Islanders rookie camp a pivotal proving ground for Isaiah George, Victor Eklund
Islanders rookie camp, which opens Friday to sound the unofficial starting gun of hockey season, will be the first for Victor Eklund and must be the last for Isaiah George. The two attendees most firmly on the 23-man roster bubble are reporting to camp with opposite reasons leading to the same need for urgency.This will be the fifth rookie camp for the 22-year-old George; he is two years removed from a 33-game stint with the Islanders and in the final season of his entry-level deal.
Not only is there a clear pathway to making the roster, but coach Pete DeBoer also praised George enough after July development camp to make you believe the door is open for him to knock Scott Mayfield out of an everyday job on the blue line. “Our system’s based around skating and closing on people.Your defensemen in that type of system have to be able to move, and [George’s] best assets are his feet and his speed and ability to support the rush and get back on pucks and make breakout plays.
So I think it fits with his toolbox,” DeBoer said then.“I’m excited to work with him.
We had him at the end [of last season] there for a couple games, but he’s done it the right way. “He came up as a prospect.He paid his dues.
He played some games, he went back down again, he didn’t pout about it.And now it looks like he’s knocking on the door to be a full-time NHLer for a long time.” George, indeed, has been as loyal a soldier as the Islanders could ask, never outwardly displaying frustration last season when injuries and circumstances conspired against him getting a serious NHL chance while the club spent the season searching for defensemen. At a certain point, though, it needs to become clear for George and for the Islanders alike what his future is here.
This training camp, and this season, seem to be that point, with George set to hit restricted free agency next summer. With Matthew Schaefer and Cal Ritchie having graduated rookie camp, there is little reason for...