Ben Walter Traded to New Jersey

The New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders swung a small trade Tuesday. The Devils sent Tony Romano to the Islanders in exchange for Ben Walter and a conditional draft pick in 2012.

Walter, a former fifth-round pick of the Boston Bruins, has 22 games of NHL experience spread over four seasons, including two with the Bruins and the last two with the Islanders.

He played in four games last season while also wracking up 50 points in 65 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League. Walter has averaged 20 goals and nearly 56 points per season in the AHL since turning pro in 2005 after spending three seasons at UMass-Lowell.

Romano, 21, the Devils' sixth round pick in 2006, has spent the last two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, first with the London Knights and then with the Peterborough Petes. He had 69 points in 65 games last season with Peterborough.

Tavares to throw out first pitch at Citi Field Sunday

From the Islanders Draft Central Blog..

Entry by: NYI Media
Saturday, June 27th, 2009; 9:45 pm

John Tavares will be throwing out the first pitch on Sunday night at Citi Field before the 8pm game between the Yankees and Mets. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

If you are going to the game, be sure to show your Islanders pride!

A Day in the Life of the NYI Blog Box - Part III

Talking hockey with contest winners...

A Day in the Life of the NYI Blog Box - Part II

From the airport to the hotel...

2009 NHL Entry Draft Day 2 Recap

1:44 - Pittsburgh trades their final pick to Montreal, and we're all done here! That's all folks. Thanks again.

1:14 - Looks like Mike Schuerlein and I will be on Hockey Night on Long Island at 3:30. Click here to listen.

12:40 - Well this officially concludes the Islanders scheduled selections right now with Round 7 still to go. However we are all staying here just incase some late moves do happen.

My thanks to everyone who has tuned in.

If I hear anything, you'll get it here first.

12:31 - The skinny on Anders Lee...

--Ranked #118 of North American skaters

--6'2", 209 lbs.

--2008-09 Stats: 20 goals, 44 assists, 66 points in 25GP

--Not only is he a center, he was also the quartback for his high school football team

12:28 - With the #152 pick, the New York Islanders select Anders Lee, center from Edina High School

12:27 - Pittsburgh is about to make their #151 pick, meaning Round 6 will start very soon with th eIslanders holding the next pick.

12:18 - We're at pick 143 with Vancouver.

12:13 - We're about halfway through the fifth round now. We're flying

12:10 - The skinny on Klementyev? I'm not sure. He's not ranked. That's all I got

11:56 - With the #122 pick, the New York Islanders select Anton Klementyev, defenseman from Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

11:54 - Pittsburgh has just made the #121 pick, which means Round 4 is over and done with. Round 5 to begin after a one minute break, which the Islanders will lead off at #122.

11:49 - You should all check out the other bloggers blogs here as well.

Doug Davidson is running a live chat, Mike Schuerlein and Ken Dick are also proviuding their own unique analysis.

11:38 - Halfway through Round 4...

11:29 - Cizikas looks as he's not here. So that might make Kosiken the only one we see today.

11:22 - The skinny on Cizikas...

--Center

--Ranked #92 of all North American skaters

--2008-09 Stats: 16 G, 20 A, 36 PTS in 55 GP

11:20 - With the #92 pick, the Islanders select Casey Cizikas

11:19 - Round 4 will begin after a one minute break

11:17 - TRADE: Islanders trade the #91 pick to Phoenix for the 3rd round pick in 2010. Islanders will select after Phoenix at #92.

11:12 - Round three is coming to an end soon, which means the Islanders #91 pick is not far behind.

11:08 - We're flying here and almost done with Round 3. Up to the #86 pick, which belongs to Boston

10:59 - A little confusion here, as E.J McGuire announced the Islanders as the #77 pick. It actually belonged to the Minnesota Wild, who took Matt Hackett.

10:49 - Alls quiet until the Number 91 pick, which is a little bit away.

10:46 - Nilsson doesn't look to be here, nor is there any photographic evidence of his face.

10:42 - The skinny on Nilsson...

--Ranked #7 of European goaltenders

--Another BIG boy...6'5", 220 lbs.

