Kathy Willens/AP
Islanders coach Jack Capuano likes what he sees from Brock Nelson (29), who’s playing on a line with Peter Regin and Pierre-Marc Bouchard in practice.
One of the more notable names in the running for a roster spot on this year’s Islanders squad is Brock Nelson, a highly touted forward who had 25 goals and 27 assists for AHL-Bridgeport last season.
Playing at center last year, the 21-year-old Nelson has transitioned over to left wing and recently skated on a line with offseason acquisitions Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Peter Regin at practice.
“The line’s been good. It’s been a transition on wing, but I think it’s been easy playing with great players who make a lot of plays,” said Nelson, who played wing in his final season at North Dakota in 2011-12. “I think we’ve built a little chemistry through a couple practices here and hopefully we can continue that.”
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Seth Wenig/AP
Brock Nelson needs to worry less about making mistakes and more about playing sound defensively. ‘I want him to play poised, calm, loose,’ Isles coach Jack Capuano said.
“Right now after the first few games we’re just experimenting with some lines and this week and the last few days I think they’ve looked pretty good,” coach Jack Capuano said. “(The Nelson-Bouchard-Regin line) is something we might take a look at (Friday) against Nashville. We know most of the guys here, but some of the new guys we just want to put in some different situations and see how they react.”
Nelson seems to be in line for a top forward spot due to an injury to Cal Clutterbuck, who is likely out a month with a leg laceration. While it seems like Nelson certainly has the talent, his biggest obstacle might just be himself.
“I don’t want him to play safe,” Capuano said. “If you looked and you watched him play last year and at North Dakota as well, there’s a lot of offense in Brock. (He’s) no different than any other young kid. They come in, they don’t want to make mistakes, they want to play away from the puck and I understand that. We want him to play sound defensively, but I want him to play poised, calm, loose, to have the ability to maybe show us some more of that offensive flair that he has. So those are the kind of conversations that we’ll have with Brock as we move forward.”
“I think I had a good talk today with some of the coaches,” Nelson said. “Hockey is a game where mistakes will happen, but how you react and playing with confidence. I think doing that will help show the guys what I’m able to do and I think that’s a big part about being successful.”
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