End of Season Grades

Now that the season's over, it's time for some end of the year grades. I won't be posting all of my grades here, but here are a few of them. To check out all of the grades, be sure to check out IslesBlog soon. Both of these grades are listed out of 100 possible points. 

Anders Lee: 80

Photo Credit: NHLcom

By the time the Islanders called up Anders Lee after the Olympics, their season was already in desperation mode. In the 22 games since his call up, Lee proved he belongs in the NHL, registering 9 goals and 5 assists for 14 points. During that time, Lee also was a +3, a rare stat for an Islander. Although Lee’s numbers are good, he went through an 11 game slump in the middle of his call up, getting just one point between March 18 and April 10. Lee could end up playing with John Tavares next season, which would vastly help his game, but we saw flashes of it late in this season. The former 6^th round draft pick earned his spot on the NHL team next season by his solid play this season.

Frans Nielsen: 86

Photo Credit: NHL.com

Stats wise, Frans Nieslen had a career year, raking up 25 goals and 33 assists for 58 points, all career highs. Nielsen scored on 15 percent of the shots he took this season, which is the highest percentage of any Islander. His -11 is no cause for concern because he was healthy all season, and it’s hard to be positive while on the Islanders. When talking about Nielsen, it’s hard to forget about his shootout abilities. The Great Dane took a shot in all 15 Islanders shootouts this season, scoring on eight of them. That put him second in the NHL behind TJ Oshie in shootout goals. With Lubomir Visnovsky out for most of the early season and John Tavares out in the end, Nielsen stepped up and became a first line center and power play point man, roles that he filled admirably. However, Nielsen shouldn’t be in either of those roles come next season with everyone healthy.

That's all I will give you for now. Be sure to check out IslesBlog in a few days. Lets Go Islanders! 

Where Are They Now?

After my last blog entry, many things happened. My twitter account gained over 30 new followers, and people tweeted at me with both support and criticism. Most importantly, the people over at IslesBlog took notice. They offered me a writing position at the blog, and I accepted it. Don't worry, I'll still be updating this blog as often as I can. With that, I will give you a brief preview of my first blog entry for them. It's a where are they now edition with some of your favorite former Islanders of years past.

Photo Credit: nhl.com

Rob Schremp: Most Islander fans remember Rob Schremp for the baseball swing goal he scored in Colorado in 2010.  Over his parts of two seasons on Long Island, Schremp played in 89 games, netting 47 points. In February 2011, the Islanders placed Schremp on waivers, where the Atlanta Thrashers claimed him. He was a fan favorite during his time on Long Island, and one of the best shootout shooters since Frans Nielsen. He finished out that season with the Thrashes. That turned out to be the last season in Thrashers history, and the last time Schremp played in the NHL. He played a year in the Swedish Elite league, and then went to Russia. He played or Dynamo Riga in the KHL, but left mid-season. He went to Austria for the rest of that season, recording 36 points in 26 games for Salzburg EC. Now, Schremp is playing for EV Zug in the Swiss league. If you have heard of any of these European teams, I envy you. Schremp was once a first round pick, but now he is trying to recapture the dream he achieved briefly playing in the NHL. 

Bonus Photos: Here are some former Islanders at the Sochi Olympics. I won't mention Michael Grabner's hat trick. (Oops.) 

Slovakian Defenseman Milan Jurcina knocking Team USA's Patrick Kane into the boards. 

Credit: Sun Times

Here's Austrian defenseman and former Islander Thomas Pock, wearing number 22, defending against Team Canada. 

That's all for this entry. Make sure you check out my IslesBlog entry once it comes out for more! Thanks for reading! Lets Go Islanders!

UPDATE: 2/19/14 HERE is the full entry on IslesBlog! Enjoy!