--2.05 GAA, .927 SV% in 37 games

10:40 - Islanders select Anders Nilsson, goaltender from Lulea, Jr. - SWE Jr.

10:39 - Round 2 is overwith, onto Round 3 and the Islanders first selection.

10:37 - The picks the Islanders acquired were actually their original picks that they traded away yesterday.

10:35 - This ends the Islanders Round 2 action. They'll start things off in Round 3.

10:33 - TRADE: Islanders trade the 56 pick to Columbus for Picks #62 and #92

10:31 - Islanders are waiting...might be a trade?

10:30 - Islanders will be making the Number 56 pick very soon.

10:26 - Koskinen is a big boy. Say's he's actually 6'7"

10:14 - We originally thought that Koskinen wasn't here, but looks like he is. We'll try to get a

word with him.

10:09 - The skinny on Koskinen....

--Koskinen is the first goaltender selected in this draft.

--Ranked #2 of all European goaltenders

--6'5", 187 lbs., Vantaa, Finland

--Posted a 1.91 GAA with a .931 SV% in 33 games with the Espoo Blues

10:07 - Islanders select Mikko Koskinen, a goaltender from Finland

10:06 - The Bouwmeester trade has just been announced to the crowd.

10:05 - The rights to coveted Jay Bouwmeester was traded to Calgary for Jordan Leopold and a third round pick.

10:03 - The Islanders faithful is still here. Garth Snow and Ryan Jankowski will be making the selection.

10:02 - Montreal Canadiens announced, to an almost tepid reaction.

10:00 - And we're getting ready to start soon. Very light turnout in the crowd, which is surprisingly. The public address announcer is starting things up and announces E.J McGuire, who will start the roll call.

9:58 - Game time is approaching for the New Yorkm Islanders, and the second round of the draft will start momentarily.

9:55 - EJ McGuire is at the podium and asks for Draft Floor members to take their seats at their respective tables.

Meanwhile, a short little "behind the scenes" moment appeared on the scoreboard showing Tavares introduction to the Islanders.

9:47 - There's a video retrospective of all last night's draft picks on the scoreboard right now. I'm still convinced that this scoreboard is the best in hockey.

9:38 - The arena is not as full as it was yesterday, for obvious reasons, but the Draft floor is still hopping.

9:35 - We're safely inside the Bell Centre now in the Media Risers, I have Steve Mears, Islanders Radio Play-by-Play man right next to me as well.

The draft action gets started in about 25 minutes.

9:20 - Mike Schuerlein, Doug Davidson, Ken Dick and I are just about ready to head over to the Bell Centre for Round 2-7 of the NHL Draft.

The Isles will get things started off real quickly with Number 31 pick.

Rounds 2-7 are rapid-fire with all teams making the picks from their tables.

We'll see you at the Draft

2009 NHL Draft First Round Recap - John Tavares Selected First Overall, Isles move up to 12 and select Calvin de Haan

(Photo courtesy of TSN NHL homepage)

11:03 - The concludes the First Round of the NHL Entry Draft.

We will see you bright and early tomorrow morning for Rounds 2-7, as the Isles start things right off with the #31 pick.

Thanks to all who have made this a tremendous success.

10:59 - We finish the night with the Stanley Cup Champion Piuttsburgh Penguins, who slect Simon Despres (who I believe is a hometown boy because he got quite the reaction.) He seemed shocked himself to get the pick.

10:53 - More pick-swapping to finish off the night! Redwings trade the #29 pick to Tampa Bay for the #32 and #75 picks.

10:45 - We're on pick #28 with the Chicago Blackhawks, and probaly half of the arena is still here.

Scotty Bowman makes the announcement to a nice applause here. And he does it in French.

10:34 - Just watching the replay of TSN's feed from the Tavares selection, and one quote from Pierre Macguire stuck out...

"The Islanders become a team you want to watch."

10:27 - Looks like the Boston contingent is waiting out a commercial.

10:24 - Good news AHL fans in Montreal. The Binghamton Senators and Hamilton Bulldogs will play at the Bell Centre in November.

