Islanders end up with fistful of defensemen

PITTSBURGH -- There was no grand plan to stock the Islanders' prospect system with defensemen this weekend, but that's what happened. The Isles used all seven of their picks in the NHL draft on defensemen, particularly the big, physical kind.

"We didn't come to the table and say, 'We're taking all defensemen and only kids over 6-foot-4,' " Islanders scouting director Trent Klatt said. "It was just the way it worked out."

The way it worked out Saturday, when rounds 2-7 were completed, was a continuation of the Isles' plan on Friday night. General manager Garth Snow completed a trade with the Ducks for veteran defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky just before the first round began to add needed depth to a thin blue line, then Snow began planning for the future by taking defenseman Griffin Reinhart with the No. 4 overall pick.

Starting with steady Finnish defenseman Ville Pokka, whom the Islanders took with the 34th pick early Saturday, and finishing with Minnesota high schooler Jake Bischoff at No. 185, the Isles went all-in on defense.

Loic Leduc, selected at No. 103:
He’s just shy of 6 -6 and was another lower-rated prospect (209 out of 210 N orth American skaters ranked by Central Scouting) whose skating needs some polish but has physical skills. He had two goals and eight assists for Cape Breton of the Quebec League.
“He plays with a lot of energy and jump for a big kid,” Klatt said. “He’s aggressive, too, he likes the physical side of the game.”

Doyle Somerby, selected at No. 125:
The New Hampshire high-schooler and incoming Boston University freshman was the second-biggest skater drafted yesterday — he’s 6-4, 232 pounds and won’t turn 18 for another two weeks — and is definitely more of a project than the earlier picks.
“He’s raw, but he’s just huge,” Klatt said. “As it happens, we need some kids like these.”

Jesse Graham, selected at No. 155:
More of an offensively inclined puck-mover, the Islanders saw plenty of Graham the last two seasons at Niagara of the OHL: Ryan Strome, last year’s first-round pick, plays there as well. Graham had four goals and 37 assists last season.
Jake Bischoff, at No. 185: Another smaller (5-11, 178) defenseman who has time to grow . He’s only a junior at Grand Rapids (Minn.) HS and headed for the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2014.