The New York Islanders signed young forward Oliver Wahlstrom to a one-year, two-way contract worth $874,125 in the NHL and an undetermined amount in the AHL. After a lengthy negotiation period, the Islanders and Wahlstrom agreed to sign a contract worth his qualifying offer. Wahlstrom missed a significant period of time in the 2022-23 season with injury, but he played 35 games and scored seven goals and 16 points as a bottom-six forward.
Wahlstrom has built a reputation as a shoot-first, offensively driven player who prides himself on his scoring contributions. He was originally selected 11th overall by the Islanders in the 2018 NHL Draft after a highly successful 45-point season with the U.S National Under-18 Team in only 26 games played. During the 2022-23 season, Wahlstrom played an average of 12 minutes per game, most often alongside Mathew Barzal and Josh Bailey.
Wahlstrom has been a full-time Islander since the 2020-21 season. In the past three seasons, he has scored 32 goals and 61 points in 152 games. He played a full season in 2021-22, scoring a career-high 13 goals and 24 points in 73 games. He hasn’t established himself as anything more than a bottom-six player. Some of that is due to injury, and some of it is because of his general inconsistency.
The Portland, Maine native ranks 17th among all 2018 draftees in scoring, ahead of names such as Joe Veleno and Isac Lundestrom.
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