Islanders Isaiah George 'Riding The Wave' & 'No Need To Hop Off It'

Isaiah George is still living off the adrenaline of being an NHLer.

Hey peeps!

Given the hype surrounding 20-year-old rookie Isaiah George, who has looked as cool as a cucumber through his first two NHL games, I thought it would be great to share my conversation with him from Saturday morning.

He’ll skate in his third NHL game tonight against the New Jersey Devils, and second alongside Noah Dobson as the team’s top pairing.

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Isaiah George 'Riding The Wave' Right Now After: 'No Need To Hop Off It'

EAST MEADOW, NY — A year ago, New York Islanders 2022 fourth-round pick (No. 98) Isaiah George was skating in the OHL with the London Knights.

A year later, he’s skating in the big leagues with the Blue & Orange.

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Quickly, the 20-year-old earned the trust of his head coach, Patrick Roy, playing 15:41 in his NHL debut before a shocking yet well-deserved 23:59 in his second career game.

With Adam Pelech, Alexander Romanov, and Mike Reilly out, George stepping in and playing big minutes is so very important for this team.

“He skates well and moves well,” Roy said. “I mean, to see a guy using this advantage to perform the way he has, we could not ask for a better scenario in the way that the kid is taking advantage of the opportunity.”

We were told that Romanov skated on his own Saturday morning and would travel with the team on their five-game road trip, which begins in Edmonton on Tuesday night.

Reilly is out indefinitely.

“George has played exceptionally. He looks confident out there,” Islanders forward Brock Nelson said. “He's moving extremely well. He skates the puck well. He's made a couple of nice plays offensively as well. So, to have a guy stepping like that to fill that hole is huge. So, every day is an opportunity, no matter who you are. So, with Mikey out, it's tough. You obviously want to see a guy like that in the lineup with what he's capable of, but to have Georgie, I think, in terms of just depth, future, and in terms of the team, I think he's done a great job, and he's gonna get better.”

Stefen Rosner: It’s been an exciting first couple of games. Has the adrenaline worn off yet?

Isaiah George: “I’m just riding the wave right now. I mean, there’s no need to hop off it. I just got to keep going, keep staying focused, and I’m just having fun out there.”