Islanders' Oliver Wahlstrom knows he needs to be more consistent

Patrick Roy verbally gave himself a mental note to seek out Oliver Wahlstrom, the right wing who has struggled to establish his NHL game since the Islanders selected him 11th overall in 2018. The Islanders coach wanted to reinforce to the 23-year-old he does not think he’s been playing badly.

Roy has even spoken highly of Wahlstrom’s defensive work, something rarely heard earlier in his career.

But Wahlstrom, in the lineup for the fifth straight game as the Islanders faced the Kraken on Tuesday night, has been inconsistent in the offensive zone. He entered the match with two goals and four assists in 26 games and having gotten off just one shot on net in his previous four games.

So when Roy was looking for more offense in Saturday afternoon’s 5-2 loss to the visiting Flames, he started skipping Wahlstrom in the rotation in the second and third periods.

“In this case, it has nothing to do with the system,” Roy said. “It’s the fundamentals. He needs to understand that every night he needs to play with consistency. Even me, when I started my career, I was not consistent. He’ll learn. It’s a process. Sometimes, he holds the puck a little too long. I’d like him to make quicker decisions. Sometimes he could take shots he passes on.

“I love how he’s willing to learn.”

Wahlstrom re-entered the lineup with Hudson Fasching out with a lower-body injury and skated on Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s third line with Simon Holmstrom.

It’s been a trying 14 months for Wahlstrom since suffering a season-ending ACL injury on Dec. 27, 2022. He was able to rejoin the Islanders for training camp in September but has been inconsistently included in the lineup. Wahlstrom’s longest stint was 10 games from Nov. 13-Dec. 2 and Tuesday marked just the third time this season he’s dressed in at least five straight matches.

“I feel 100% but I’m pretty young so I expected to be 100% right out of the gate when I first skated in June,” Wahlstrom told Newsday. “That’s a part I’m learning. It’s a process. You can’t put too much pressure or be too hard on yourself. Timing and things like that just comes with playing.”

But Wahlstrom, a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights on a one-year, $874,125 deal, which he acknowledged amounted to a prove-it contract, was averaging just 10:58 of ice time. He was also averaging just 1.2 shots per game.

Clearly not enough.

“He’s got a great shot,” Pageau said. “Sometimes you try to pass it to be nice with your linemates. But I want him to shoot more and use his shot and be confident with it.”

“It all depends on what type of game it is,” Wahlstrom said. “Obviously I want to get that shot off. Some games, sometimes, shots aren’t there so I just need to learn to play a style of hockey that will maybe open up that one chance. Or just be patient. That’s the goal. I want and need a lot more shots on goal and chances. That will come.”

None of this was expected when Wahlstrom was picked one spot ahead of defenseman Noah Dobson in Lou Lamoriello’s first draft as Islanders president/general manager.

Wahlstrom was projected to be a top-six scoring wing.

He believes that’s still the ceiling.

“It’s still higher,” Wahlstrom said. “In your career, you’re going to have bumps, you’re going to have ups and downs. I’d rather be having ups and downs when I’m 23 rather than trying to fight it when I’m older. Figure it out now and go from there. It’s all learning. It’s all good.”

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

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.