The Islanders’ prospect pool had a busy weekend, with Luca Romano, Vladimir Dravecky and Kamil Bednarik all making noise in different corners of the hockey map.
Romano, the 2025 third-round pick at 74th overall, has been one of the early standouts with Kitchener. The Toronto native opened the season with a point in each of his first four games, and even after that streak ended on Sunday, he’s still rolling along at a point per game.
He picked up four assists across that stretch, then added another big performance on Friday in a 4-3 overtime win over Saginaw, setting up both the tying goal and the winner. Through five games with the Rangers, he has five points, including one goal and four assists, and has been working as Kitchener’s top-line center.
Dravecky had the kind of afternoon that jumps off the page. The Islanders’ 2026 fifth-round pick, taken 141st overall, posted a goal and an assist in Guelph’s 6-0 win over Kitchener on Sunday.
His first point came when Carter Stevens tipped in his shot on the power play, and later Dravecky finished off a passing play with a backhander for his first goal of the season. The 6-foot-0 defenseman has now picked up a point in all but one of his first four games of the season and sits at four points total, with one goal and three assists.
He was a standout at Islanders Training Camp and has kept that momentum going early in the year.
Bednarik also delivered a two-point night to open his junior season at Boston University. The Islanders’ 2024 draft pick, selected 61st overall, scored in the third period against Alaska Fairbanks University and later helped set up an empty-net goal.
His goal came 11 minutes into the third, when he worked through traffic on the left wing and tucked in an unassisted finish. Bednarik is also part of BU’s leadership group this season as an alternate captain.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound center played for the U.S. U-18 National Team in 2024, putting up 26 goals and 39 assists while helping the U.S. to a silver medal.
Around the rest of the system, the numbers continue to pile up in the weekly stat sheet. Burke Hood has gone 1-1-0 in two WHL games for Vancouver with a 2.53 GAA and a .922 save percentage.
Tomas Poletín has one assist in three games for Kelowna. Dmitry Gamzin is 3-3-0 in seven KHL appearances for CSKA Moscow with a 1.85 GAA, a .910 save percentage and two shutouts.
In Sweden, Dennis Good Bogg has played two games for Mariestad BoIS HockeyEttan, while Malte Gustafsson has three assists in six games for HV71. Artyom Matyuk has two goals and two assists in nine games for Chaika Nizhny Novgorod in the MHL.
In the NCAA, Zachary Schulz has appeared in two games for Wisconsin with one block, Lincoln Kuehne has one assist and four blocks in two games for Arizona State University, and Jacob Kvasnicka has played one game for Minnesota. Kamil Bednarik’s line at Boston University now reads two games, one goal, one assist and one block. Sam Laurila, Danny Nelson, Tomas Machu and Xavier Veilleux have yet to get into a game.
In Other News...
Islanders Already Face A Romanov Concern They Couldn't Afford
Alexander Romanovs night ended early Tuesday against the Rangers, and for an Islanders team already trying to steady its blue line, that is the kind of development it could not have welcomed. Romanov exited with an apparent injury and was not back on the ice for the final stretch of the game, leaving New York to finish without one of its more important defensemen.
Pete DeBoer said Romanov is still being evaluated, which leaves the Islanders in wait-and-see mode for now. If the injury lingers, it would add another layer of difficulty to a defensive group that can ill afford to lose a regular presence for any length of time. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders' Rangers Loss Exposed A Problem Fans Were Dreading
Semyon Varlamovs return was one of the few encouraging developments in a rough night for the Islanders, even if it came in a loss to the Rangers that underscored how much work still remains. The veteran goalie was back in the crease after knee surgeries, stepping into a charged rivalry game and facing a steady Rangers attack that kept New York under pressure from the opening shift.
Alexis Lafrenire led the way for the Rangers with a big night, while Oliver Bjorkstrand added two goals and Mika Zibanejad piled up three assists as the visitors pulled away and stretched their winning streak to four. For the Islanders, the result was less about the score line than the reminder that simply getting Varlamov back is only one piece of a much larger problem they still have to solve. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Suddenly Have A Blue Line Concern After Rivalry Loss
The Islanders left their rivalry loss with more than just a setback in the standings, because two regulars came out banged up and the blue line suddenly looks a little thinner. Simon Holmstrom was forced out after taking a hit to the face, and while the concern is a broken nose, the early expectation is that he will keep playing and stay in his third-line role.
Alexander Romanovs exit is the more pressing issue for the back end. The defenseman left with a leg injury, and coach Pete DeBoer did not offer a postgame update, leaving the Islanders to sort through what it could mean for the defensive rotation if Romanov needs time. [Read more 🡒]