Islanders 2024 Draft Notebook

The New York Islanders used all six of their picks in the 2024 Draft, taking a pair of forwards, a pair of defensemen and a pair of goalies. That included Cole Eiserman, the organization’s first, first-round pick since 2019.

Islanders General Manager Lou Lamoriello was pleased with his haul in Vegas, feeling that the Isles got players who were highly-rated on their board.

“We were happy with where we were picking what we were hoping to accomplish,” Lamoriello said of the Isles picks.

You can read bios on the five prospects taken on Day 2 here, or check out the Islanders Draft Hub for all the news, video, photos, trivia and contests from draft weekend. See below from some notes about the newest Isles prospects and draft observations.

Eiserman and Bednarik Continuing Career Together

Cole Eiserman and Kamil Bednarik have already spent a lot of time together as teammates at USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program – and they’re going to spend a lot of time together as their hockey careers progress.

The teammates – and sometimes linemates – are both committed to Boston University for next season and were both selected by the New York Islanders in the 2024 Draft.

“I played on a line with them too, so it's pretty cool being drafted the same team,” Bednarik said, shortly before getting a congratulatory FaceTime from Eiserman.

Bednarik describes himself as a two-way player, looking up to Patrice Bergeron as a player to emulate.

“I liked watching him play and I liked how he was responsible,” Bednarik said. “I think I kind of picked up that responsible game kind of and that mature game earlier than some other players would have.”

Bednarik said the defensive play doesn’t come at the expense of offense, evidenced by the center’s 65 points (26G, 39A) in 61 games with the NTDP. He can shift his game to suit his linemates, whether he’s playing with a sharpshooter like Eiserman, or needs to find space and turn himself into a triggerman along side a pass-first partner.

“I feel like I kind of make the guys around me better,” Bednarik said. “I would like to say I'm a very, very smart player as well, so I definitely know my linemates strengths and weaknesses, so I kind of work to that. And kind of shift my adjust my game on who I'm playing with a little bit.”

Lamoriello spoke highly of BU coach Jay Pandolfo’s ability to develop players after drafting Eiserman and the same sentiment stood on Saturday, so the organization feels comfortable having a first-and-second round pick under his tutelage. BU games might be must-watch hockey next season for Isles fans.

Pulkkinen Brings Size to Blue Line

The first thing that stands out about Finnish defenseman Jesse Pulkkinen, the Islanders first of two second-round picks (54^th overall), is his size.

The 6’6, 219 lbs. blueliner would have been the tallest player on the Islanders roster last season and at 19, the expectation is that his body will fill out even more.

“We got a size and strength defenseman,” Lamoriello said. “Our Finnish scout, who has been a scout for long time, was sitting next to me, and given where we had him rated, it went well.”

Scouts say he’s a physical defenseman, but the Finn describes himself as an offensive defenseman, modeling his game after Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Pulkkinen put up 28 points (11G, 17A) in 18 games for JYP U20 in Finland’s junior league and piled up 10 more in seven playoff games.

Pulkkinen’s production increased seven-fold from the previous year, where he dished out four assists in 43 games.

The standout junior year included Pulkkinen’s Liiga debut, as he played 29 games with JYP’s top club, racking up eight points (2G, 6A) in 29 games.

He’s got a loose connection to the Islanders, as he knows 2023 fourth-round pick Jesse Nurmi.

Isles Draft Pair of Big Goalies

The Islanders drafted a pair of big, European goalies with their fourth and fifth round picks, taking Dmitry Gamzin 115^th overall out of CSKA Moscow in the KHL and Marcus Gidlof 147^th overall out of Sweden’s J20 Nationell.

Gamzin is tall and lean (6’3, 173), while Gidlof is a towering 6’6 and 212 lbs.

At 21, Gamzin is on the older end, but appears to be graduating to the KHL, where he posted a 7-4-1 record, 1.98 goals against average, .937 save percentage, and one shutout victory. There’s an interesting Isles connection for Gamzin, as the Islanders recently hired Sergei Naumovs to be the goalie coach for Bridgeport. Naumovs was previously the goalie coach for CSKA Moscow, so there’s some familiarity. While unconfirmed if Naumovs had anything to do with the pick, Lamoriello said Naumovs has been scouting for the Islanders for a little while now.

As for Gidlof, the netminder made his SHL debut this season, but spent the majority of the season with Leksands IF J20 club.

An interesting note from Lamoriello’s post-draft availability was that whenever he’s in doubt, or doesn’t have a specific target in mind, his priority is to bolster goaltending depth. Good goaltending has long been a staple of a Lamoriello team.

Veilleux Heading Back to Muskegon

Defenseman Xavier Veilleux rounded out the Isles 2024 Draft class, as the French-Canadian was drafted out of USHL Muskgeon.

The two-way defenseman said he models his game after Thomas Chabot and that he was planning to return to Muskgeon for another year before heading to Harvard in 2025-26. Veilleux had a standout rookie season, as he led Muskegon defensemen in points (32) and assists (29) and was tied for the lead in goals (three). He led all USHL rookie defensemen in points, and was named to the 2024 USHL All-Rookie Team.

Veilleux said he was familiar with names like JG Pageau and William Dufour, but the prospect lit up when asked about the chance to interact and learn from Head Coach Patrick Roy – a living legend in Quebec.

“I've never talked to him before but I mean, it's amazing,” Veilleux said. “He's a Hall of Famer and to maybe one day play for him, it would be a dream come true for sure.”

Lamoriello’s Advice to Picks, Remaining Players

For the Islanders prospects, the work is really just beginning and Lamoriello made sure to remind them that it doesn’t matter where, or if, you got drafted, but what you do after. He cited Kyle MacLean, the undrafted forward who worked his way through the American Hockey League and recently signed a three-year contract with the Isles.

"Really, it doesn't matter where you get drafted, it's what you do,” Lamoriello said. “That's what I told a couple of the kids we talked about today, or that didn't get drafted. I said don't worry about it, just go and play.”