Holmstrom’s Heightened Training Camp Opportunity

Simon Holmstrom spent most of his summer in Sweden, training hard to prepare for his third full season after inking a one-year contract extension with the New York Islanders in July.

“I worked on the basics, getting stronger, get good conditioning in to make sure I’m well prepared for the season,” Holmstrom said.

His hard work has led to a good first impression at Islanders Training Camp, where he’s noticeably stronger, sharper and more mature in the eyes of Head Coach Patrick Roy.

"Simon came in great shape, had a really good testing, and I want to see him forcing me to play him with [Brock] Nelson and [Kyle] Palmieri,” Roy said on the opening day of camp.

Holmstrom has been skating with Nelson and Palmieri in practices and the trio debuted as a line in a 4-2 Islanders win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night. Holmstrom contributed an empty net goal in the victory, finishing the game with a pair of shots, a pair of hits and a pair of blocked shots in 15:07 TOI, showing early on that he can fare well in a larger role.

“He’s playing well, he’s making his decisions fast and he’s using his shot,” Palmieri said. “He’s a really talented player and thinks through the game really well so he’s looked good so far. He’ll continue to get better.”

Holmstrom played with various linemates last season, but saw limited time Palmieri and Nelson (40:58 five-on-five in 2023-24). The young winger is laser-focused to learn from the two vets and contribute in any way possible.

“They're two unbelievable players that have ton of experience and [have] played in this league for so long,” Holmstrom said. “I'm just trying to do my best to fit in, try to make them better and try to help that line.”

In his second full NHL season in 2023-24, the crafty winger dressed for 75 games, posting 25 points and 15 goals, including five shorthanded tallies that tied for second in the NHL. He posted career highs across all categories, but there’s still room for growth on both sides of the puck, as the Swedish forward’s improvement and potential stood out to Roy in the scrimmage leading up to preseason action.

“He was fantastic today,” Roy remarked of Holmstrom on Friday, when the team held its first scrimmage. “He was one of my favorites. I thought that Simon had a really good scrimmage. He was skating, he was moving the puck well. I was very happy to see the way he played, not just with the puck but without the puck as well.”

The 23-year-old forward is also exuding more confidence on the ice. A contributing factor to that noticeable increase is the playoff experience he was able to gain at the end of last season, where the 6’2,” 215 lbs. winger dressed for three playoff games and used the experience as a building block.

“It was awesome to get some playoff experience,” Holmstrom said. “We were very sad that we couldn't get further but great experience for me, and I was just trying to learn from every situation and every game, I felt like that helped my confidence. That playoff level as well, everyone knows that the intensity steps up. So, I had to be ready for that.”

Now, with 125 NHL games under his belt and heading into his third full season, Holmstrom is excited to continue to develop with the Islanders to reach his on-ice potential.

“I love Long Island, and I love the fans as well,” Holmstrom said. “I love this team, so they have been nothing but great to me. So just that comfort level, coming back to the same teammates and same system as we had last year, I think it's a big benefit and a big help for me to take that next step.”