Top 25 Islanders Under 25: Mark Katic shoulders a burden at #23
by Dominik on Sep 23, 2011 12:01 PM EDT
in Islanders in Diapers
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This is a heartbreaking entry to our Top 25 Islanders Under 25 series because the subject is a guy who just had what was to be a pivotal year wrecked by preseason injury.
Mark Katic is 22 and headed into the third and final year of his Entry Level Contract. The 2007 3rd-round pick (62nd overall) was part of the Sarnia gang and another member of the group of small but fleet-footed defensemen in the Islanders prospect pipeline.
In a year when Calvin De Haan (age 20) turns pro and Matt Donovan (21) and Aaron Ness (21) resume after baptisms last year, suddenly the field is much more crowded for Katic. He was already set to battle with veteran minor pros like Ty Wishart and Dylan Reese for a depth spot this season. Now with shoulder surgery sabotaging the majority if not all of his 2011-12 season, the competition will only be greater when he next appears on the ice.
Not to get too melodramatic about it, but Katic's post-doctor reactions are understandable:
"I don't really remember much he said after that," said Katic, who is as upbeat a player as the Isles have in their organization. "I was just in shock."
Of course, on the other hand the Islanders have some key veteran contracts set to expire in 2012: Milan Jurcina, Mike Mottau and Mark Eaton all expect to play significant roles this season but could be looking for work next summer. Despite his injury, Katic has one thing on his side yet: youth. (No, not Youth, who produced "Bittersweet Symphony" and played bass for the best post-punk band that ever lived.) Youth, mixed with some experience those other pups and the 2011 draft haul of defensive prospects do not have.
Just to illustrate how much views and ratings change at these formative ages, Katic was once seen as higher on the futures chart than Andrew MacDonald, who touched the ECHL before becoming an unsung stud in the NHL.
And that's why our panel's 25 under 25 vote -- taken before preseason began (and thus before his injury) -- puts Katic in the top 25. He saw 11 games of NHL action last year and has been a key player for Bridgeport when healthy. He probably lacks the upside of other blueline prospects who will appear above him on this list (of course, those others haven't yet had the same years of pro for their "upside" to sink or swim).
But he's already accomplished more than several others on our list and thus deserves his place on it (even if, as you can see by the tallies below, we're still in the sector of the rankings where guys did not appear on every ballot):
| 25 Under 25 | mikb | M11 | CIL | Dom | KQ | Web |
| Mark Katic | 20 | n/a | n/a | 21 | 24 | 20 |
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, so Andrew MacDonald, having just turned 25 this month, barely misses eligibility.
For this first edition, we polled 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 solid enough with varied enough votes to get us thinking.
Previous Posts in this Series:
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I remember in 2007
The scouts over at ISS were in love with Katic, and for much of the first half of the season had him ranked to go in the top half of the first round. The writers at hockeysfuture echoed these sentiments in many of there articles. During the course of the season Katic slipped. Garth loves taking these late season fallers in rounds 2 through 4 and I think it is a smart tactic.
I liked what I saw from Katic in the 11 games he played for us last year. I have always liked him as a prospect. For me though, if he has a future in the NHL it’s likely not with this team, or it’s as a 7th or 8th depth guy. Katic skates very well, has a good outlet pass and can move the puck up the ice. He seems to me to be similar to De Haan in this regard but is a little smaller. The size is going to be an issue. The trade for Wishart and drafting of Mayfield tells me that Garth wants to address the lack if size on our blueline while keeping the focus on mobility. If you have two prospects, all things being equal except size, your are going to go with the bigger guy.
All this being said I have to look at MacDonald to remind myself that you never know who will turn into that steady every-day NHLer. MacDonald reminds me of Katic in a lot of ways and when MacDonald was a prospect few thought he would ever turn into a top pairing NHL defenseman. Katic has shown he can produce and handle big minutes in the AHL, and didn’t look out of place in his brief NHL call-up last year. It really is a terrible shame he got injured because this would have been a great year for Katic to show us what he is capable of.
I couldn't agree more...
I wasn’t following the pre-draft of 2007, but I thought he was proving his worth as early as 2009-10 when he was an AHL rookie all-star, then got injured. I had him ahead of deHaan to replace Hillen on the depth chart. Now that honor almost definitely goes to Reese.
deHaan will have a long career with the franchise, but I still think that his first exposure to playing against men should be limited to the pre-season and the AHL. There is absolutely no reason, unless he really shows ADVANCED skills, for him to start the season in the NHL.
