Islanders select C Bailey with ninth pick

OTTAWA (TICKER) —After trading down twice, the New York Islanders on Friday selected center Josh Bailey from the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires with the ninth overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

New York, which entered the day with the fifth overall selection, traded that pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the No. 7 pick, which it in turn shipped to the Nashville Predators for the ninth selection.

Bailey, 18, registered 29 goals and a team-leading 96 points in 67 games for Windsor last season. His 67 assists ranked third overall in the OHL.

“I was just ecstatic to be chosen by the Islanders,” Bailey said. “Just to be selected by an NHL team is an honor, but to be selected by such a wonderful organization, words just can’t describe it. … I was hoping it would be New York because of the guys they’ve got from the top all the way down. It just seems like it’s going to be a good group of guys to play with.”

A native of Bowmanville, Ontario, Bailey finished the campaign with a nine-game points streak, notching five tallies and 18 assists as the Spitfires finished third in the Western Conference. The 6-foot, 188-pounder participated in the OHL All-Star Classic and netted a pair of goals in the Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects Game.

Bailey is not expected to be a high-end offensive player in the NHL but has good skating ability and vision on the ice. Said to have the makings of a future captain, he figures to be a mainstay on a checking line and the penalty-killing unit.

“Obviously, I’m going to work as hard as I can to make the team next year,” Bailey said. “I’ll do whatever it takes, and if I get sent to Windsor for another year, I won’t be upset. We’ve got a good team down there, so I’m just going to work as hard as I can to hopefully improve. I’m going to try to play my game as much as I can at the next level by getting into even better shape.”


NYIFORLIFE.com REACTION: Well, it wasn't a boring ride to say the least. I'm still shocked that my wife watched the whole first round with me; even if she was reading most of the time. Seriously, any woman who will stick by you while you're watching the NHL draft is a keeper. A little free advice to all of you hockey fans out there. Were a full service website!

Regarding the trading down stuff, I am guessing that with the fanbase that this is seen as fairly controversial but you have to give Garth and Ryan Jankowski one thing: they got the guy they has their sights on and they added more picks to play with later today. There's all sorts of rumors going on (like the ever-present McCabe stuff) regarding what the organization is planning but one thing is true: they are going with the kids and they're stockpiling options in what is universally described as a very deep draft.

One thing Bob McKenzie mentioned regarding Filatov stuck with me. He mentioned that without an agreement between the Russian Federation and the NHL, Russian players could come here, find out that they don't like it, and just go home to play in the new Super League for a lot more money. That makes Filatov a double-jeopardy pick.

Anyone else kinda creeped out by Pierre McGuire's reaction to the Leafs taking Luke Schenn?