All Islanders picks in the 2016 NHL Draft

RD. 1 19th Overall - Kieffer Bellows
RD. 4 95th Overall - Anatoli Golyshev
RD. 4 120th Overall - Otto Koivula
RD. 6 170th Overall - Collin Adams
RD. 7 193rd Overall - Nick Pastujov
RD. 7 200th Overall - David Quenneville

Islanders select Kieffer Bellows 19th overall in 2016 NHL Draft

BUFFALO, NY – The New York Islanders on Friday at the 2016 NHL Draft selected Keiffer Bellows with the 19th overall pick in the draft.

The native of Edina, Minnesota posted 50 goals and 31 assists for 81 points and 101 penalty minutes in 62 games with the USA Under-18 team in 2015-16.

Rating the Isles (2015-16): Josh Bailey

Josh Bailey didn't have his best NHL season in 2015-16, as he only posted 12 goals and 20 assists in 81 games played.

Along with that, Bailey had a minus-7 rating, 105 shots on goal, 1284 TOI, 15:51 ATOI and 22 penalty minutes.

Although Bailey had an average season in 2015-16, he did manage to go on a few hot streaks here and there, which boosted his final season grade from us. He is most likely a player the Islanders want to keep this offseason.

FINAL GRADE: C-

Rating the Isles (2015-16): Matt Martin

Matt Martin may not seem like a goal scorer for the Islanders, only posting 10 goals and nine assists in the 2015-16 regular season.

But Martin can be seen as an intangible player, meaning in this case he can be more useful in other categories other than the goals and assists categories.

Martin led the Islanders in hits in 2015-16 with 365. Cal Clutterbuck was second with 288, no where near Martin.

Martin is definitely an defensive outlet for the Islanders. Not only is his defensive play outstanding, but his ability to get his team going is incredible.

FINAL GRADE: B-

Islanders announce 2016-17 regular season

"Long Island Faceoff" Staff Report

NEW YORK -- The New York Islanders on Tuesday released their 2016-17 regular season schedule.

SCHEDULE NOTES:

> The Islanders' first game of the season is Oct. 13 at the New York Rangers.

> The Islanders' first home game of the season is Oct. 16 against the Anaheim Ducks. It is their third game of the season.

> The Islanders' final game of the season is Apr. 9, 2017 at home against the Ottawa Senators.

The full schedule is below.

Islanders 2016-17 regular season home opener announced

The NHL on Monday released the 2016-17 regular season home openers for all 30 teams.

The Islanders home opener is on October 16 against the Anaheim Ducks.

The Islanders also play at the Rangers on October 13 and at the Capitals on October 15 in their home openers.

The full schedule will be released tomorrow.

Rating the Isles (2015-16): Kyle Okposo

Kyle Okposo had one of his best NHL seasons in 2015-16, posting 22 goals and 42 assists for 64 points.

His season-best for goals and assists was in 2013-14, where he posted 27 goals and 42 assists for 69 points.

But Okposo still had a good season this year too, as he was a key player in the Islanders lineup almost every game.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Rating the Isles (2015-16): John Tavares

John Tavares has proved himself worthy of the Islanders' captaincy. He had 33 goals and 37 assists in this past regular season for a total of 70 points, almost matching some of his best NHL seasons.

He also had six goals and five assists for 11 points in the playoffs this season, which in our opinion is his best post-season yet.

Tavares even had the series-winning overtime goal in Game 6 of the 2016 round one playoff series against the Florida Panthers on April 24, sending the Islanders to the second round, where they would lose to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tavares almost reached the milestone of his best NHL season of his career, which is why we're not giving him the highest grade possible. But still, the first overall pick by the Islanders in the 2009 NHL Draft still has plenty of potential, and we feel that Tavares has plenty of playing time left and has some great playing time ahead of him.

FINAL GRADE: A-

Rating the Isles (2015-16): Thomas Greiss

"Long Island Faceoff" Staff Report

2015-16 was one of the Islanders' best seasons in their recent history.

They made it past the first round of the playoffs since 1993.

What player is mainly to thank for such an achivement?

How about goaltender Thomas Greiss?

After spending 2014-15 in Pittsburgh, Greiss came to the Islanders not being expected to do too much.

But with injuries to Islanders starting goaltender Jaroslav Halak, Greiss earned some extensive playing time.

In that playing time in the regular season, he posted a career-best save percentage of .925, a career-best record of 23-11-4, a career-best 1107 saves, all in 41 games played, the most in any season in his career.

One could argue however that Greiss played in many more games this season than any other season, which is why his stats are so much better this season than any of his six other seasons in the NHL.

But we here at "Long Island Faceoff" feel that Greiss worked hard to earn those numbers for this season, and that is why we give him a very impressive final - season grade.

We're giving Greiss the grade we're giving him because of the fact that he played in half of the Islanders games this season and put up stellar numbers. Had he played more and ept up his great goaltending, we definitely would have given him an A+ for sure.

FINAL GRADE: A-

Islanders sign Cizikas, Holmstrom to extensions

BROOKLYN, NY– The New York Islanders announced Thursday that Ben Holmstrom has agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way (NHL/AHL) contract, and that Casey Czikas agreed to a five-year contract that extends to the 2020-21 NHL season.

Cizikas, 25, scored 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 80 games last season during his fifth year with the Islanders. The Toronto, ON, native posted career highs in both assists and points during the regular season, before adding three assists in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

“I’m thrilled to remain a New York Islander for the next five years,” Cizikas said. “The organization has been first class ever since I was drafted and we’ve come so far as a team during my time here. I’m excited to continue to be a part of this group as we build towards the ultimate goal, the Stanley Cup.”

The Islanders selected Cizikas in the fourth round (92nd overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft.

“Casey has developed into a highly dependable two-way center and we’re pleased to sign him through 2021,” General Manager Garth Snow said. “His energy and passion both on the ice and in the community, make him an invaluable piece of our lineup."

Holmstrom, 29, posted 24 points (4G, 20A) in 76 games last season in his first year with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Holmstrom was named the Sound Tigers team captain in October 2015.