10:22 - Boston up next...this arena, although its seemed slightly disinterested will get loud with boos. And yup, it sure did.

10:08 - Shocker to see Roberto Luongo making the announcement

10:07 - Crowd is getting a little impatient for Vancouver to make their pick. But here they come...

9:58 - More swapping. Anaheim and Columbus trade first rounders, while the Blue Jackets give away the #37 as well. I think if my memory swerves me right, both of those Columbus picks were the Isles picks. Lots of moving. Jackets are up.

Seems as though the crowd is getting frustrated with the plehtora of moves.

9:54 - As the later round picks are announced, the crowd is starting to peter out here and lose interest, but granted, there are still a lot of people here.

9:51 Trade announce. Calgary and New Jersey swap first round picks. The Flames also get the #84 pick as well. Devils are up then.

9:44 - Rangers are up, and honor Alexei Cherepanov who passed away tragically this past season. They select Chris Kreider.

9:39 - Okay, back to de Haan.

For those who don't know about him, he led all Oshawa Generals defensemen with 63 points (8 goals, 55 assists), and finished second in OHL rookie defensive scoring.

He's reunited with former Oshawa General and #1 Draft Pick John Tavares, as both players made an excellent 1-2 punch on the powerplay.

9:35 - There it goes. Standing ovation for Louis Leblanc. This guy already has his own chant.

9:34 - Get ready for the roof to come off this place.

9:33 - All's quiet on the Montreal front so far. They've yet to approach the podium

9:29 - Back from the de Haan media scrum, but first, Montreal. Its loud.

9:02 - de Haan will be available in 15 minutes for a media scrum.

8:54 - Islanders select Calvin de Haan, defenseman from the Oshawa Generals

8:52 - Trade alert. Minnesota trades Number 12 to the New York Islanders picks 16, 77, 182.

I don't think the Montreal crowd was happy with that move either.

8:44 - Nashville selects Ryan Ellis at Number 11. Minnesota is up next.

8:31 - All's quiet on the French-front here so far. We're an hour and fifteen minutes into the first round and we're only at Pick #10.

8:16 - Needless to say, the Montreal faithful here does not like Brian Burke. But the Toronto faithful made their best efforts in order to quiet the Montreal crowd. And the newest Maple Leaf Nazem Kadri did a good job in saluting those Toronto fans in attendance.

8:02 - Big trade. Islanders move their First round pick (#26) and their #37, #62, and #92 picks to Columbus for their first round pick (#16) and the #77 pick.

The crowd wasn't very happy about that announcement.

7:57 - Just got back from the John Tavares media scrum. A few impressions on the newest Islander...

This is a very confident player who wants to help the team first before anything else.

He's not taking making the team for granted. There was many times where he mentioned his first thing in mind was making the team.

This seems like the right player for the right makeup of this team.

7:34 - Pronger traded to Philly for Sbisa, Lupul and two first round picks and a conditional third round pick. Some boos heard from the crowd about that.

7:27 - In what seemed like a mere formality, Victor Hedman goes Number 2

7:24 - Tavares is now speaking with TSN/RDS right now. He'll go to MSG next, and then we'll head down to the media scrum.

Crowd applauds as Tavares finishes up the interview.

7:20 - Tavares is still hugging and kissing his family. It's always such an emotional time for the players family.

As he walks down the steps the cropwd applauds him as he is greeted by Charles Wang, Ryan Jankowski and Garth Snow. Him and Snow embrace as he puts on the jersey.

7:17 - John Tavares. And there is a loud cheer from the crowd.

Cut to the Coliuseum and they are estatic.

7:16 - "Let's get started. The first selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft belongs to the New York Islanders."

7:14 - Here we go. Gary Bettman is at the podium

7:10 - T-minus five minutes. The Bell Centre certainly has gotten very packed.

7:07 - Series of prospect profiles on John Tavares and Victor Hedman

7:04 - We're getting very close now to 7:15. The crowd is almost silent (a rarity) in anticipation of the selection

7:01 - The now former owner of the Montreal Canadiens is addressing the crowd. He thanks the fans for their support.

