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In what feels like the return of an annual rite, the New York Islanders are struggling at the NHL level, but their prospects in the pipeline are earning some praise:
In the AHL, Ryan Strome has won both Player of the Week and Rookie of the Month for his performances with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The AHL praises:
Strome tallied five goals and 10 assists for 15 points in 12 games for Bridgeport during the month.
Strome began November with a breakout performance, tying a Sound Tigers franchise record for points in a game (5) with two goals and three assists in a 7-1 win at Worcester on Nov. 1.
This means he will be an NHL star any minute now, as demonstrated by previous similar AHL honors earned by Kevin Poulin and Anders Nilsson...
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Further down the pipeline, future farmhands Griffin Reinhart and Adam Pelech have earned expected invitations to Team Canada's 25-man camp roster for the World Junior Championship. The camp will be held Dec. 12-15. The tournament itself will be in Malmo, Sweden, from Dec. 26 - Jan. 5.
As a bonus for Reinhart, his brother Max Sam, a top-rated prospect for the 2014 NHL Draft, is also on the roster. Griffin Reinhart, you'll remember, still has the last three games of a pretty harsh four-game suspension hanging over him.
Neate Sager of Yahoo's Buzzing the Net describes Pelech's invitation succinctly:
Pelech plays the type of no-fuss game that Hockey Canada relishes in second and third pairing D-men; Hockey Canada first brought him along to the Canada-Russia Challenge series in 2012.
Team USA is expected to announce its own camp roster on Wednesday. Will Taylor Cammarata get a call?
