The Islanders defensive prospect pool was pretty bare for years. So bare, that former general manager Garth Snow used all seven picks in the 2012 draft on defensemen. Flash forward six years and the only defenseman remaining in the organization is Adam Pelech. Snow tried a different approach moving forward, quality over quantity. Ryan Pulock in 2013, Devon Toews in 2014, Mitchell Vande Sompel and Parker Wotherspoon in 2015.
Wotherspoon, the fourth-round selection had monster numbers in juniors. He led all WHL defensemen in scoring (10 goals, 56 assists) during the 2016-17 season for the Tri-City Americans. He set team career records for defensemen with 150 assists and 182 goals and was an alternate captain for the Americans.