Now that the 2026 NHL Draft is in the books, the focus shifts to how each class might age - and the New York Islanders came out of it with a strong mark from one of the game’s most respected scouting outlets.
Elite Prospects handed the Islanders a B+ grade, putting them among the better-reviewed teams in the draft despite a limited haul. New York made just five selections and didn’t pick in either the second or third round, but that didn’t stop the outlet from seeing real value in what the club did land.
The headliner was Malte Gustafsson at 13th overall. With several defensemen ranked highly in the top 15, Elite Prospects had Gustafsson above some of the blue-liners taken before him.
Lead Scout David St. Louis said, "Above all else, the New York Islanders win with their structure, and Malte Gustafsson will fit very well inside it, having the range and the skating ability to kill plays and move pucks quickly," said David St.
Louis, Lead Scout at Elite Prospects. "We believe he has more upside than some of the defensive prospects selected ahead, like Keaton Verhoeff and Alberts Šmits, making him a high-value pick at 13th overall."
The rest of the class brought a mix of development bets and upside swings. Lincoln Kuehne, a fourth-round pick, is viewed as a project, though he enters with some real runway as the second-youngest defenseman in the NCAA last season. Vladimir Dravecky, selected in the fifth round, brings offense from the back end and was coached in the OHL by newly appointed Hamilton Hammers head coach Jay McKee, with expectations that he could take a big step forward next season.
The Islanders also added Artyom Matyuk, a skilled center from Russia who will be at Development Camp. Bobby Cowan, who went undrafted last season, spent his first NCAA season producing five goals and 19 assists in 39 games.
Even without the volume of picks other teams had, the Islanders made the most of their board, at least in the eyes of the evaluators.
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