blinkman360
Loyal Players Only
this is 100% accurate and I don't understand why some of us have to make excuses for our top 5 pick. It was painfully obvious Nino didn't belong in the NHL. The stats are PART of the story, his overall effectiveness was non-existent.
If he had "S-I-M" on his jersey, he'd have been vilified to no end. And frankly, Sim, Hilbert, Trent Hunter were leaps and bounds better in their time here than Nino showed last year. Bailey was better than Nino in his rookie year but even he was completely overmatched, regardless of ice-time, line-mates and overall handling by the coach.
I think Nino remains a great NHL prospect, right there with Strome (probably even ahead of Strome) in terms of NHL potential and upside and ultimate role/effectiveness as an NHL player. He's got size, skates well, good frame, great shot, nose for the net and great work ethic.....but he was not close to NHL capable last year, let alone "effective"
Is he much better this year? So far, yes. Let's see how he performs in camp. I wouldn't be surprised if he made the team out of camp because he's apparently been very good in the AHL, producing as well as any proven/NHL-ready player (Eberle, RNH, Hall, Granlund, Couturier, Schenn, etc). But I wouldn't be disappointed if he didn't make the team this time either, and finished the year with BP. It would not diminish his potential in my eyes. Same goes for Strome, Nelson and Cizikas.
Ullstrom is older, I'd HOPE he makes the jump. He's certainly mature enough, has played enough pro-hockey and played well enough to earn an extended look. He's got size, speed and can play a bottom six role, a hole that exists on the roster, I expect him to make the team. If he can't make THIS TEAM, then he probably won't be an NHLer (not on the Islanders anyway) since I'd expect Strome, Nino, Nelson and Nathan MacKinnon/Drouin/Barkov to take jobs next year
How come no one mentions his concussion when bashing him for his play last year? I could be wrong, but I'd imagine it would be hard for any 19 year old kid to play in the NHL as a 4th liner. Much less a 19 year old kid coming off of a concussion.
