Islanders Army

New Isles, Young Isles Making an Impact

September 24th, 2007 by murph

After the July 1st Hempstead Turnpike traffic jam of Islanders leaving town, GM Garth Snow had his work cut out for him to fill in the holes in the Isles’ lineup. This was done via a combination of free agent signings and re-evaluating the talent the Islanders had in the minors at Bridgeport. If you thought Coach Ted Nolan’s job was tough last year, wait until you see this year with a large percentage of the lineup having little experience playing together. If there are two things we learned last year they are, 1) DP needs to stay in the $%@@! net and avoid collisions in March, and 2) Coach Nolan excels at getting the most out of his players.

Here’s a look at some training camp articles from NY Islander beat writer Greg Logan:

Arguably the Islanders’ biggest off-season signing, new first line center Mike Comrie.

The Islanders’ new No. 1 center made his first appearance in a training camp scrimmage today, and he couldn’t have been more impressive. Mike Comrie showed off his quick hands by scoring a hat trick to lead Team Gillies to a 4-2 victory over Team Bossy in regulation time before a shootout narrowed the final margin to 4-3.

The one thing I’m really impressed with is his leadership. Even in practice [on Friday when Comrie’s team didn’t scrimmage], he was taking control, asking questions and skating. He doesn’t go through the motions and wait until the season starts. We talked about it before coming here, and he wanted to be the go-to guy. He wanted to be the man. Early indications are that he’s demonstrating it with his actions.”

Young speedster Jeff Tambellini

Jeff Tambellini’s reward for a terrific training camp performance last season was an opening night start with the Islanders and then a one-way trip to Bridgeport because of a two-way contract that permits him to be sent to the minors without clearing waivers. But this season, Tambellini said yesterday, “is a different mind-set.”

Said Tambellini: “This is the year I can step up and show these guys I can play full-time in the league and be an impact guy.”

Last year, Tambellini was one of the spare forwards trying to make an impression. This camp, he’s playing left wing on the second line with center Josef Vasicek and right wing Miro Satan. Matched against the top line of Mike Comrie, Bill Guerin and Ruslan Fedotenko in yesterday’s scrimmage, the second line produced three goals, two by Tambellini and one by Satan, in a 4-3 win in regulation time.

Radek Martinek, an up and coming defender who’s season was cut short by an injury last year.

Martinek’s season ended Feb. 3 in Montreal when a bad landing after a collision left him with a fractured left leg. The Islanders missed him dearly, especially in their playoff loss to Buffalo. Teamed with free-agent signee Aaron Johnson, Martinek was a steadying presence for an Islanders team in a defensive mode against a veteran Canadiens lineup.

“Martinek looked really good, and Johnson continues to impress,” Islanders coach Ted Nolan said. “Marty was a big loss last season. He was in our top pairing with Brendan Witt, and losing him was a big blow. Watching him here tonight, I thought time’s a great healer.”

6 foot 6 inch defensive monster free agent Andy Sutton.

Early in the first period, Sutton dropped Kyle Chipchura with a crushing blast against the boards, and midway through the third period he smeared Duncan Milroy into the glass. After the game, coach Ted Nolan praised Sutton and Brendan Witt for their “nasty” play in front of the net, saying, “If anybody wants to come in that territory, they’ll have to pay the price to get in there. That’s what we got them for.”

Witt became a mainstay last season, but signing Sutton to a three-year, $9-million deal in the offseason was vital for the Islanders after losing Tom Poti and Sean Hill, who provided major minutes and experience on the blue line. The courtship of Sutton was prolonged, but the Isles finally got their man five weeks after the free-agent market opened.

“We had plenty of offers,” Sutton said of the signing process. “I was really holding out to get things right with the Islanders . . . This is a team on the up-and-up and making a lot of changes for the good. I really liked where the organization was going. It was a no-brainer for me.”

And finally, a young Islander who ended up playing in Finland last year due to a contract dispute, Sean Bergenheim returns to the Islanders this year.

Given his high-energy aggression, Bergenheim should fit the mold of a Nolan player. “I know I can play much better than I’ve played so far,” Bergenheim said before turning in an energized effort in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Canadiens Saturday in Montreal. “It’s a little bit of an adjustment for me to get back to the North American style. My style actually suits playing here.

“I don’t consider myself only being a checking line guy. Skating is my strong point, but I also want to be a smart player, not just a guy who runs around. I want to do some damage, scoring goals and playing a smart, two-way game.”

For now, Bergenheim is trying to make the adjustment to the smaller rinks and quicker reaction time required in the NHL, as well as to Nolan’s system. If he has to pay his dues a little longer to win a larger role, Bergenheim is prepared to do it.

“It’s up to the coach, and for me, I accept everything I get,” Bergenheim said. “Whatever Teddy wants me to do, I will do. But certainly, I believe that if I play well, I can earn a higher spot on the team. It’s all up to me.”

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