The best New York Islanders prospect you’ve never heard of

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, the New York Islanders have a good Russian prospect. Now, there’s a difference between those two prospects I’m talking about. Ilya Sorokin is the best goalie outside of the NHL.

Anatoly Golyshev is a top 6 winger on his team. Anatoly Golyshev was the Islanders’ 4th round selection in the 2016 NHL entry draft. And it’s not surprising why Garth Snow chose him that high. Golyshev was a solid 2nd liner for Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg at a young age. The year he was drafted, he put up 25 goals and 19 assists in 56 games and was an All-star at only 21 years of age. Remember, the KHL is a league of adults and former NHLers, it’s not the AHL or OHL. Anatoly Golyshev could be the next big thing, only if he comes over.

When Will He Come Over?

There has been a bunch of great KHL prospects, but not all of them come overseas. It’s only taken Anatoly Golyshev 5 years to want to come over to the Islanders. Yes, that’s sarcasm. And yes, Golyshev should be on the Island by next year.

Golyshev will be 26 years old when he comes overseas next year. Does this remind you of anyone? Yup, I’m thinking of Nikita Gusev. Gusev is a better player than Golyshev, but there are similarities between the two. Both came overseas around the same age. Both are not the biggest of Hockey players, size-wise. If the Islanders could get 3/4 of the player Gusev is, it’s a win.

What Role Will He Play?

Let’s say Golyshev comes over and exceeds expectations, now the Isles have a decision to make. Where will Golyshev play? Is it possible that he takes Jordan Eberle’s spot as a top 9 forward? Does Golyshev finish the book of Joshua-Ho Sang and Michael Dal Colle? Or does Golyshev finally get rid of the need for Leo Komarov? All of these are possibilities, and I’m going with the second one. Ho-Sang and Dal Colle are just about done with the Islanders, and Golyshev could make that a reality.