WHALE WATCHING: Sorokin Shows He Has Tools to Succeed | NYHN+

Once the calendar hit January 4, the New York Islanders began their two-week training camp to prepare for the upcoming 56-game regular season.

While the official first day was just slated for players and coaches to speak with reporters, 24 hours later the team took the ice. Included in the second on-ice group was the 2014 fourth-round draft pick, and top goaltending prospect, Ilya Sorokin, a player the team hopes to see shine at the NHL level this season.  

Our very own Christian Arnold was able to get videos of Ilya Sorokin facing warm-up shots before practice.

From the clips that have surfaced during camp, one thing is certain. Ilya Sorokin is a great goaltender, but he is also human. The thought that he was going to come into camp and be unbeatable was never realistic. He has made a few mistakes, finding himself out of position at times. But that is going to happen as he gets acclimated to the rink size and speed of the NHL game. 

The major standout from his play thus far is his confidence. Rather than waiting for shots to come to him, Sorokin is out at the top of his crease, attacking the shooter. NHL players are too good at picking corners and even if one is to rely on reflexes over everything else, stopping pucks becomes a struggle.

On top of being aggressive, his lateral movement and puck tracking ability has been very sharp. 

In the videos, you can see how quickly he gets square to the puck. Each shot that comes at him is directed into a corner, meaning he is watching that puck all the way, using his keen positioning to make sure he is in control. The few times he has not tracked a puck thus far, he was met by Mitch Korn to discuss, one of the best goaltending coaches the league has to offer.  

In the team’s second scrimmage this past Friday, the 25-year old posted a shutout against the Islanders’ top forwards (minus Mathew Barzal of course).

Here is more footage from the scrimmage.

During this scrimmage, Andrew Gross of Newsday reported that Sorokin made a strong glove save through traffic. 

In a league where in-close deflections and screens occur often during a game, finding the puck before the shot leaves the shooter’s stick is extremely important. Having the ability to make a save through traffic is one thing, but being able to hold onto the puck without allowing an uncontrolled rebound speaks volumes about a goaltender’s tracking ability. 

“He looks really good,” Scott Mayfield said on Friday. “He’s just fast. He can move post to post fast, make those saves. You know, sometimes he seems like he’s out of it, and then he’d reach back and catch one.”

Given that Ilya Sorokin had time in the bubble and worked alongside his counterpart Semyon Varlamov the last couple of weeks before camp, a stint in the AHL is not needed. But that does not mean he won’t need some time to get comfortable and that there won’t be some growing pains.

With teams carrying three netminders this season, this gives Sorokin the ability to learn from two players who have had success at the NHL level: Varlamov and the recently signed Cory Schneider.

“I think he’s very excited for a new career for him, a fresh start,” Varlamov said earlier this week. “I’m sure he wants to establish himself here in the NHL, and I think he’s definitely able to do that.”

What better place to start fresh than a team that prides itself on defense?

Since head coach Barry Trotz took over in 2018, the Islanders have become structurally dominant in their own zone. The defensive-minded system directly impacted the play of the netminders the team has employed. Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss were able to take home the Jennings Trophy following the 2018-19 season, and this past year the team allowed the ninth fewest goals per game (2.79) in the entire NHL. They did allow 31.2 shots against per game, something that needs to be improved upon this year.

Sorokin seems calm and collected in the net, and with this defensive system in front of him, there should not be many moments where he has to be god-like for the Islanders to win hockey games. 

From 2008 to now, the Islanders have seen more than 20 netminders play in between the posts. Sorokin looks to be a goaltender that the Islanders can rely on for the next decade-plus, which brings about a certain amount of pressure.

The pressure is nothing new for the Russian netminder, who broke into the KHL at the ripe age of 17.

With such a high ceiling, year one of Sorokin on the island will be very entertaining. After only a few days, it seems that he has all the tools to grow and mold himself into a dominant NHL goaltender.