The Islanders’ prospect pipeline is already producing a few early-season storylines, and three names stand out this week: Luca Romano, Dmitry Gamzin and Artyom Matyuk.
Romano has been on a steady roll since rejoining the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League, picking up a point in each of his first three games back. That run includes one goal and two assists.
He opened the weekend with a late power-play goal in a 4-3 loss to Erie on Friday, when Kitchener’s comeback effort came up just short. The Rangers got a shot at revenge the next night and took it, with Romano setting up the primary assist on a last-minute power-play goal that forced overtime in a 4-3 comeback win.
He finished the weekend by collecting another primary assist, this time on Tanner Lam’s shorthanded game-winner in a 6-3 victory over Kingston.
The Islanders’ 2025 third-round pick, taken 74th overall, is in his fourth season with Kitchener and will wear an alternate captain’s letter this year.
In the KHL, Gamzin has given CSKA Moscow two shutouts already in six appearances. He’s 2-3-1 with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage, and both of those clean sheets have come in the early going of the season.
He stopped 19 shots in a shutout of HC Sochi on September 9, then added another blank sheet on September 25 in a 3-0 win over Lada Togliatti. Gamzin also came through in a shootout win over CSKA on September 21, turning aside all three attempts.
The night’s signature moment came when he flashed the stick out for a save against Anthony Camara as Camara tried to tuck one in at the goal line.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2024 Draft, 115th overall, the 23-year-old is 6'3'' and 174 lbs. and is entering his fifth KHL season with CSKA.
Matyuk is making noise in the MHL, too. The Chaika Nizhny Novgorod forward posted a two-point night against Tolpar Ufa in a 5-1 win, scoring once and adding an assist.
His goal pushed Chaika out to a 3-0 lead. Through six games this season, Matyuk has three points, with two goals and one assist.
The Islanders chose him 173rd overall in the 2026 Draft, making him the first forward they selected in that class. He’s listed at 6'0'' and 165 lbs.
Around the system, the weekly stat sheet also shows: Vladimir Dravecky with Guelph in the OHL: 2 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 SOG, 0 PIM.
Burke Hood with Vancouver in the WHL: 2 GP, 1-1-0, 2.53 GAA, 0.922 SV%, 0 SO. Tomas Poletín with Kelowna in the WHL: 2 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 6 SOG, 0 PIM.
Romano with Kitchener in the OHL: 3 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 0 PIM, 1.00 P/G. Gamzin with CSKA Moscow in the KHL: 6 GP, 2-3-1, 1.99 GAA, .898 SV%, 2 SO.
Dennis Good Bogg with Mariestad BoIS in HockeyEttan: 1 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 4 PIM. Malte Gustafsson with HV71: 3 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 0 PIM.
Matyuk with Chaika Nizhny Novgorod in the MHL: 6 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 0 PIM.
The NCAA season begins Friday, with Sam Laurila at North Dakota, Zachary Schulz at Wisconsin, Danny Nelson at Notre Dame, Tomas Machu at Providence College, Kamil Bednarik at Boston University, Xavier Veilleux at Cornell, Jacob Kvasnicka at Minnesota, Lincoln Kuehne at Arizona State University and Robert Cowan at Western Michigan University.
In Other News...
Islanders Were In On Kirill Marchenko But One Big Hurdle Loomed
The Islanders were among the teams circling Kirill Marchenko before Columbus finally moved him to Toronto in the deal that brought Matthew Knies into the mix. Marchenko drew widespread attention across the league, with Montreal, Boston, Seattle and Tampa Bay also checking in, and the Canadiens reportedly staying in the conversation right down to the end. For New York, it was another sign the club was willing to explore a notable winger upgrade if the price and fit made sense.
The obstacle, though, was always going to be more than just interest. Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell said Marchenko preferred to play elsewhere, but never offered a clear explanation for that desire, leaving clubs to read between the lines on whether a trade partner could actually make the move stick. In a market like that, the Islanders had to weigh not only what it would take to get him, but whether the situation would truly be a temporary rental or something more stable down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Just Added A Wild UBS Arena Twist Fans Will Debate
UBS Arena is getting a fresh menu shakeup for the 2026-27 season, with the Islanders, the building and Delaware North Sportservice rolling out a new batch of food items designed to give fans something to talk about long before puck drop. The lineup leans into the kind of arena creativity that has become part of the game-night experience, mixing familiar comfort food with a few offbeat twists.
Among the offerings is an Uncrustable Pulled Pork Tostada and a Burrata Boat, but the item that will likely get the most attention is a viral grilled cheese built around brie and Nerds Gummy Clusters on toasted sourdough. The novelty of it should be enough to fuel plenty of debate in the concourse, and the real question is how quickly Islanders fans embrace a menu that seems determined to make dining at the rink as memorable as the hockey itself. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Just Sent A Clear Message About Matthew Schaefer
The Islanders have started drawing a clearer picture of their leadership group for the 2026-27 season, and it includes a notable nod to one of the youngest players in the room. Along with Bo Horvat staying on as captain, the team named Ryan Pulock, Kyle Palmieri and Brayden Schenn as alternate captains, while also putting Matthew Schaefer in that mix as the organization continues to build around the No. 1 pick from the 2025 NHL Draft.
For a team looking to establish its next core, the move says as much about Schaefers standing inside the room as it does about his future on the ice. Giving a 19-year-old an alternate captaincy is not a routine gesture, and the Islanders clearly see a player they want to accelerate as a leader as much as a cornerstone, even as the rest of the leadership group stays anchored by established veterans. [Read more 🡒]