20 Items Making Islanders Nation Thankful On Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving, Elmonters!
Happy Thanksgiving, Elmonters!
There is so much to be thankful for today, but my fiancée, Alyssa, leads the list. Her kind soul and her beauty, in every sense of the word, are what make life worth living.
Myself — along with my partner, David Kolb — are beyond thankful for you, The Elmonters readers, who continue to support me and my work every day.
When we launched this project, we had no idea what it would become. But you made it something special, something meaningful, and something that is now a true part of the Islanders fan community.
I’m also incredibly thankful for my media friends — Newsday’s Andrew Gross and the New York Post’s Ethan Sears — who’ve become like a second family to me over the last four years.
A special thank you goes out to the Islanders’ media side — Tyler Brosious, Cory Wright, Rachel Luscher — along with the phenomenal PR team of Kimber Auerbach, Jesse Eisenberg, Sami Levin, and Olivia Martone. You make coming to work each day the best day ever.
This Islanders season hasn’t been perfect, but at Thanksgiving, the team sits 13-9-2, holding the top wild-card spot. And did you know: 77% of teams in a playoff spot at Thanksgiving make the postseason?
So… let’s get into what Islanders fans should be thankful for this Thanksgiving:
The 2025 NHL Draft Lottery: With a 3.5% chance at winning the lottery, Ken Morrow’s magic altered the franchise, really, forever.
The 2024-25 New York Rangers: Had the Rangers fallen to the Islanders once last season, the Blueshirts would have won the lottery, selecting Schaefer. Thankfully, that alternate reality isn’t this one.
Matthew Schaefer’s Maturity — On and Off the Ice: The No. 1 overall pick is an elite defenseman at just 18, but the way he carries himself might be the most impressive thing about him. He’s a born leader and surely will be a captain of this organization at some point.
Ilya Sorokin’s Turnaround: After a tough start to the season, Sorokin is back to looking like the Vezina-caliber goaltender he was a few seasons ago. Stick taps to Coach Roy for getting on the ice with Sorokin twice.
Sergei Naumovs’ Simple Tricks: The new goalie coach hasn’t reinvented the wheel with Sorokin, but his little drills — rebound control, angle work before and after practice — have paid tremendous dividends.
David Rittich’s Quiet Dominance: Rittich struggled in Los Angeles last season and was a wild-card coming into the season, but he’s been so good when called upon. It’s allowed the Islanders to give Sorokin a breather while still having a goaltender in between the pipes that can steal games.
The Islanders’ Penalty-Kill Revival: Bob Boughner deserves a lot of credit as the first-year Islanders’ assistant head coach took a 31st-ranked PK (72.2%) to the 8th best this season (83.3%).
A Healthy Pelech & Pulock: Pelech looks like the elite, shutdown blue-liner we saw during the Eastern Conference Final days, while Pulock has been such a stable presence alongside Schaefer.
A Dominant Play-By-Play Duo: Brendan Burke is arguably the best in the business, and his former intern, Alan Fuerhing, is shining on the radio, creating a dynamic one-two punch for Islanders fans.
A Rejuvenated Prospect Pool: The Islanders went from having the worst prospect pool in the NHL to a top-5 one thanks to landing Schaefer, Victor Eklund, Kashawn Aitcheson, Daniil Prokhorov, Tomas Poletin, and more at the 2025 NHL Draft, adding to a pool that already has Cole Eiserman, Danny Nelson, and Quinn Finley.
Darche Insisting on Heineman in the Dobson Deal: The first-year GM wanted Emil Heineman in the Noah Dobson trade and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Heineman has been a catalyst, scoring big-time goals while playing strong defensively alongside Bo Horvat.
Darche’s Focus on the Fan Experience: Since Darche was named GM, he has made it a focal point to have fans front and center. Whether it’s hosting Draft watch parties, opening training camp, practices, and just being transparent, it’s been a tremendous change for an organization that had gone stale.
Jonathan Drouin’s Two-Way Impact: We all knew how fast Drouin was and how good a passer he is, but he’s been so good at getting back on defense and making plays to help get the transition game started. He’s been a great signing.
Bo Horvat’s Red-Hot Start: Through 24 games this season, Horvat has been elite, with 14 goals and 11 assists. He’s finishing chances at such an incredible rate, shooting at 17.3%, the second-highest of his career, while winning 58.8% of his draws, which would be a career best.
An Unrestricted, Unleashed Mathew Barzal: After a knee injury ended his 2024-25 season in February, who knew how he would bounce back? He’s been tremendous back at center, playing the best quality of hockey he’s played in his career. He’s cut down on his turnovers, is shooting more, and has been more of a 200-foot forward than he’s ever been — and the Islanders are winning because of it.
Rocky Thompson’s Mindset in Bridgeport: Bridgeport was a place where prospects went to die — sorry to be blunt — but Thompson’s message has prospects believing again. They have a never-say-die attitude, and it’s been night and day across the sound because of it.
Jon Ledecky’s Positivity: The Islanders’ owner has always been positive, doing what he can in the community to make sure people believe in the team. And now, everyone is believing in what Darche and the Islanders have going.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s Injury Not Being Long-Term: When it was announced that Pageau was week-to-week with an upper-body injury, no one knew when he would be back. But Darche told us he’d likely be back before Christmas, and if the Islanders are going to make the playoffs, he will be a major reason why.
Patrick Roy Never Straying From His Identity: When Roy was hired, he wanted to play a high-tempo game while also running a defensive unit that fans could be proud of. Flash forward a year and a half, and the team is finally playing the way he wants. He never deviated from how he wanted to play, and that mental fortitude has paid dividends.
Matt Martin — Schaefer’s Big Brother on Long Island: At just 18, Schaefer came to a brand-new place, with the spotlight on him. Martin and his wife, Sydney, have taken him in and made sure that he can just focus on playing the sport. He’s called Martin, like a big brother to him, and their bond is something that words can’t describe.
It’s Bright Days Ahead for this franchise! Owner on Down are Class and focused on Winning!