Islanders' Isaiah George to make NHL debut
Isaiah George during Islanders training camp at the team's practice facility in East Meadow. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Sure, he’s a 20-year-old making his NHL debut just five games into his professional career and with his parents in the crowd at UBS Arena. And, sure, Isaiah George, recalled from the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport earlier in the day, was thrust into this spot because the injury-plagued team was still missing three of their regular defensemen for Tuesday night’s match against the Penguins.
But George, a fourth-round pick in 2022, was not overwhelmed by the situation.
“I mean, it’s hockey at the end of the day,” George said. “And every time I go out on the ice, I play to win. I’m just going to keep that same approach and do what I can to help the team win.”
The Islanders are without Adam Pelech (jaw) for four to six weeks, and Alexander Romanov (upper body) and Mike Reilly (concussion) remain day-to-day and missed their second game.
George will be paired with fellow call-up Grant Hutton since Samuel Bolduc was sent back to Bridgeport after logging just 5:56 in Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden with his crucial turnover leading to Vincent Trocheck’s early second-period goal. After the game, coach Patrick Roy bluntly assessed that the 23-year-old Bolduc, “needs to be better if he wants to play for us.”
The 6-1, 196-pound George had one goal and one assist playing in four of Bridgeport’s first nine games. Last season, he reached junior hockey’s Memorial Cup final with London of the Ontario Hockey League. He had six goals and 24 assists in 68 regular-season games for the Knights and added four goals and eight assists in 18 postseason games.
“The reports were really good,” Roy said. “[Bridgeport] was very happy with him. What I like about his game is he skates very well, he moves the puck well. It will be a good opportunity for him.”
“I feel like I did a pretty good job just to play my style of game,” George said. “I feel like I’ve been pretty effective so far.”
Still, Islanders president/general manager Lou Lamoriello waited until game day to recall George, rather than for Monday’s practice and make it a corresponding move to Bolduc being sent down.
Why wait?
“Good question,” Roy said. “We were just not sure he was ready. The mindset is he’s 20 years old. Sometimes you’re afraid to throw someone in. But like I said to Lou in our conversation, I was also 20 and I’m sure, probably my teammates were [expletive] in their pants how nervous they were when I played my first game. Sometimes it’s the way it is, you’ve got to give a chance to someone and I think he’s ready for it.”
Hutton, with much more experience at 29 even if Tuesday marked just his 20th NHL game, said he believes George has the skills to compete in the big league.
“He can bring a complete game in all three zones,” Hutton said. “I think something that goes under-looked is his physicality and his strength. He’s pretty thick, he’s pretty strong and built. I think that goes unnoticed a little bit. His skating, his puck moving, you all see it.”
George played in one preseason game, logging 12:19 without a shot while paired with Hutton in a 6-4 loss to the Rangers at the Garden on Sept. 24.
He understands the physicality in a regular-season game will be different.
“I think it’s just a step up from my preseason camp experiences,” George said. “I think I’m ready for it.”
That’s what the Islanders, with their current desperate need for defensemen, need to know.
Roy was asked whether he would shy away from matching George with Sidney Crosby’s top line with Evgeni Malkin.
“No, there won’t be protecting here,” Roy said. “We need to see what he can do, 100%.”
Notes & quotes: Ilya Sorokin’s third straight start marked his 200th NHL appearance. He became the fifth goalie to reach that milestone with the Islanders after Billy Smith (674 games), Rick DiPietro (318), Chico Resch (282) and Kelly Hrudey (241) . . . Roy said there was no update on Romanov or Reilly and neither had resumed skating . . . Left wing Matt Martin remained a healthy scratch.
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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