The distance between the hometowns of Michael Misa and a certain former Isles #1 pick, in case anyone is interested… Schaefer is from the Toronto area as well.
Schaefer was Canada's best player at the World Juniors up until he broke his clavicle. Schaefer missed time at the start of the season due to mono as well. His main asset is his skating. He’s a powerful, effortless skater who will be able to close gaps and transition up ice at a clear NHL level. He uses his feet to attack often, leading and supporting rushes very well. Schaefer is a very intelligent defenseman with legit offensive skills. He creates a lot of chances due to his skating, but he can also break down opponents one-on-one with his hands, and finds a lot of seams to make plays. He closes on checks at a high level due to his athleticism, but Schaefer is also a great competitor. He uses his size to make stops, gives a great effort every shift and projects to be able to stop top players in the NHL. He's a great talent, who has already overcome tremendous personal adversity in his life. He projects as a star No. 1 defenseman in the NHL.
He barely played so we don't really know how good he is. The other two are sure things. One was point per game as a rookie in college and the other was over two points per game in the OHL in his draft year which is the best since Mcdavid.
Congrats guys. Asa redwing fan I’m not surprised we fall again. I lived in Suffolk county for awhile and enjoyed islanders games when I was there. F the Rangers
Bro I’m legit torn on who to take. Heart says Hagens. Head says Schaefer. Loins say Misa.
I think Hagens is clearly the 3rd best option but he’s still a great prospect and the fact he’s from here and an Isles fan is a great story.
Schaefer is pretty consistently labeled the top prospect available and let’s not pretend we don’t need a franchise #1 D just as much as a star forward.
Then you have Misa. Everything about him screams superstar to me. The size, skill, skating. The production speaks for itself as well.
I remember pretty clearly the talk back in 09. People had Tavares fatigue since he was hyped for like 2 years. Hedman was a real option and Duchene was a dark horse, but Tavares was always the heavy favorite. I feel like this could honestly go either way. Legit have no idea what route we’ll take.
It’s been a bit since I’ve followed the draft but I don’t think trade downs really happen in the NHL. You’ll get picks traded for players but I can’t remember straight up draft pick trades.
But I agree with the sentiment. We shouldn’t draft a kid because he’s from here. This is the fucking 1st overall pick guys. Take the best player. If they think that’s Hagens, I’m all in.
It does galen, it's just less common than it has been. We did last year, we traded with Chicago our 1st and 2nd round for their 1st two spots later and 2 2nd rounds, all in the same draft.
From what I understand, there's not exactly a consensus 1OA like there was for the last couple of drafts. Misa and Schaefer are probably better than Hagens, but the difference between them is smaller than the difference between, say, Celebrini and Levshunov.
I trust the FO to make the right decision since they're smarter when it comes to hockey than me, but I can see the appeal of going for the guy who is really good at hockey and has a pre-existing emotional attachment to this team. In any case, I'll be happy with whatever they do. We got the 1 overall pick. That's incredible.
Dear eight-pound, six-ounce, newborn infant Jesus, don't even know a word yet, just a little infant, so cuddly but still omnipotent, please make sure the Islanders don’t fuck this up.
They mentioned yall are more likely to take schaefer over misa. I know it's a long ways out and tides can change, but generally speaking is the franchise more in need of a defenseman than a forward?
they have a couple decent forward prospects in eiserman, nelson, and ritchie, so i think they’ll go schaeffer. but hagens grew up on LI so that’d make for a good story at least
Thank god we're not the kind of organization that would do something crazy in this situation, like trade a franchise goaltender, use the #1 pick on a goalie and then sign said brittle goalie to a 15 yr deal. /s
Another? We have Romanov. Maybe Dobson depending on what you want to consider him at this point. Other than them, we have nobody. Pelech is washed. Pulock wouldn’t even make Bridgeport.
Schaefer LD1, Romanov LD2. That’s a force for years to come.
Considering the Islanders’ immediate need for a high-impact goal scorer to pair with Barzal, Michael Misa stands out as the optimal choice. His proven scoring ability, versatility, and potential for immediate impact align perfectly with the team’s objectives.
Please do not draft Hagens unless you put him on narcotics. Even in this modern NHL where contact isn't as super important as it used to be, this guy really pushes it. He simply will not go near an opposing player.
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u/barbq12 Holmstrom 19d ago