6:56 - Poor Maple Leafs, they got no love in Ottawa last year, and they probably get even worse love this year.

6:55 - "New York Islanders." "Garth Snow and Ryan Jankowski"

6:54 - Montreal Canadiens announced...and the fans ROAR. And it's LOUD in here.

6:53 - How its looking from my point of view

6:52 - Teams are now announcing their respective announcers to announce their draft pick.

McGuire: Boston Bruins.
Crowd: (Loud boos)

6:50 - Public address announcer has introduced E.J McGuire, director of Central Scouting for the NHL

6:49 - Now playing a retrospective from the Stanley Cup Finals. There's a certain buzz eminating from this building right now

6:45 - The Bell Centre is now playing a retrospective from this season's great Winter Classic

6:39 - There's a wonderful observation/witty comment from Yahoo Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshynski on Twitter, "@wyshynski I think Bell Centre is setting an Islanders attendance record tonight"

6:35 - From the looks of things here, the upper and middle bowls are almost-fully filled up. The lower bowls are still taking time to get up and running.

6:33 - Just lost connection back in the Bell Centre for a few minutes, but it looks as we're all set again.

6:25 - I had the wonderful pleasure of running into an old friend of mine, Gord Miller of TSN. Gord and I had our disagreements in the past, but it was great to finally meet the TSN analyst and he was very more than cordial to take a minute out of his busy time to chat.

6:10 - Hi fans and welcome to The Tiger Track's live NHL Draft Coverage for the Islanders Official Site

The draft telecast gets started at 7pm and the Islanders are slated to make their first selection at 7:15pm.

From the looks of things, the draft floor is abuzz on who Garth Snow and the Islanders will take for ther first selection.

The stands have not filled up yet as there's an hour to go but already the fans that are here are quite excited.

There are plenty of sightings of fans wearing Islanders jerseys as the fan contingent is here in full force.

We've had a ton of seating issues and operating on limited power right now. Mike Schuerlein, Doug Davidson, Ken Dick and I are doing our best to give you as much coverage as we can under the cicumstances.

(Insert Witty French Phrase Here)

Well the guys and I have just picked up our credentials with none other than Eklund from HockeyBuzz after circling the Bell Centre for what seemed like 5 times.

We've got T-Minus 5 hours until the Draft begins.

No real major news to relay, but once I hear about it, you'll get it first.

A Day in the Life of the NYI Blog Box - Part I

Throughout the weekend, I'll be filming our travels throughout Montreal and during the Draft.

Here's Part I of this never-ending series.

Bloggers Have Landed

Mike, Ken, Doug and I have landed here in Montreal, cleared customs and are en route to the Marriott.

On about an hour of sleep right now and ready to be engulfed in Draft-mania

Will check back when settled.

Also keep track of me on Twitter. I'll be checking in daily from there as well.

An Early Start

So it's early...

Like 4am early.

Getting ready to head out to the airport to board a plane to Montreal.

A reminder, follow The Tiger Track on Twitter for all updates and happenings while I'm away from the computer come Draft Night.

The Tiger Track to be NYI.com Official Draft Play-by-Play

As outlined on the Islanders Official Site, I will have the great privilege of being the Islanders official "play-by-play" man live from the media risers at the NHL Entry Draft in Montreal.

Here at The Tiger Track, we'll make you get a sense of what exactly is happening in the Bell Centre, outlining anything and everything around the arena.

I will do my best to get some expert analysis and thoughts throughout the two days from some of the distinguished hockey media on their impressions of the Isles moves.

Also, when I'm not at the computer, I'll be twittering away from the interview room. So if you haven't yet, be sure to follow me on Twitter.

But I won't be alone though.

Throughout the two-day affair, various members of the NYI Blog Box will be right beside me providing their own unique perspectives on the draft day happenings...

--Doug Davidson will be running a live chat Friday night starting at 5:30pm, which go on until the Number 30 pick is made. The fun will start again Saturday for Rounds 2-7, starting at 9:30am.

--Mike Schuerlein will be providing his own unique brand of coverage will multitudes of pictures, video and his own analysis throughout the two days.

