The Islanders only had one representative in Las Vegas for the All-Star Game, but they’re more than happy with defenseman Adam Pelech’s performance last weekend.
In addition to hitting 102 mph in the hardest-shot competition, Pelech endeared himself to his Metropolitan Division teammates with a rare trait for a player in the All-Star Game: He played defense.
“One of the funny stories that came back is, if you look at the championship game, the Metro team wouldn’t let him off the ice,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. “Cause they said, ‘You’re here to prevent people from scoring. So stay on.’ They kept him on a little bit extra.
“When your peers are saying they want you on the ice cause they want to win this, that says a lot about the respect he’s got from his peers. I think it’s well overdue for Adam.”
The Metro team ended up winning the three-on-three event, defeating the Central Division 5-3 in the final.
It was the first All-Star nod for Pelech, who signed a long-term extension over the summer that will keep him in Long Island through 2029.
For now, Ryan Pulock will stay on the third pair on defense with Andy Greene, Trotz said. After missing three months, the plan is for Pulock to build his minutes up, though he could get time on other pairings during the course of games.
“We didn’t feel there was any need to move him with Pelly right off the bat, cause I think Scotty Mayfield’s done an exceptional job and he’s used to playing those minutes right now,” Trotz said. “The plan is for Ryan to take a bigger piece of the pie as each game goes along and hopefully get him back up to where he was and where we expect him to be.”
The Kraken claimed Austin Czarnik on Tuesday, after he was waived by the Islanders on Monday. Czarnik had five points in 11 games for the Islanders.
“I was hoping he’d get through [waivers], but at the same time, he’s a fantastic young man,” Trotz said. “It’s a piece we’ll miss.”
Kyle Palmieri will miss the game Wednesday at Vancouver on paternity leave. He is scheduled to rejoin the team ahead of the match Friday at Edmonton.