VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Nice comparison, kid.
The Islanders went off the grid a bit when they took Swedish winger Simon Holmstrom with the No. 23-overall pick in the NHL draft on Friday night. And then the 18-year-old sat there wearing his blue-and-orange hat and said one of the players he models his game after is Islanders first-line center Mat Barzal — who just happened to be in the building and was able to offer a bit of advise.
“I’d say try to learn as much as you can. Take as much as you can from the veterans.