Today on Twitter a question arose surrounding current Charlottetown Islanders captain Pierre-Olivier Joseph. The question was as follows:
To make a long story short, I refused to answer that specific question because I feel like it’s article material, and I’m nowhere near prepared enough to tackle that. Someday though…
This conversation spun out of control and eventually led to the following question: Who are the top-5 most important players in the short history of the Charlottetown Islanders?
My criteria for this list is simple: Impact on the score sheet was ranked highest, followed by their notoriety outside of junior, and finally impact on the Island hockey community. Here we go:
HONOURABLE MENTION: Keith Getson
Getson’s statistics may not jump off the page, but he’s been a mainstay on the team since he was drafted in 2014. If he plays 41 more games, he’ll surpass Kameron Kielly for the franchise lead in games played. Depending on how the trade deadline goes, he could very like crack 300 games; he still has one season left of junior eligibility after this one. What’s most impressive about his 205 games played is that it puts him tenth overall between the Islanders and PEI Rocket combined. If he plays all 48 remaining games, his 253 games would put him third, just ahead of former Rocket defenseman Jimmy Oligny.
For the time being, he sits eighth all-time in points and ninth in goals scored. He’s just 12 points away from sixth in points, and 16 goals away from sixth in points. Can he move himself up these lists with 48 games remaining?
#5: Kameron Kielly
When the PEI Rocket first made the transition to the Charlottetown Islanders, it was made abundantly clear that ownership and management would give the new franchise a more local feel. GM Grant Sonier brought this visiton to fruition ahead of their inaugural season, acquiring Charlottetown native Kameron Kielly from the Gatineau Olympiques for Alex Chenier-Allard, Charlottetown’s first-round choice in 2014 and a fourth-round choice in 2016.
Over the next four seasons, Kielly became on of the Islanders’ most consistent scoring threats. He’s the all-time leader in games played (246), and he’s third in goals (75), assists (121), and points (196). He very rarely missed any games, with the only substantial time he missed being two months in the 2015-2016 season following an upper-body injury that required surgery. His best season came in his final season just last year, notching 34 goals and 74 points in 65 games.
Kielly’s importance goes beyond his on-ice play. Having grown up playing just down the road for the Sherwood Falcons at the Cody Banks Arena, Kielly became a role model for many young Island hockey players that aspired to play at the highest levels. Even today, he still plays U Sports hockey for the UPEI Panthers. His place in Islanders history will be akin to former Rockets players such as Josh Currie and Chris Doyle, other locally-born players who made substantial impacts at the Q level at home.
#4: Mason McDonald
For this one, I had to change up my criteria a little bit. In the entire history of the PEI Rocket and Charlottetown Islanders, only 17 goalies have played more than 10 games for the organization. Bear in mind that the PEI Rocket weren’t very old themselves before the Savard family sold the team. Given this, McDonald’s stats become all the more impressive.
The Halifax native sits tied for first all-time in wins (54), third in games played (111), and fifth in save percentage (.905). When he was drafted in the second round, 35th overall by the Calgary Flames in 2014, he was the highest drafted Charlottetown Islander in history.
Young goalies all over PEI looked up to McDonald, both literally and figuratively. The hulking 6’4 goalie could be found at events all over the island, often pictured on the ice in his oversized goalie with minor hockey players. Islanders fans will definitely be following along as his career progresses in the Calgary farm system.
#3: Pierre-Olivier Joseph
Who would have thought that when the Islanders picked Joseph in the fifth round of the 2015 QMJHL draft, they’d be selecting an eventual 1st round NHL prospect?
The affable defender from Laval, Quebec quickly became a fan favourite upon his arrival in Charlottetown. He’s present at all Islanders community events and always plays hard on the ice. He’s 2nd in Isles history among defencemen with 61 points, just 5 points behind Dexter Weber for first. He should also surpass Luc Deschenes and Will Thompson for first in games played among defencemen before the end of the year.
Joseph’s importance to the team is enhanced by how he’s looked upon by the hockey community. He’s the first Islander or Rocket in history drafted in the first round of the NHL draft. At the time some questioned how highly the Arizona Coyotes took the 6’2 defender, but he’s proving the cynics wrong with his play this season.
In future years, I wouldn’t be surprised if PO Joseph’s name moves further up this list. For now, he’s comfortably in third.
#2: Filip Chlapik
To see Filip Chlapik where he is now, a crucial member of the AHL’s Belleville Senators and notching an assist in his first career NHL game with the Ottawa Senators, you’d find it hard to believe that his career was in a downward spiral just one season after being selected by the Sens in the second round of the 2015 NHL draft. The 6’1 centre scored just 12 goals in 2015-2016 and looked lost at times on the ice. Many began labelling the pick as a bust almost immediately.
Following a 2016-2017 season that saw him score 91 points in just 57 games, Chlapik re-emerged as the top prospect the Sens thought they drafted. Some pundits around the NHL believe he’s now ahead of fellow Sens prospects Drake Batherson and Logan Brown, a former first-round pick. And it all started in Charlottetown.
For all the struggles Chlapik faced, Isles fans never wavered in their support for him. Even after the Islanders loaded up for the 2017 playoffs, Chlapik was still viewed as the top guy by fans. They’ll always be proud to call Chlapik one of their own as he finds his way to a permanent NHL role with the Sens.
#1: Daniel Sprong
1st Charlottetown Islander ever drafted. 1st all-time in goals. 1st all-time in assists. 1st all-time in points.
Safe to say that the Islanders hit a grand slam when they drafted Daniel Sprong.
The Pittsburgh Penguins top prospect certainly battled his share of adversity over the past four seasons. From being labeled a top prospect with a perceived “attitude problem”, to dropping from a top-20 pick to the second round of the draft, to shoulder surgery forcing him to miss half a season, Sprong has certainly experienced it all.
That’s not to say that he hasn’t experienced highs either. He cracked the Pittsburgh Penguins roster as an 18 year-old 2nd round pick, a rare feat for prospects on poor teams, let alone eventual Stanley Cup championship teams. He shed the stigma that surrounded him as a prospect and has developed into the legit prospect that everyone thought he would be.
And he did it all in a Charlottetown Islanders uniform.
I’ve written so many words about Sprong in the past, I don’t think I need to write any more. His importance to this team could never be overstated. It’s still very early, but it’s hard to imagine a situation where Sprong doesn’t become the most prolific alumni in Islanders history.
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