Isaiah George isn’t letting last season’s unexpected jump to the NHL get to his head.
The 21-year-old was called up for 33 games due to a rash of injuries to the New York Islanders’ blue line. He averaged 15-and-a-half minutes per night, scored a goal with four assists, and had a minus-3 rating while showing flashes of developing into a mainstay on defense.
While the logical next step would be to secure more time in the pros, George has his blinders on, simply focusing on himself.
“Just build off of last year,” he said at Islanders development camp when asked about his 2025-26 expectations. “I thought I had a really strong season and made big strides, obviously playing up [in the NHL]. I thought it was pretty successful, so I just want to keep building off that, come into camp, and fight for a roster spot.”
There will be more competition to contend with, though, as new general manager Mathieu Darche has already brought in more depth on the blue line than former GM Lou Lamoriello ever had.
Among those in the mix for a left-handed defense spot alongside George include No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer, who expects to be on the Islanders’ opening-night roster. Adam Boqvist was also brought back to compete for a spot behind Adam Pelech and the recently extended Alex Romanov.
“At the end of the day, whatever they do, you still have to earn your spot on the team,” George said. “That’s the way I look at it. I mean, going into last year, I’d say most people didn’t expect the season I had and where I was playing, but I didn’t look at it that way that summer, and I just kept working, and you never know how things go.”
He has spent this summer working with former NHL defenseman Mark Giordano, who won the Norris Trophy in 2019 and skated in over 1,100 career games, mostly with the Calgary Flames. He also did some work with Pelech.
“It’s good. I like it,” George said. “I’ve been going there the last couple of summers, so I feel like it’s great training. I feel like I’m always coming into camp in good conditioning and prepared.”
