The New York Islanders were busy wheeling and dealing at the draft, in the end coming away with 4 selections.

G – Leevi Merilainen – 4th Round – 92nd Overall

New York selected a goalie who was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, but went unselected in the GVFHL draft.  After being picked by the Senators, he put up a .934 save percentage in the Liiga Finnish League.  Merilainen has starter upside and was a nice replacement for the recently traded Ivan Prosvetov in the pipeline.

D – Johannes Kinnvall – 6th Round – 172nd Overall

The Isles went for an older defender with this pick, but despite just turning 24, he will be pushing for a spot with the Calgary Flames this coming season.  He was signed as a free agent and is an offensive defenceman with strong puck moving skills and can run a powerplay.

LW – Liam Kirk – 6th Round – 173rd Overall

The first British player to be drafted in the NHL back in 2018 has been on an upward trend since being selected.  Now 21, Kirk has been playing in North America and had a great World Championships which earned him a contract with the Coyotes.  He has the skill to be a middle six forward in the NHL.

LW – Joel Teasdale – 7th Round – 188th Overall

After trading their 7th round pick to acquire Scott Mayfield, the Islanders acquired the next pick and selected Teasdale.  He’s a strong two way forward who was on the Habs taxi squad this past season, but hasn’t played in the NHL just yet. Like Kirk, he has the skills to be a middle six winger in the NHL.