HNLI Breaks Show Records, Chris Botta Entertains the Masses

For an HNLI-record audience of over a hundred live listeners, Chris Botta joined hosts Alex and Steve Saturday afternoon for an exciting Isles interview. Botta, the mastermind behind Islanders Point Blank, discussed everything from the return of Rick DiPietro to Kyle Okposo's omission from the U.S. Olympic Team to potential Isles trade scenarios. Things got even more exciting when the phones started ringing at an HNLI-record rate and Botta faced a barrage of questions from caller after caller. With topics at just about every end of the spectrum, Botta provided both entertainment and insight for a boatload of hockey fanatics (and 2 thrilled hosts for that matter). Following Botta's marathon appearance, Alex and Steve were joined by Travis from Phoenix Coytoes blog Five For Howling, who helped preview the Islanders' Saturday night matchup with the Yotes in addition to explaining the ups and downs of the Phoenix ownership and arena situation.

Join the record-audience who tuned in live by catching Saturday's episode of Hockey Night on Long Island via archive. To do so, click over here or subscribe to the HNLI podcast by searching "Hockey Night on Long Island" in the iTunes Store.

Training Camp Update

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a great summer and are getting excited for the upcoming hockey season. Training camp has gotten underway in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and there are already some headlines. First, Kyle Okposo has a mild concussion after being hit by Dion Phaneuf of the Calgary Flames in an exhibition game. Okposo is a major part of this team and his injury will be monitored very closely by Islanders fans. Next, John Tavares participated in his first NHL exhibition game earlier this week and looked pretty good Tavares has generated so much positive attention towards the team so it will be interesting to see how the media covers his first few regular season games. The much-hyped preseason game in Kansas City takes place on Tuesday. As training camp continues to progress, there will be increasing momentum as the Islanders home opener approaches on October 3 against the Penguins. Be sure to keep checking Hockeynightonlongisland.com for continuing updates on our show schedule!

Mid-Season HNLI Extra-Special Edition

The NHL season has reached its midpoint, meaning that it's time for an extra special episode of Hockey Night on Long Island. This week it'll be not just one hour, but 90 minutes of pure Islanders talk. First, we will be joined by Michael Fornabaio, the Bridgeport Soundtigers' beat writer for the Connecticut Post, to cover Kyle Okposo Mania and discuss his first few games in action for the Tigers. From there on out, it's all about the big club and the midseason report. Hosts Alex and Steve will then be joined Bill from New York Islander Fan Central to analyze the team's first half of the season and look ahead to the remaining half. In addition, we'll touch on the road trip, DP's all-star selection, and much more. Like usual, calls and IMs will be taken and the chatroom will be up and running. Be sure to tune in for 90 minutes of Islanders banter with the best in the business this Saturday at 3:30 PM EST. To listen, visit www.show.hockeynightonlongisland.com

Prospects Camp Update: Okposo Impresses, Marcou Hits his Stride

The New York Islanders Prospect camp has been underway for 2 days now at Iceworks in Syosset and there are still 4 more days to look forward to. Aside from being a great place to hang out with fellow Islanders fans, the camp is a great chance to see the progress that the Islanders' young guns have made and to see the future of the franchise. So far, we've only seen drills as scrimmages don't start until Saturday, but there is still plenty to report.

Kyle Okposo, the Islanders' 2006 1st round pick, has looked great through the first two days. Kyle's skating ability was surprisingly impressive for such a big guy. He is clearly a strong guy and has a great wrist shot. While Okposo has decided to play at the University of Minnesota for his upcoming season, he could be lighting it up for the Isles in the near future.

As expected, Jeff Tambellini also impressed me. Tambs looked more polished than any of the other prospects, most likely due to the advantage of having a lot more pro experience. He showed his sniping ability by hitting the top corners on just about every shot. His skating was superb. After seeing him perform at this camp, I'd be shocked if he didn't make the big club in the upcoming NHL season.

Max Gratchev, the Islanders' 2007 4th round pick, was very impressive at the camp, particularly on Day 2. He shot the puck very well and hustled through every drill. His skating ability was very good as well, especially his ability to quickly turn and change direction.

As a group, the 4 goaltenders that attended looked extremely unimpressive. On Day 1, it was a rarity to see anybody stop anything. Day 2 was a bit better, but still nobody stood out as a reliable option if DP or Dubie should go down to injury.

Finally, HNLI favorite James Marcou attended as an undrafted and unsigned prospect. While he looked very jittery on Day 1, Marcou found his groove on Day 2. Despite his size, Marcou is very skilled and pulled off plenty of nice moves. And I wasn't the only one who noticed. Isles' prospect Jeff Tambellini agreed that Marcou stood out.

When asked which of the younger players stood out in his mind, Jeff Tambellini responded by saying James Marcou, the 5-7 camp invite from Kings Park. "He's more like 5-5, but he has incredible hands," said Tambellini. "He was making some impressive moves around guys out there."

Remember that the Islanders' prospects camp is still going on. Just come down to Islanders' IceWorks in Syosset to see the future of the New York Islanders.