That would have left katic as the 7/8 guy going into the season, and maybe a spot in the press box, or on the third pair.
1. Streit 2. MacDonald 3. Hamonic 4. Eaton 5 Jurcina 6. mottau 7. Wishart 8. Reese (would ahve been katic).
I actually have him higher than 23 on my list. Based on accomplishments AHL All-star, NHL reserve and upside 3-4 NHL 20 min defender with PPand 30+ point potential. Most of the list is based on “potential”, Katic has done some good things against professional men..
Who cares... John Tavares is here until 2017-18!!!
Interestingly I believe it was injuries to both Katic and Kohn (or they might have skipped over Kohn) that lead to MacDonald getting his first callup to replace Witt.
"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.
It's fun watching how positions change on the depth chart/org ranking
Just like it’s hard pegging these guys at age 18, it’s hard knowing who will leap whom at age 19, 20, 21.
Katic’s alright in my book but yes, I think he needs health and some adjustments to find a lasting role in the NHL.
MacDonald’s growth was really fun. I’d never seen much of him at all before hi callup, and I remember a specific moment about six or so games in where my mind resisted assumptions and started thinking, “Wait a second, this guy looks like he can really play.”
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
My Mac Moment...
Was when he yelled at DiPi to get away from the puck. That’s the kind of leadership this team needs. I hope Streit was watching that game.
Who cares... John Tavares is here until 2017-18!!!
by JPinVA on Sep 23, 2011 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Pedan too
drafting of Mayfield and Pedan suggests the same to me…Snow is still drafting for skating, puckmoving skills, but this time he took 6’4 200 pound plus guys that can do all that…
by CanadianIsleslifer on Sep 23, 2011 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions
I left Katic out of the top 25
Too small for NHL physicality, will always be prone to injuries as a result…
My personal opinion, we talk about the exception to the rule with these little puck movers, b/c when one does beat the odds and makes the show, it is a bit of a shocker. Since I don’t consider Katic NHL material, for me personally, my pulse barely even registered a response when Katic got injured this week. You have to be somewhat elusive when your undersized in the NHL. but when your a defenseman, you can’t be elusive in the defensive zone, you will be taking the body.
So that’s my biased there…Katic, Ness, to me, these are really wasting draft picks…at most, you can have one of these guys on your roster, and if your going to be small like Phil Housely, you’d better put up points like Housely
….but really, Hillen is similar in size, similar in game, and I think Hillen right now is the better player…
by CanadianIsleslifer on Sep 23, 2011 2:07 PM EDT reply actions
Ahhhhh... 23....What a great number
I can see Bobby ny right now, skating around like a bat out of hell with that hair and that porn stache. Just looking for somebody to hit.
And I will take Katic’s upside over Hillen anyday, and I wasn’t a Hillen hater at all, but I was impressed with Katic in his short stint with the big club last year.
"We can't get pushed around," Haley said. "What commentators say about us, that's their job. My job is to try and limit as many people who want to take liberties with our guys as possible."
by BobbyNystromOwnsYou on Sep 23, 2011 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions
i left him off for the same reasons
so far im 0-3, having left off Klemteyev, Pedan and Katic.
I do like Katic, and think he could one day be an everyday NHLer, I just am not sure where he would fit in long term with the isles. There are just too many undersized defenseman in this org so only the very best will get a chance at a full-time roster spot. katic’s best chance would have been to have a great year this year, like MacDonald’s 09-10, to prove he belongs. This injury couldnt of come at a worse time for him.
Fair enough
I do think Katic has exceptionally explosive skating ability, which can be good for even strength, but will he be usable on the PK or a big threat on the PP? If neither, I don’t think he will be more than a depth call-up.
by North Dakota Red Eagle on Sep 23, 2011 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions
i think he is usuable in most situations
i see him like a Scott Lachance- good skater, puck-handler and outlet passer but will never score a lot of points or excell at any one area. I could easily see him becoming a journeyman 7th/8th defenseman like Meyer, bouncing around the league and between the AHL and the NHL, or maybe settling in with a shallower team as a bottom pairing but reliable defenseman.
interesting, Lachance did have a bigger body though
by CanadianIsleslifer on Sep 23, 2011 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions
yes- the meyer comparision is in possible career trajectory only
the point was that i could see Katic bouncing around the way Meyer has. I don’t see a whole lot of similarities in the way they pksy the game.
