Islanders News: Holmstrom and Rajaniemi to the WJC; The Division II; Gretzky thievery

Happy Wednesday. It is Wednesday, right? I think. Enjoy the snow that’s apparently about to land on the New York Tri-State area between today and tomorrow.

Islanders stuff

• Islanders prospects Simon Holmstrom and Mattias Rajaniemi have been named to the Swedish and Finnish World Junior Teams, respectively. Each will be making their first appearance in the Under-20 tournament. [Islanders Prospect Report | CT Post on Holmstrom the Sound Tiger]
• This year’s WJC will take place in the Edmonton bubble (ring a bell?) between Christmas Day and January 5th. Our pals at Eyes on the Prize have the full schedule of games.
• Whenever the next NHL season begins, the divisional alignment will change. Arthur Staple looks at who’s probably in (Bruins? Sabres?), who’s likely out (Jackets? Hurricanes?) and how it could help or hurt the Islanders. [The Athletic]
• In case you missed the HUGE news from Friday, the Islanders made a real, live trade for forward Dmytro Timoshov, sending a whole bag of nothing to the Red Wings for the RFA.
• The latest Isles Buzz says good bye to co-host and co-founder Dan Petriw, and also Johnny Boychuk. Thanks for everything, Dan.

Other stuff

• Hockey players from around the globe are flocking back to North America. Seems like a hockey season might be starting in a few weeks. [Sportsnet]
• Hm...

• Which team has the best drafting record in the NHL? Hint: it’s not the Islanders. But they’re not the worst, either. [James Gordon at Medium]
• Could old pal Travis Hamonic be joining the Canucks? Will older pal Travis Green sign an extension? Maybe to both. [The Athletic]
• Come on. Who steals half a million bucks worth of memorabilia from Wayne friggin’ Gretzky? A pair of dopes, apparently. [SI.com]
• RIP Pierre Lacroix, the former agent and GM of the Avalanche who built a pair of Stanley Cup champions and one of the best teams of its era. [NHL | Avalanche]