Wahlstrom Wows at Blue and White Scrimmage

EAST MEADOW - Oliver Wahlstrom delivered his first "wow" moment to Islanders fans on Thursday night.
The Isles' 2018 first-round pick dangled through three players, pulling the puck around sticks, weaving his way to the net and burying for a terrific individual effort in the first game of the Blue and White Scrimmage.
"I kind of just saw an opening and tried to cut in there and it worked. It was a pretty lucky goal, but it was fun," Wahlstrom said.

Wahlstrom brought the sold out crowd at Northwell Health Ice Center to its feet with the highlight reel goal - that was later named the no. 4 play on SportsCenter's Top 10 - and found the back of the net twice more before the night was over, scoring three goals overall. His team - Team Blue - went 1-0-1 in two, four-on-four scrimmages, but the winger won the night, endearing himself to the Long Island crowd, who were out in droves to support the prospects.
"It's awesome, it shows you the passion they have for your team and I take it to heart," Wahlstrom said of the crowd at Northwell Health Ice Center. "It's a dream come true to go through a first development camp for me. I'm very fortunate and very happy I'm with this organization."
Wahlstrom backed up his scouting report on Thursday night, showing off the skill and creativity that had him originally pegged as a top-10 talent and eventually a heist at 11th overall. The USA Hockey NTDP sniper - who scored 40 goals in 54 games last season - said his shot is his best asset and was able to get it off in a variety of situations. '
And while a prospect scrimmage is far from the Stanley Cup, Wahlstrom has turned some heads all week at Islanders Mini Camp and has Islanders brass excited.

"Oliver was excellent," Bridgeport Coach Brent Thompson said after running the first on-ice session on Tuesday. "I thought he was really good right from the beginning with his power skating, working on his edges. He's a coachable kid, was taking what we were saying and trying to apply it. Obviously his shot and his skill set, you can see it, his level of skill is off the charts."
With his skill-set and size - 6'1, 208 lbs. - Wahlstrom draws comparisons to Islanders 2016 first-rounder Kieffer Bellows, as both wingers are shoot-first goal scorers with a knack around the net and good size, even at 18. Bellows, who also lit up the NTDP program, took Wahlstrom under his wing at the Team USA's National Junior Evaluation Camp last summer.
"He has a great release, he's a great skater, his hands are fantastic," Bellows said of Wahlstrom. "I'm excited to see what he does in the future and he's going to be a great player one day."
If Thursday was any indication, that highlight reel goal won't be Wahlstrom's last.

BLUE AND WHITE SCRIMMAGE RECAP:

Wahlstrom wasn't the only Islanders prospect to post a big night at Thursday's scrimmage. Bobo Carpenter also scored three goals , while defenseman Robin Salo, the 2017 second-round pick, netted a pair of goals and added an assist.
Guillaume Maillard scored the shootout winner in the eighth round to give Team Blue a 5-4 win over Team Blue/White in game one.

Otto Koivula (2016 4th rounder) and Mitchell Vande Sompel (2015 3rd rounder) scored back-to-back shootout goals to give Team White a 3-2 shootout win over Team Blue in game two.
Team White held off a late comeback from Team Blue/White in game three, winning 3-2.

SKILLS COMPETITION:

After the three scrimmages, the prospects staged a skills competition, showing off their moves in a shootout.
Yannick Rathgeb, the Swiss defenseman who signed a two-year, two-way contract in April, won the hardest shot with a 99mph slapper. He beat out five other prospects, all of which had two shots.

Hardest Shot Results (first shot, second shot):
Yannick Rathgeb: 99 mph, 97 mph
Bode Wilde: 94, 96
Ryan MacKinnon: 94, 96
Mitch Vande Sompel: 93, 95
David Quenneville: 94, 94
Kieffer Bellows: 93, 91