Patrick Roy will emphasize Islanders' special teams when training camp opens
Islanders coaches and players meet during the third day of rookie camp at the Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow on Saturday. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Patrick Roy lamented several times last season as the Islanders missed the playoffs for the second time in four years that he should have put more emphasis on special teams during training camp.
So the coach plans to make the most of his mulligan.
Training camp opens on Thursday at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow — the main attraction being No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer — and Roy said special teams work will begin on Day 3 rather than the second week.
“Last year, the main thing was maybe more conditioning,” said Roy, whose frequent, rink-length “whammies” skates were a staple last September. “I think I’m going to try to get a little bit away from that and work more on a team structure. I don’t think you’ll be surprised with my next answer: I’m going to look for the power play and penalty kill. Last year, if our power play and our penalty killing would have been better, we probably would have made the playoffs.”
Instead, the Islanders finished 35-35-12 in Roy’s first full season, a distant nine points out of the last wild-card spot as the power play and penalty kill both ranked 31st in the 32-team league.
“Special teams is the main thing,” said defenseman Tony DeAngelo, who will likely quarterback the first power-play unit unless Schaefer beats him out. “If we were a little better on the power play last year, maybe we’re the guys fighting for that last spot. All the guys that are on power play, penalty kill, we’ve all got to take a step up. You get those up into the top 15 in the league, you’re usually in the playoffs.”
Training camp will be the first time new assistant coaches Ray Bennett and Bob Boughner — hired to replace John MacLean and Tommy Albelin to run the power play and penalty kill, respectively — work on ice with the players.
It is all part of the organizational reset that began when general manager/executive vice president Mathieu Darche was hired to replace Lou Lamoriello on May 23 and Schaefer, an elite skating defenseman with top-notch passing skills and on-ice vision, was selected first on June 27.
Schaefer’s maturity and engaging personality would stand out regardless but are even more remarkable considering he only turned 18 on Sept. 5. The organization will give Schaefer every opportunity through the six-game preseason, which opens on Sunday night against the Flyers at UBS Arena, to make the roster for the season opener in Pittsburgh on Oct. 9.
“We’re really excited and we should be,” Bo Horvat said. “It’s new and exciting times with management and getting the first overall pick. Fans should be excited. We’re excited in the dressing room. We feel like we have a really good hockey team in there and we’ve just got to go out and prove it.”
Schaefer will likely be part of the top six defensemen along with DeAngelo, Alexander Romanov — starting an eight-year, $50 million deal — Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock and either Scott Mayfield or Adam Boqvist. Noah Dobson, traded to the Canadiens after a contract impasse, is the notable subtraction.
Up front, Horvat is expected to start training camp with two new wings in free-agent signees Jonathan Drouin and former KHL standout Maxim Shabanov, who wowed onlookers during rookie camp with his shooting, skating, passing and willingness to play physical despite his 5-9, 167-pound frame.
“I think we had a need for skills and I think Drouin and Shabanov will bring that to our team,” Roy said. “Drouin played an important role with Colorado on the power play on the flank side so I’m sure he’ll do the exact same thing with us. [Shabanov] is a small player but I feel like he doesn’t know he’s small. I’m curious to see how he’s going to bring the skills and everything in our real game.”
Shabanov will also likely be on the power play.
“I feel like he’s got some things that you’ve never seen before,” said Mathew Barzal, who is coming off surgery to his right knee and expected to move back to center from Horvat’s wing. “I’m super impressed with his skill level.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
More Islanders
