Islanders Top 25 Under 25: Anders Nilsson at #15
by Dominik on Oct 5, 2011 2:15 PM EDT
in Islanders in Diapers
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Where to rank goalies? TSN struggled with that, listing just one (record-breaking Tim Thomas) in the top 25 of their recent Top 50 NHLers list.
The challenge is you're never sure how good they are and their performance (and the numbers we use to try to measure that performance) can fluctuate quarter to quarter and year to year like middle relief pitchers.
All the more mysterious with goalie prospects. But Anders Nilsson has received good reviews and at age 20 had a strong season for Luleå last year (31 GP, 1.92, .918), at the top of their GAA chart and tied for sixth in save percentage. So we can't penalize him (too much, anyway) just because the members of his fraternity are less reliable than a Yugo.
Thus he lands at #15 in the middle of our Top 25 Islanders Under 25 ranking, in a poll taken before camp training camp opened:
| Top 25 Under 25 | mikb | M11 | CIL | Dom | KQ | Web |
| Anders Nilsson |
14 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 16 |
Nilsson had a good first training camp in North America this past month. He now goes down to Bridgeport as part of the Islanders Triangle B trio of goalies in the AHL. And he's quite focused on these shores: Though a clause in his contract allows him to return to Sweden, he's determined to force his way into the conversation here.
Projecting outward, Kevin Poulin and his 10 games of impressive NHL experience last season probably keep him as next in line. But unlike last season, Poulin now has real company.
Unless, of course, NIlsson's (or Poulin's) 2011-12 looks nothing like his 2010-11. Which can happen with goalies. They're crazy like that.
Previous Posts in This Top 25 Islanders Under 25 Series
- Those who didn't make the Top 25
- #25: Anton Klementyev, D
- #24: Not to be Pedantic, but is it Andrei or Andrey Pedan, D
- #23: Mark Katic (D) shoulders the burden
- #22: Rhett Rakhshani (W)
- #21: Matt Martin (LW), budding 'stache
- #20: Johan Sundström, C
- #19: David Ullström, C/W
- #18: Scott Mayfield, D
- #17: Kirill Petrov, W
- #16: Casey Cizikas, C
The Top 25 under 25 is an idea conceived (I think) by Oilers blog Copper & Blue and copied elsewhere, incorporated here by popular demand. We cut it off at players who were under 25 going into this season, soAndrew MacDonald, having just turned 25 this month, barely misses eligibility.
For this first edition, we polled LHH authors Keith, WebBard, mikb, myself, and two particularly prospect-focused LHH regulars, CanadianIslesLifer and MatthewM11. We wanted enough to get a decent number of voters but not so much that we make the first run unwieldy. It is absolutely unscientific but with varied enough votes to get us thinking.
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Sticking close to script
15 on my list, I like him more than Wishart, who is the player that bumps him to 16 on the panels list. Maybe it’s our desire for solid reliable goaltending that raises our hopes and his stock. Goalies- your guess?
Thou shalt not recognize false enemies, they are the Rangers, you shall have no other enemies before them.
AND "Thank you Dale Tallon"
Goalies, goalies
For me it might have been that desire — also the knowledge that, for their position, they are looking pretty good as young player (Poulin too). And I wouldn’t trade them because although they are hard to predict, you still need them. So I just felt compelled to get them in somewhere. And I do expect Nilsson has a decent shot the way he’s progressing so far.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Because they are so to predict, you need that many more to ensure you have even one.
Nassau Coliseum lost a veteran and an original Islander fan. ACC 1918-2011
so hard to predict
Nassau Coliseum lost a veteran and an original Islander fan. ACC 1918-2011
Our goaltending in the AHL this season will be awesome with that pair/triangle, that’s for sure. Really excited by this kid. As you say, put up great numbers in the SEL last season. A year or two at BPT will not hurt though.
All in all I think Garth did pick up a gem in the draft here (or is it a gem if it is in the 3rd round? Confused.).
Are you saying Joel Martin wasn’t challenging Poulin’s claim as the top goalie last year?
Also remember Nilsson had a huge run at the end of the season and in the playoffs last year as Lulea’s defense collapsed. I like guys who face a challenge (he lost the starting job for a short while to a journeyman backup) and bounces back.
"Failing upwards! How come I can’t ever seem to do that?" - AP77 on Strang's ESPN Job
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
by Mark D on Oct 5, 2011 3:13 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Ahhh, yes that's good
His numbers make me slightly nervous because the GAA is so good (and sometimes that’s the defense rather than the goaltending).
Meanwhile: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH WEBBARD?!
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Yeah havin' a hard time with this "Mark" guy
Missing the Bard. In the words of Dr. Suess, “Hello, Goodby”
Thou shalt not recognize false enemies, they are the Rangers, you shall have no other enemies before them.
