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| Nielsen scores in the shootout against the Washington Capitals (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) |
Next up on the top twenty list is a center whose consistent play the last couple of years made him a good player. However, he has come into a zone this year and is quickly becoming one of the top players on the Islanders. The number four player on the Island is, center Frans Nielsen.
Nielsen was drafted in the third round (87th overall), by the the Islanders in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Nielsen was touted by scouts, who were saying he was one of the best players in the Swedish Elite League.
It's there where Nielsen got his start as a young sixteen year old player. He played for a team called the Malmo IF for his first four years, and then for a team called Timra IK his last year. While there Nielsen played in two-hundred sixteen games, compiling twenty-five goals and thirty-four assists, totaling fifty-nine points.
He was then drafted and started playing for the Islanders. He played in fifteen games his first year, getting a goal and an assist. He was then sent down to the AHL (American Hockey League), to play for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, where he could get more seasoning.
While playing for Bridgeport Nielsen competed in one-hundred-two games, compiling thirty goals and fifty-two assists, for a total of eighty-two points.
Nielsen was then called up to the Islanders at the end of the 2007-2008 season, and he hasn't looked back since. Since returning to the NHL, Nielsen has played in two-hundred ninety-eight games, compiling fifty-three goals and one-hundred-seven assists, for a total of one-hundred-sixty points.
Nielsen has really come into a zone this last season, and is quickly rising to stardom. He is one of the best shooters in the shootout, scoring on more than sixty percent of his chances. With his continued growth on this young team, the future is not only bright for Nielsen, but for the Islanders as well.
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