I always though Scotty was underrated
I thought he was one of the best outlet passers around. Something about Katic reminds me of Scott. Scott was very skilled yet played a very simple game. I could see Katic devolop into something like that- a skilled, mobile defensive defenseman who plays a simple, efficient game. Most of these amateur offensive defensive eventually learn to focus more on the defensive side of things as they push for a job in the pros and the very skills and traits that made them offensive stars in juniors helps make them reliable defensive defenseman in the NHL
hmmm
i always was expecting a little more from Lachance…maybe it was his skating and passing, but i thought he was going to be a solid D, 30 point guy who moves the puck..
by CanadianIsleslifer on Sep 23, 2011 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions
LaChance reminds me of Dalgarno
Both were better than I remember them being, but both were a little bit disappointing in that they never became what I expected of them. In retropsect they had solid NHL careers, but the teams they played on were always under the shadow cast by those dynasty teams.
Nassau Coliseum lost a veteran and an original Islander fan. ACC 1918-2011
there's a name i haven't heard in awhile
Brad Dalgarno – big power winger, 6th overall pick i believe…yeah, i was hoping for more too, although that was a bad draft class…
by CanadianIsleslifer on Sep 23, 2011 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions
That's NHL All Star Scott LaChance
"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.
thats kinda my point
you were expected more from him because he was skilled. he was a guy who could’ve been a bigger offensive threat. there are only so many roster spots for straight-up offensive defenseman and Lachance seemed to focys that talentbon being a reliable defensive d-man with a good transition game. they had Malachov, Krupp and Kurvers who were better point men. If Lachance only focused on tbe offense he may have never made the team.
i thought Lachance would be similar to Mike Ramsay
by CanadianIsleslifer on Sep 23, 2011 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions
i didnt really start following the team on my own until i was 12- 1992
before that I was just a fan by proxy- my Dad and brothers were huge Islander fans and while I watched games with them I really didnt know much about the game. In ‘92 I starting watching games on my own, following the team’s standings and stats and learning all the players. Scott Lachance had already been drafted. The Mike Ramsey comparision makes a lot of sense, but I would be lying if I told you I agreed or disagreed (except in retrospect, and I agree) because really at that point I was more worried about Saturday morning cartoons than Scott Lachance’s ceiling.
I've always been a bit indifferent towards Katic
Then I read this article and put him in comparison to Ness, and I think I may have been expecting too much from a 22-year old. He always struck me as an older player that had already fulfilled his potential instead of a prospect learning the ropes. Maybe as alluded to earlier, due to injuries and all-ups I confused him with Kohn and piled him in with Reese as well. His NHL play to date has been in sheltered sittations and I didn’t see the same upside as Wishart. Too bad he is missing what may have been the most significant year of his development due to injury.
Nassau Coliseum lost a veteran and an original Islander fan. ACC 1918-2011
Katic impressed me last year.
I remember when they called him up and I was thinking ‘oh man we’re gonna suffer with an AHL d-man’ but to my eyes he honestly seemed better than Mottau and Reese. I think he has outstanding skating and puck handling ability. I see him as a regular shift NHL D-man someday. I was looking forward to him playing at least part-time this year. I think size is way overrated in the NHL right now. You look at a lot of these big guys – they have lousy +/- numbers despite the argument that being big is supposed to be such an advantage on defense. Really if you are slow and don’t handle the puck well you’re just going to contribute to a lot of the game being played in your own end of the ice. If that happens it doesn’t matter how well you clear the front of the net you’re going to get scored on more than your team scores when you’re out there. Obviously you give up something with size but superior puck possession outweighs the disadvantages IMO. I think Katic will be successful eventually in the NHL.
True
If Shan continues to crack down on hits from behind, guys like Hillen and Katic might be a little more confidant in some situations.
by North Dakota Red Eagle on Sep 23, 2011 3:21 PM EDT up reply actions
actually i thought the "new" NHL weeded out the big, sleuth foot slow D and forwards
Witt, Hunter, every team has these guys…now you draft guys like Pedan and Mayfield if you want size and strength…they must be able to skate in the new NHL to have a future.
by CanadianIsleslifer on Sep 23, 2011 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Witt was good until he got to be just too slow.
He wasn’t that slow when they 1st got him.
I like Katic.
I thought he showed clear signs of progressing into a steady and responsible backliner. The fact he’s not a big banger and not spectacular didn’t bother me, he doesn’t need to be those things to fill a role as capable depth at his position, and it’s obvious this team will never have enough of that back there.