--Ken Dick will have various opinions, quotes, and be our "man on the street" in Montreal!

I'll be sure to send you over there many times throughout the two-day affair.

The fun is just getting started.

See you from Montreal on Friday.

Tiger Track Talks Draft with Puck Daddy

My many thanks to Sean Leahy and Puck Daddy for inviting me to take part in their Islanders Draft Roundtable.

Also invited were Chris Botta, Greg Logan, BD Gallof, and Dominik

Check it out.

Voices from the Blog Box: Brian Walsh

Who would Blog Box member Brian Walsh of FSC Faceoff like to see the Islanders choose at Number 1?

Definitely not John Tavares...

So I'm pretty sure everyone here knows how I'm a huge Hedman fanboy, but the more I read about Duchene, the more I'm convinced they draft him 1st overall.

With his ridiculous outside speed, his apparent great 2-way play, plus with everyone talking about his x-factor, being a natural born leader and winner, I think he's a no-brainer.

It's like what Greg Logan said in his blog, Tavares will score you 40 goals, Duchene will win you a championship.

Let's just hope the fans don't burn down the coliseum when Garth makes the pick.

Voices from the Blog Box: Dee Karl

Every day until the Draft, I am going to feature a member from the NYI Blog Box as they give their thoughts and opinions on who they would pick if they had the #1 selection on Friday night.

Would love to hear your feedback as well so don't hesitate to comment/e-mail/twitter/etc.

To start things off, we have the 7th Woman, Dee Karl...

Garth Snow is in an enviable position at this year's NHL Entry Draft. To be able to select first from a talent pool as large as this one is something that will potentially reap great benefits. However, it's a position born of failure. All eyes will be on our own GM come Friday night to hear the name he utters at the podium. The decision he makes will follow him all the days of his career. I know it is not one he will make lightly. But I also know that he has his own way of thinking about this team. He has a vision and he is willing to take the fall should his choices not seem to be the most obvious or logical.

That being said, the obvious choice would be to take John Tavares. However, my personal choice would be one that has less fan support. I would be very happy to hear him say "Victor Hedman" at the podium. From all I have read and heard, he is a boy playing among men and has been able to hold his own. He's ready for the NHL now. But it's goal scoring that puts fans in the seats, so a high scoring forward would be logical.

With everything that has been made of this three horse race, all I know is that the name of the prospect taken first overall at the 2009 NHL Entry draft will be forever tied to this franchise one way or another.

Good luck Garth. Come Friday, you will make history.

Chatting with AHL Live's Phil Giubileo

Follow The Tiger Track on Twitter

As the Draft approaches, all the Draft experts come out with their selections and assess the immediate needs to a team.

But what not everyone realizes is that the Draft can do wonders for a minor-league affiliate.

So with this blog's foundation laced in the AHL, I decided to go a different route and find out what Bridgeport Sound Tigers radio announcer and the voice of AHL Live's Around the AHL, Phil Giubileo thinks the Islanders will do come Friday evening.

Liodice: Who do you see the Islanders taking #1 and why? What would he bring to the team?

Giubileo: I think the Islanders are going to pick John Tavares with the first pick. Offensive firepower is what the team needs, and Tavares will certainly bring that.

However, Matt Duchene's stock has certainly risen a lot recently as well. I think both will be successful at scoring goals in the NHL, and Duchene might be a more complete player on both ends of the ice and would fit well in Scott Gordon's system.

I do think it will be Tavares at number one, but it could possibly go either way.

Liodice: Just for kicks, who do you see going #2 and #3?

Giubileo: Hedman, then Duchene will likely go 2 and 3.

If the Islanders take one of them instead, I wonder if the Lightning would consider moving their pick.

Liodice: Do you see the Islanders moving the #26 pick? If so, where and what would you give up for it?

Giubileo: I think the Islanders would consider listening to offers for that pick, but only if they can package it with another player or a pick to move up if there's a player that they want that's higher up.

Liodice: As an overall whole, what area (offensive, defense, goaltender) do you see the Islanders focusing more over the two days of drafting?

