Islanders' Lou Lamoriello: Prospects Aatu Raty, William Dufour not quite ready for NHL
Islanders forward Aatu Raty skates a drill during Prospect Development Camp at Northwell Health Ice Center on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2022. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Forward prospects Aatu Raty and William Dufour are potentially very important pieces to the Islanders’ future and will draw plenty of attention as training camp opens this week.
But their impact on the NHL roster is not likely to be in the immediate future.
“They’re certainly prospects,” Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said on Monday at Glen Oaks Club prior to the team’s charity golf outing. “They’ll tell us how close they are during training camp. But if I had a crystal ball, I’d say they’re not ready at this point.”
Both Raty, a skilled playmaker who was a second-round pick in 2021, and Dufour, a fifth-round pick in 2020 who has a hard shot and plays with a physical edge, are entering their first full seasons in the organization.
Meanwhile, Lamoriello said he believes defensemen Robin Salo, a second-round pick in 2017, and Grant Hutton, a 27-year-old undrafted free agent, both are ready to compete for NHL spots.
Schneider to return
Lamoriello said goalie Cory Schneider, 36, will return to the Islanders’ organization for a third straight season. He went 14-11-4 with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage in 30 games for the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport last season while winning his only NHL start against the Devils, his former team.
“He mentors the young players and he’ll be in the minors to help the players along,” Lamoriello said.
No PTOs
Forward Sonny Milano of Massapequa agreed to a professional tryout offer with the Flames and Lamoriello confirmed he does not anticipate bringing any PTOs to Islanders’ training camp.
“If we thought there was a player that could potentially get a spot, then we would have done that,” Lamoriello said. “I think with the roster that we have, it would have been very difficult for that to happen.”
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.
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