I feel really bad for the kid.
I expect this has come up and I missed it, but where’s Dustin Kohn? He also seemed on his way to that role as a decent depth guy back there.
Kohn is lo longer Isles property I believe
he was in trouble when AMAC passed him on the depth chart, then other kids passed him by…add to that you can only have five players in AHL with over 300 games, Kohn’s prospect days are over. I think Kohn has a career as a pro hockey player, just not at the NHL level.
by CanadianIsleslifer on Sep 23, 2011 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions
all I need to say about Kohn
is that Reese kept getting the callup in front of him. He’s in sweden now.
"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.
hmmm
smart move by Kohn…the SEL is a factory for producing positional, defensive players…i’d like to loan Pedan to the SEL rather than OHL…
by CanadianIsleslifer on Sep 23, 2011 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions
23rd on my list too
Size is great if you can play, but if you can play the game and don’t have size, there is still a place for you in todays NHL. Every team needs a mix of size AND skill. Glad we added Wishart, Mayfield and Pedan to the prospect list since this time last year.
Thou shalt not recognize false enemies, they are the Rangers, you shall have no other enemies before them.
Totally agree with this.
Tons of guys with major size and strength might as well be 5’10’, 175 lbs.
This team’s recent past is rife with several (ie. Kvasha, Joensuu, even Yashin I think).
And I hope Wishart doesn’t make that list. I have my doubts about that guy.
i disagree about Wishart
No prospect is ever a sure thing but he is someone I see a lot of upside in. He was very high on my list, while I didnt even rank Katic.
You hope he doesn't make the top 25?
Are you serious?
My goodness. Wishart’s easily top 15. EASILY. He should probably make the team this season from the start and has an upside as a 2nd pairing D man – and played real well last year.
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I was think you missed what I was saying.
The list I hope he doesn’t make is not the list of “Top 25” but the list of guys who wouldn’t or didn’t use their size advantage and now are out of here.
From what I saw Wishart didn’t show much crease-clearing attitude.
I hope I’m wrong about him, because that mindset is what this team needs from its big defenseman more than anything else.
sorry dose
i misunderstood your “list” comment too
by CanadianIsleslifer on Sep 23, 2011 8:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Given that the "the List of 25" ...
is the whole jist of this piece to begin with, I should have been more clear in making my point.
if everything else is equal but size
on average, a 5’10 175 pound player will be injured far more often than a 6’4 200 pound player, this is on average of course…Wishart is more of a positional D, i wish he were more physical, but i’d still take a big D man who is effective postionally over a small D man who is a postional D…
but garik is right about one thing, no way Wishart doesn’t make the top 25 this year as he is the D prospect with the best chance to make the team this year.
by CanadianIsleslifer on Sep 23, 2011 8:17 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm not writing the guy off.
He obviously has some skills as well as the size. But like you, I wish he’d be more physical. He doesn’t have to be a fighter or even a huge body checker, but to have that size along with his skills and not use it fully would be a waste, and real frustrating to watch. I agree that among 2 guys with the exact same style, the smaller guy would probably get hurt more often, but some guys who get hurt a lot get hurt without taking or giving a big hit. It’s not always size. I think awareness is just as important or more so. There have been plenty of rough and tumble guys not that big that were real durable.
Also, I remember when Andy Sutton first got here he wasn’t real physical. A lot of people got on him about it, including me. Then when he did start to play that way he got a lot better. As I recall, before he had that bad injury he was playing really really well, and he had a real meanstreak going during that stretch. Maybe Wishart will develop at least somewhat that way.
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1979-80
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May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
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May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
Between the quarterfinals (where they beat the upstart Oilers in six games) and the finals, the Islanders reeled off eight consecutive wins -- with a four-game sweep of archrival Rangers in between. As they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in five games for their second Cup, their goal difference in the final was a combined +10.
1981-82
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May 16, 1982: Another year, another landslide title. The Islanders won the Patrick Division by a whopping 26 points over the second-place Rangers, and were seven points clear of their nearest competition for the President's Trophy, the still-not-quite-ripe Edmonton Oilers.
A first-round scare against the Pittsburgh Penguins turned in the Isles' favor thanks to John Tonelli's heroics, and a true dynasty was on its way: Past the Rangers in six games, then an eight-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks to run away with the Stanley Cup.
1982-83
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May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
