuase I believe that he has made tremendous strides to better his game.  Now we just have to get him to the recognition factor.

#56 – Dustin Kohn (John P)

Dustin played 22 total games for the Isles, and he had 4 assists and was a -2 over that span. Yet another of the young defensemen called upon to combat the injuries this season, he did a solid job on the back line. He didn’t seem too flashy or the like, but he did his job and played extremely well considering the circumstances.

It’s hard to really grade a kid who played less than quarter of the season and was tossed into the proverbial fire. Nevertheless, based on his showing, I’d say he earned a solid B. To my recollection, he wasn’t one of the skating, puck-moving guys on the blue line, and I don’t know if he is known for his offensive side. On defense, though, he played well enough to plug one of the many holes we found ourselves having on defense.

What future he has on the team, it’s hard to say. I think as with a few guys, this will become clearer in September as we see exactly what we have for a potential 6 and an extra on defense.

#57 – Blake Comeau (John P)

What a pleasant surprise Mr. Comeau provided us with this season. Blake played 61 games and put up 17 goals and 18 assists for 35 total points, ending up with a -2. As the season passed, he seemed to find his confidence, and his offensive skill was demonstrated more and more each game. Frankly, I was personally quite impressed with his play on both offense and in regard to his defensive responsibilities. Islander fans have been hoping for Comeau to emerge as one of the future pieces of the puzzle for the team, and he really showed that he can be part of the offense.

Unfortunately, his season was cut short because of an injury. Just when it seemed he was going to score over 20 goals and, perhaps, even more than 25, the injury bug struck him. What was also quite impressive about him was his physical game. He didn’t seem to be afraid to take the body, and I recall more than a few games where he delivered some pretty solid hits.

Overall, I’d have to give Blake a B+. I think he can do much more, and I am going to be curious to see if his confidence will continue in the 2010-2011 season. If he picks up where he left off, the Islanders will have a badly needed scorer on the wing.

#91 – John Tavares (Gary)

Well – the kid started and finished the year strong.  It was the middle that was an issue.

Being the #1 pick in the draft is a big undertaking.  For JT – he was projected the #1 pick since he was 13 years old.  With four years of junior under his belt, JT was the number one pick for the Islanders last year.  If he was going to probably any other team, there would have been fan-fare beyond belief, and notoriety all over North America.

However, he was drafted by the ‘who gives a flying flip’ Islanders, he immediately became a ‘yawn – who cares’ player.  Believe you me, if he went to Toronto (as Brian Burke thought he MUST go….), a shrine would have been constructed in downtown Toronto.

JT started off quickly, going at a point a game pace in the first 20 games of the season.  Playing with Matt Moulson – his old neighbor and shinny partner – there was a great deal of comfortability that made the first few months easy for John.  Once December hit – the slumps began.  No goals in nearly 20 games.  He looked like he was squeezing his sticks too hard, and really struggled with his game. 

But JT did not make excuses.  He kept his head up, answered every question that was brought to him, and had a great attitude about him.  The Olympic break in February was a chance for him to get away from the game, and allowed him to relax.

Within a week or two after the Olympics were over, the game came back to #91.

And then some…

I was in Vancouver when he got 5 points in one game.  He finished the season well enough to be in the top 5 in rookie scoring with 24 goals and 30 assists for 54 points, which also led the Isles in points.  His -15 was improved from a low of -22.  11 of his 24 goals were on the power play, and spent 22 minutes in the box.  His 189 shots will hopefully increase by a good deal next season, as his confidence grows.

This spring, he led the World Championships in goals with 7, despite having a fracture in his foot.  As of the start of mini-camp – he is back on the ice, and working on his conditioning and strength for the upcoming season.  The needs for JT are simple:

1.  Getting stronger on the puck

2.  More shots

3.  Being able to get a solid 2-way game

Many are expecting a Steven Stamkos type 2nd season.  I am not bringing the goals that high for him, but I can see 30-35 goals this season as potential for 2010-11. With continued maturation of the other young players on this Islander squad, I can see a lot of potential for 10-11 for JT.

As far as a grade is concerned, I will give Tavares a solid B.  The first 20 and the last 15 would have been a A-, and the 45 in the middle would be a C-.  I expect a great deal more from him, and I think he does too.  The question is will he get it done.  I will definitely look forward to checking it out.

Posted under 2009-10 Review, Cool A-C League