The Islanders took a huge step in their “youth movement” this week, signing 2008 first round pick Josh Bailey to a three-year, entry level contract. Considering the fact that Mike Sillinger is still dealing with injuries and may not be on the ice opening night, there’s a huge chance he could make the team’s opening night roster.
The only question is how effective can he be?
Having only seen a few scarce videos of him and read what the scouts have said, I may not be the best person to answer that question, but I think it’s fair to say that Bailey is someone that does much more than numbers can indicate. He’s a skilled two-way winger at the junior level and while he’s still a youngin’ in hockey years, sticking around this long in camp has to mean something, doesn’t it? If he does in fact make the team out of camp, I’m not going to get my hopes up on him, as he’ll most definitely play eight or nine games before being sent back to his junior tam in Windsor, but I will pay close attention to what he does on the ice so I can see what his future can be with the Isles.
While the Bailey signing was big news, having Rick DiPietro back on the ice is probably the best news all training camp. Like I’ve said a bunch of times on the site already, DP is the team’s best player and if he isn’t on the ice, it’s going to be extremely difficult for this team to thrive.
From the looks of it, Rico is happy to be back as well.
“It’s been a long time,” said DiPietro, on the team’s official site. “This is the longest I’ve gone without playing an organized hockey game. It was really exciting today. Sitting in the stall it was good to get the adrenaline going again. I went out there and felt like I was at the Coliseum in front of 17,000 fans. I was just that excited to be out there.”
On another note, I’d just like to tell everyone about my new site, AcesOverBrooklyn.com. In June, Aviator Sports announced that an Eastern Pro Hockey League franchise was coming to Brooklyn and like many people, I was thrilled. Being an Islander fan in Brooklyn is not an easy task and sometimes I wonder what would have happened to be growing up if I wasn’t built like Brett Lindros. At any rate, while I love writing my thoughts on the Islanders and while I will continue to do so, I will also be covering the Brooklyn Aces this season. You see, while being a pundit is fun, it’s not nearly as rewarding as being a full-fledged journalist. Being the Sports Editor at Bay Currents newspaper in Brooklyn as well affords me the opportunity to do so much more than share my thoughts; it allows me to be a provocateur of truth. And that’s exactly what I plan to do over there this season. If you guys have the chance, come check it out.
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