Giubileo: In terms of focusing on the draft, I've always subscribed to the theory of selecting the best player available when it's your turn to select. Unless it's a situation where you have the top pick and will get a player that can make an immediate impact, you're for the most part looking at players who are still in junior hockey, in college, or overseas.

It's tough to predict where you'll need a player in 2-3 years time, so to me its easier to just get the top guys off of the board and if they develop, then you can find a place to play them down the line or move them for a need if you have too much depth in that area.

My many thanks to Phil for taking some time out to answer these questions, and please check him out on AHL Live by clicking here.

Revealing Myself!

It's late, so why not brush off the camera and show my ugly mug to get ready for loads of NHL Draft coverage next week?

Islanders Officially Name Dean Chynoweth Assistant Coach

Former Islander First Round Draft Pick To Join Coaching Staff

UNIONDALE, NY, June 19, 2009 -- The Islanders have named Dean Chynoweth as an assistant coach. Chynoweth will join Head Coach Scott Gordon’s staff, after serving as the General Manager and Head Coach of the Western Hockey League’s Swift Current Broncos for the past five seasons. Chynoweth is a former first round selection of the Islanders from the 1987 NHL Entry Draft.

"Dean has an extremely strong background of developing young prospects from working in the International Hockey League (IHL) and WHL for the past 11 years," Snow said. "With the youth of our team, he is a perfect fit to show them what it takes to succeed in the NHL. His defensive background from his playing days will also serve as a tremendous asset to our young defensemen."

"I am thrilled to return to the Islanders organization and join Scott Gordon’s staff,” Chynoweth said. “I am very aware of the hockey tradition on Long Island from my playing days and look forward to working with the staff in returning the Islanders to the powerhouse they once were.”

Last season, the 41-year-old Chynoweth led Swift Current to the first round of the WHL playoffs. The Broncos were beaten by the Medicine Hat Tigers four games to three in their best-of-seven series. Through Chynoweth’s five seasons with the Broncos, the team posted a combined record of 162-163-6-1-1 (W-L-T-OTL-SOL). The Calgary, Alberta, native started his coaching career in 1998 with the Utah Grizzlies, who at the time were a member of the IHL. Chynoweth spent two seasons in Utah before taking the head coach position with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL. Chynoweth coached the Thunderbirds from 2000 to 2004.

He began his professional playing career at the end of the 1988-89 season, playing in six games with the Islanders, after completing his fourth year with Medicine Hat. He played eight seasons within the organization and scored two goals and 10 assists while compiling 408 penalty minutes in 147 games. He won a Calder Cup during the 1989-90 season while playing for the Islanders’ former American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Indians. Chynoweth played the final three years of his career with the Boston Bruins and set an NHL single season personal career best for penalty minutes with 171 in the 1996-97 season.

TSN: Chynoweth to join as Assistant Coach

Although a formal announcement has not yet been released, TSN is reporting that former Islanders defenseman and just recently GM/Head Coach of the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL, Dean Chynoweth will join the Islanders as an assistant coach, filling the void that was left by Dan Lacroix.

Stay tuned for more as an announcement from the team is released.

Getting Ready?

Hello there hockey fans. I decided to take a little time off to rewind and regroup, focus on my personal life and turn my attention to some things that needed to be paid attention to.

But now it's time to get to business.

The 2009 NHL Entry Draft is only 10 days away from the mecca of hockey, Montreal, and yours truly will be live in the thick of it all, blogging away all of the latest happenings from the media risers.

I won't be the only one there as well, as I'll be joined by my friends at IslesBlogger.com, Islanders Officials Outlook, and OkposoNet up north. They'll all have their own brand of unique NHL Draft coverage so please do make sure to check them out daily. And I will be promoting them consistently in the days ramping up to the draft.

We're going to have some special stuff lined up for you for the upcoming draft weekend that I think you'll enjoy. Stuff that will include daily video updates from our photogenic selves, live chats, expert opinions from some of the top hockey personalities, and much more.

Also, do make sure to check out and become a follower at The Tiger Track Twitter Feed. This will be updated all the time giving you a unique perspective on the city on Montreal and all of the unique draft happenings.