Top 20 on the Islanders: #11 Andrew MacDonald

Andrew MacDonald laying a hit on Wayne Simmonds (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

          Next up on the list is a defenseman who is having his second consecutive solid season.  He is a favorite among coaches and fans alike.  He is not afraid to hit someone and he plays solid defense, blocking a lot of shots.  The number eleven player is defenseman, Andrew MacDonald.  
          MacDonald was drafted in the sixth round (160th overall), by the Islanders in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.  He was known as a defensive defenseman, because of the way he used his stick and body in the defensive zone. 
          Prior to being drafted, MacDonald played in both the Maritime Junior Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.  While in those leagues he played a total of four years, playing in two-hundred seventy-nine games.  MacDonald compiled thirty-nine goals and one-hundred twenty-six assists, for a total of one-hundred sixty-five points.  
          After being drafted, MacDonald played on the Islanders minor league team, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.  While there MacDonald played in one-hundred fourteen games, compiling thirteen goals and thirty-two assists, for a total of forty-five points.
          MacDonald got his first real chance on the Island, after being called up in the middle of 2009-2010 season.  That season he played in forty-six games for the Islanders, getting one goal and six assists, for seven points.
          MacDonald hasn't looked back.  He's now been on the Islanders NHL roster for three straight years, and he's improved every one.  So far in his NHL career, MacDonald has played in one-hundred seventy-two games, compiling ten goals and forty-two assists, for a total of fifty-two points.  
          But where MacDonald excels is not on the stat sheet.  It's the intangibles that MacDonald thrives on.  He blocks tons of shots in front of his goalie, he puts hits on player when they enter his zone.  But what he is most known for is his long hockey stick.  His stick is very active, and because of its length, it gets in the way of a lot of passes and shots.  
          He may not be a stat sheet stuffer, but MacDonald is an invaluable asset of a young Islander blue line.  As they continue to grow together, MacDonald, and the rest of the Isles' defenseman, can only get better.