It’s been a long time since the Islanders prospect pool looked as good as it does right now.
The farm system has been something close to a nonentity for the past few years, but that finally appears to be on its way to changing after a strong World Juniors campaign put an exclamation mark on what has — so far — been an excellent year for the club’s recent draftees.
After going four straight drafts without a first-round pick, with the organization bereft of any high-end prospects for most of that time, the Islanders suddenly have a group that looks as though it will be made up of NHL players in Danny Nelson, Cole Eiserman, Quinn Finley and Isaiah George.
Other than George — who made his NHL debut this season and, aside from the suspected concussion currently keeping him on the sideline, has performed without a hitch — everyone in that group still is in college, at least a year away from the Islanders, if not two.
But with the NHL club looking on its way to a playoff miss and possible retool, it’s of massive importance that the Islanders have prospects who eventually could fill some of their organizational holes or represent high-end value in a trade.
Nelson, who wore an “A” in his second go-around at World Juniors, had six points in seven games and showed two-way ability as a second-line center. He also played on both special teams and won 56.78 percent of his faceoffs.
“I was excited to see them not play him in a checking role,” Jeff Jackson, Nelson’s coach at Notre Dame, told The Post. “Putting him on a second line with two good wingers, he’s a faceoff guy. He’s got a lot of really good tendencies as a centerman, especially being a big body, but he skates well. That’s probably the most important part of him being able to be a dominant player down low in both zones.”
Eiserman, picked 20th overall last summer, joined Nelson in winning gold and was on his line at the start of the tournament.
Though he was later dropped to a 13th forward role with Team USA, Eiserman still got power-play minutes and produced at a point-per-game rate. At 18, he also figures to return to World Juniors next season and play top-line minutes for Team USA, whereas Nelson will age out of the tournament.
“You look at what we’re asking him to do, and then he still finds a way to impact the game on the scoresheet,” Team USA coach David Carle told reporters of Eiserman before the gold medal game. “He has owned it and he has accepted that it’s best for the team, and I think his teammates recognize it. It’s not easy for him, either. I recognize it. We talked about it, and it’s his job to be a pro and to handle it, and he really has done it in a positive way.”
Given that Eiserman’s draft stock fell in part due to the perception that he was a selfish player, that may be as important a development as the goals he scored.
Finley — who was part of Team USA’s gold medal-winning squad a year ago — wasn’t eligible for World Juniors this season as a 20-year-old but is in the midst of a breakout campaign at Wisconsin, leading the NCAA in scoring (16 goals) and points (29).
None of that trio has signed an entry-level deal with the Islanders as of yet, though Finley and Nelson could be candidates to do so after the NCAA season ends.
George, a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft which produced Finley in the third round, is in the first of his three-year ELC and looks like a top-four defenseman on the left side for the long-term future.
There are others in the organization who could end up representing the Islanders in the NHL eventually, as well.
The second tier of prospects would likely include Jesse Nurmi, who played decently in a fourth-line role for Finland at World Juniors; Alex Jefferies, who has 21 points with AHL Bridgeport this season; and Calle Odelius, the club’s second-rounder in 2022 whose development was set back by a broken ankle last season.
