The New York Islanders didn’t crack Scott Wheeler’s Top 30 in The Athletic’s annual prospect rankings, but the organization still showed up in a big way.
Wheeler’s list of the top 100 NHL prospects, which covers skaters only, put 2026 first-round pick Malte Gustafsson at No. 34 as the Islanders’ highest-rated prospect. The Swedish defenseman, taken 13th overall in June, continues to draw strong reviews as the kind of blue-liner NHL teams are chasing.
“He projects as a solid two-way D, and his profile is the coveted one in the NHL these days,” Wheeler wrote. “He's also a summer birthday and has developed quickly when healthy, becoming more consistent at both ends and learning in real time how to use his tools to kill plays, transition pucks, and manufacture offense regularly, even if he's not going to be a PP guy in the NHL.”
Gustafsson leads a group of five Islanders prospects in Wheeler’s Top 100, a sign that the system has taken a real step forward. Right behind him is Calum Ritchie at No.
- Acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in the Brock Nelson trade, Ritchie is still eligible for Wheeler’s rankings for one more year because he spent time in the AHL last season.
Victor Eklund comes in at No. 43 after turning heads in Sweden during his professional season and later making his NHL debut late last season. Physical defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson, the Islanders’ second first-round pick in 2025, sits at No. 50 after a dominant OHL season.
Cole Eiserman rounds out the Islanders’ group at No. 72.
The Boston University forward is still one of the more fascinating names in the pipeline because of his elite finishing ability, but Wheeler sees this year as an important one. As Eiserman gets ready to turn pro, the challenge is proving he can bring more than just scoring touch and grow into a dependable two-way player who can earn an NHL job.
The Islanders still don’t have a consensus top-30 prospect with soon-to-be 19-year-old Matthew Schaefer already approaching superstar potential in the NHL, but Wheeler’s rankings make one thing clear: the system looks a lot deeper than it did a year ago. With five players inside the top 100, the pipeline on Long Island is suddenly much healthier.
In Other News...
Islanders Just Locked Up A Top Prospect Fans Have Waited On
The summers latest round of NHL business has already started to reshape a few rosters, with Detroit making a front-office change, New Jersey adding Anthony Mantha on a two-year deal and Pittsburgh keeping Nicholas Robertson in the fold. Around the league, teams have also been moving to lock up their 2026 draft picks to entry-level contracts, a reminder that the calendar may still be months away from the draft, but the paperwork never really stops.
For Islanders fans, that broader wave of signings has added a little extra intrigue to a process they have been watching closely. The club still has arbitration dates on the docket, including Alex Jefferies later this month, so there is no shortage of contract housekeeping left to sort through. Even so, the bigger picture is clear enough: the organization is continuing to work through its offseason checklist while keeping an eye on the future, and there are still a few important pieces of business left before the picture is complete. [Read more 🡒]
Cole Eiserman Is Fueling A Huge Islanders Debate Again
Cole Eiserman is back in the prospect conversation after Scott Wheeler of The Athletic placed the Islanders winger No. 72 on his annual Top 100 NHL prospects list. Wheelers evaluation fits the familiar Eiserman profile: a player whose goal-scoring ability stands out enough to keep him near the top of the organizations long-term discussion, even as the rest of his game still draws plenty of scrutiny.
The tension, as always, is in how much patience the Islanders should show with a prospect who can finish but still needs cleaner puck management and better decision-making. Wheelers view is that the next two years will be pivotal in sorting out where Eisermans ceiling really lies, which makes every step of his development feel especially important for a team still trying to figure out what kind of player he can become. [Read more 🡒]
One Infamous Islanders Trade Still Haunts Everything That Came After
The Islanders history has a way of circling back to one deal, and this one still invites the same old what-if: what if Ottawa had never sent Alexei Yashin to Long Island? The trade brought Yashin to New York, but it also sent Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt and a future second-overall pick out the door, the kind of package that can reshape a franchise in more than one direction.
From the Islanders side, the appeal of the alternate version is obvious. Keeping Chara and adding Jason Spezza would have given them a blue line and a center spine with far more staying power, and it is hard not to wonder how different the teams competitive window might have looked with that foundation in place. The larger question is what kind of franchise the Islanders would have become if that deal had never been made, because so much of what followed can still be traced back to that one decision. [Read more 🡒]