Islanders Prospect Report: May 6, 2024

Welcome to the Islanders Prospect Report, a weekly roundup of the Islanders' junior, collegiate and European prospects. Visit our In the System page for more prospect content.

Here are this week's updates on Islanders prospects: 

GILL, DRAKKAR TO COMPETE IN QMJHL FINALS 

Justin Gill and the Baie-Comeau Drakkar have paved their way to the QMJHL Championship.  

They’ll take on the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the finals for a best-of-seven series to capture the Gilles-Courteau Trophy and a chance to compete for the Memorial Cup. 

With a 2-1 OT win on Thursday, the Drakkar punched their ticket to the finals on home ice in Game 5 against the Cape Breton Eagles. Gill, who the Islanders drafted 98th overall in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, recorded an assist on a second period power-play goal to help get the Drakkar on the board. This performance came on the heels of a dominant 8-2 win in Game 4, where the 20-year-old forward put up a goal and two assists, earning the third star of the game in the process.

Gill has been a key piece for the Drakkar and their success in the regular season and postseason. The league’s top scorer with 98 points in the regular season continued to make impact in the playoffs. Gill put up a league-best 14 assists and 24 points (ranked second) through 13 games, while his plus-16 is also atop the postseason leaderboard. Eight of his 13 playoff games this year have been multi-point affairs. 

This marks Gill’s first career trip to the QMJHL finals. Last season, Gill made an appearance in the Semifinals with the Sherbrooke Phoenix, but they were eliminated in six games by the Halifax Mooseheads. Gill posted 12 points (3G, 9A) through 14 games. 

Game 1 between Baie-Comeau and Drummondville is slated for Thursday at 7 p.m. and Gill and the Drakkar will have home-ice advantage. It’s a battle between the top two teams in the QMJHL, as the Drakkar led the East with 109 points and the Voltigeurs led the West with 102 points to finish the regular season. 

GEORGE, KNIGHTS ADVANCE TO FINALS FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR 

Isaiah George and the London Knights are OHL Finals bound. 

They advanced to the OHL Finals on Sunday with a 4-2 win over the Saginaw Spirit in Game 6. George contributed three points (1G, 2A) in the series, including a two-point night in Game 4, where the 20-year-old defenseman tallied an assist on an empty-net goal and buried an empty-netter of his own to seal a 7-3 win over the Spirit on Wednesday.

The Islanders’ 2022 fourth-rounder (98th overall) is no stranger to long runs, as he made it to the OHL Finals with the Knights last year but fell to the Peterborough Petes in six games. 

George enters his second career trip to the finals with a 30-point regular season under his belt and elevated numbers in this year’s playoffs – with nine points (4G, 5A) in 14 games compared to last year’s three assists through 20 games. His nine points leads London’s blueline and ties for seventh overall among defensemen in the OHL playoffs.

His improvement is also evident with a plus-11 in the postseason and a cumulative 29 shots taken across 14 games.

George and the Knights will face the Oshawa Generals in Game 1 of the OHL Finals on Thursday at 7 p.m.

STATS

CHL:

Isaiah George | London (OHL) | 68GP, 6G, 24A, 30P, 54PIM

Isaiah George | London (Playoffs) | 14GP, 4G, 5A, 9P, 0PIM

Justin Gill | Drakkar de Baie-Comeau (QMJHL) | 65GP, 40G, 58A, 98P, 64PIM

Justin Gill | Drakkar de Baie-Comeau (Playoffs) | 13GP, 10G, 14A, 24P, 18PIM