The 2024 NHL Entry Draft has concluded, and the New York Islanders made six selections, including three in the first two rounds. It was the first time the team made a first-round selection since 2019, and the first time with three or more picks in the first two rounds since 2018. With the prospect pool rejuvenated, let’s recap and grade each selection.
1. Cole Eiserman, Left Wing, A+
The Islanders selected Cole Eiserman with the 20th pick in the draft, and the hockey world has the consensus belief this was a steal. He was a projected top-ten pick with many ranking him in the top-five, yet he somehow fell to the Islanders at 20. He is an elite prospect with a strong shot and hockey IQ. His upside is a 40-plus goal, 70-plus point NHL star who roams the Islanders’ top six. He will join Boston University this fall and will likely join the NHL at some point in 2026.
Eiserman was the best player available at 20 and the best fit for the Islanders. He is left-handed, an elite scorer, and just 17 years old. He broke the United States Developmental Program’s (NTDP) all-time goals record with 127, surpassing NHL star Cole Caufield. Eiserman also finished second for career points (193) and third for most goals in a single season (58) in NTDP’s history. He joins the Islanders’ prospect pool and immediately becomes the top prospect.
2. Jesse Pulkkinen, Left Defense, B
The Islanders selected Jesse Pulkkinen with the 54th pick in the draft. He is a 6-foot-6, 216-pound defenseman who spent this season primarily in Finland’s premier Men’s hockey league, the Liiga. He was a second-year eligible prospect, meaning he went undrafted last year. However, his age should not deter Islanders fans from getting excited for the youngster. He is still just 19 years old and has many reasons to believe he will amount to a strong NHL defenseman.
Related: New York Islanders’ Top 10 Prospects: 2024 Playoffs
Firstly, Pulkkinen has experience playing professional hockey. The Liiga is arguably the second-best Men’s league in the world, stacking up against the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Pulkkinen had two goals and six assists in 29 games while playing in a defensive defenseman role. He is confident in the defensive zone, using his size to block shots. He also has a long reach, reminiscent of Adam Pelech, which he uses to knock the puck off the opposition’s stick.
Pulkkinen is a bit of a project given concerns about his offensive game. He does not read the ice well, and he rarely makes aggressive passes. He will likely spend the next few seasons in Finland before joining the Islanders, but he could develop into a strong top-four defenseman if all goes well. If the Islanders had not drafted Pulkkinen, Teddy Stiga, Linus Eriksson, and Brodie Ziemer would have all been great picks.
3. Kamil Bednarik, Center, A
The Islanders selected Kamil Bednarik with the 61st pick in the draft. He is a 6-foot, 185-pound two-way center who just like Eiserman, spent the past two years with the NTDP and is committed to Boston University. Bednarik’s greatest strength is his IQ and two-way game. He was frequently deployed against top offensive threats, showcasing his IQ through impressive positioning and stick work. He was not afraid to block shots, and he frequently generated turnovers.
At this point in the draft, there were not many options that provided the ceiling and floor that Bednarik does. He will need a few seasons to develop, but it is hard to imagine he does not turn into a full-time NHLer at some point in his career. He is not going to provide the offensive numbers that someone like Eiserman can, but Bednarik is likely to settle into an NHL role in the Islanders’ middle-six and penalty-killing units with the upside of scoring north of 20 goals and 55 points in a season.
4. Dmitri Gamzin, Goaltender, A-
The Islanders selected Dmitri Gamzin with the 115th pick in the draft. He is a 6-foot-3 goaltender who spent the past eight years as a member of CSKA Moskva, the same organization as Ilya Sorokin, in the KHL. He has split the past three seasons between the first and second-tier professional and junior leagues and he was a third-year draft eligible.
At 21 years old, the Islanders are banking on Gamzin to be further in his development than most other prospects available. This is likely a smart bet, especially considering his impressive performance in the KHL this season. He went 7-4-1 in 13 KHL games, posting a 1.98 goals-against average (GAA) and a .937 save percentage (SV%). To compare this to Sorokin’s age-21 season, he went 25-7-6 with a 1.61 GAA and a .929 SV%.
This is by no means saying Gamzin will develop into a Vezina Trophy finalist, but it does show he is on the right trajectory to develop into an NHL goaltender. He is a few seasons from reaching the NHL, but it is unlikely the Islanders would have found a prospect with higher upside than Gamzin at this pick. The Islanders also hired Sergei Naumov, Gamzin’s goalie coach with CSKA, so there is a real connection between Gamzin and the Islanders.
5. Marcus Gildof, Goaltender, C+
The Islanders selected Marcus Gidlof with the 147th pick in the draft. Many expected the Islanders to take a goaltender, but to take two was a surprise. Gidlof is a 6-foot-6, 212-pound goaltender from Sweden. He has impressive stats in the J20 Nationell, Sweden’s highest-level junior league. This season he went 14-12-0 with a 2.22 GAA and .923 SV%. While he was not a bad selection, the Islanders should have gone after a skater, such as Luke Misa, Anthony Romani, or Christian Humphreys.
6. Xavier Veilleux, Left Defense, B-
The Islanders selected Xavier Veilleux with the 179th pick in the draft. He is a 6-foot, left-handed defenseman who played in the United States Hockey League for the Muskegon Lumberjacks this season. He scored 32 points in 62 games, as well as five points in seven playoff games. He will be joining Harvard University this fall.
At this point in the draft, there is no consensus. The Islanders found good value in Veilleux since he was projected to go in the 100-140 range. However, there were a few other names they could have pursued. This list includes Humphreys, Alexander Zetterberg, Daniil Ustinkov, and Will Felicio.
The 2024 NHL Draft was a smashing success for the Islanders who restored their depleting prospect pool. They added upside in a forward core that lacked talent while also addressing positional needs. The team will look to build on their success early in the offseason as free agency begins.