AND "Thank you Dale Tallon"
I have no idea what you’re talking about.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Heh
Probably should have had him in, but just so hard to say. Plus I feel like because of the DP contract it’s going to be that much harder for a guy to crack our lineup for at least several more years.
i like
his size, (from what i saw) his movement, and his numbers in the SEL are drool worthy if it transpires in a few years. also, amazing caption…again. hahahah
The Islanders' team surgeon is now the 4th wealthiest man in the United States
Just look at his focus in that picture
You can see the concentration. You know that there’s no fooling him. He knows which puck’s coming next.
His movement was reassuring in rookie/preseason. And of course the size. Sometimes watching Mikko I almost worry he’s too big, like it forces a big five-hole and forces him to rely on getting his pad downn. But Nilsson looked more rounded stylistically.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
My rationale for ranking Nilsson
I like Nilsson, and I like the fact that Snow drafted him regardless of potential criticism after taking a goalie in 2nd round (Koskinen). Part of my ranking him was based on his being below Poulin, and above Koskinen, but not too much emphasis there as I feel Poulin has elite potential if the knees hold up, and Koskinen has the potential to be a backup at the NHL level. As has been said, goalies are hard to figure out, and for whatever reason, European goalies have tended to take longer to develop…Hasek comes to mind as one of the most obvious.
That said, virtually every scouting report I’ve read has Nilsson projecting as a potential number one NHL goalie, some placing him not far behind Poulin. Perhaps the only criticisms I’ve read is that he’ll need time to adjust to the north American game, improve his lateral movement…learn to rely on athleticism to stop pucks rather than size. I don’t think this will be a problem in time. I was a skeptic that Nilsson would be in North America this year, I thought he would prefer the added ice-time in Europe. His decision to play in BP tells me he wants to be here. He’s an excellent insurance policy should Poulin not panout. I like that Nilsson is huge, gives a different element to his game than Poulin.
by CanadianIsleslifer on Oct 5, 2011 4:16 PM EDT reply actions
Nilsson #15
…in both our polls.
I have him ranked between Martin @ 14 and Donovan @ 16. LHH ranked Cizikas 16, Petrov 17 and Mayfield 18. So Nilsson must be 15 for you too.
In short, he doesn’t have the tools to be a great NHL player. But he already has the makings of an ideal 3rd or 4th line center. That’s why he ended up #16 on our Top 25 Islanders Under 25 poll.- Dom, re: Casey Cizikas in the last installment.
Anders IMHO had two very good years in the SEL. I think he needs at least one year in the AHL to sharpen his in game instincts for the smaller rink, the faster and more physical game and the long schedule. He has looked really good in the crease, and with some work outside of it (please keep him away from DiPietro) he shold be a consistent NHL netminder. He’s probably #4 on the depth chart going into the season, but the NY ISLANDER Goaltender Ceiling definitley has a leak or two… so who knows where he’ll be next year.
Who cares... John Tavares is here until 2017-18!!!
I know about as much about as Jai alai prospects as I do goalie prospects...
and I have never watched Jai alai. I don’t think anyone really knows a lot about goalie prospects; it seems an unsigned unheralded goalie prospect has about the same chances for success as do your highly drafted ones. Thats why if I was a GM I would sign a bunch of undrafted amateur goalies instead of using a high draft pick on one.
I do like Nilsson, less than Poulin and more than Koskiken. I think any goalie prospect’s ceiling is hall of famer and floor is third back-up on a reservation team.
Remember his nickname is Thor
so that automatically gives him an extra couple of slots in these rankings.
Between Nilsson and Poulin, we have two great goalie prospects that have unlimited potential and talent. What is great about goalies, especially so young, is that you really do not know their ceilings and how high they will project. Either of them could be Cup winning goalies that you can ride the entire the playoffs.
They both have incredibly different styles as they are both built differently.
Both have shown they can play and in tough situations. Poulin carried his junior team on his back throughout his last season and into the playoffs, bringing a team with no shot to the finals. Then you have Nilsson, who carried his Lulea team through the season and into the playoffs, again a task that was no easy feet. You have Poulin make his Debut last season and show that he can steal a game for you. That is what you want out of a goalie, that is why we drafted these guys.
Niether may ever pan out, or flop one year and then be great another, as we have seen many times. But if we can find a top 10 goalie out of these two then it was worth picking up 2 goalies in the 09 draft and poulin the 08 draft. Not one, but two exciting goalie prospects who are at least 1 or 2 season out of making a statement.
You have to think a 1 year extension for Montoya was insurance and buy time for Poulin. Nabby actually playing is a bonus if he does well. And you have to think if Rick goes down early this year, this could be a major re-evaluation of his career. If he proves he can average it up, then next year enters Poulin, and a seasoned Nilsson in the wings in BP again. Its a dream, a nice one at that, but its somewhat plausible.
by ghalbart on Oct 6, 2011 6:44 AM EDT reply actions 3 recs
In fact, it bumps him up to #15 at least!
(see my oops note below)
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
CORRECTION
Guys, I screwed up this one by initially listing Nilsson as #16 in our headline. (You can still tell if you look at the URL.) Somehow I overlooked our actual #16 pick, Casey Cizikas when typing up the headline here.
Now I really know we’ve been too busy lately.
Carry on.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
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