Just four months after making history at the 2010 Entry Draft by becoming the highest Swiss-born player ever selected, Nino Niederreiter will become the youngest player in the history of the New York Islanders when they host the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
Niederreiter, who just turned 18 on Sept. 8, learned Wednesday at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum that he officially has made the opening-night roster.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Niederreiter, who skated on a line with Doug Weight and Josh Bailey on Wednesday morning. “I was waiting for a call to (Isles GM) Garth (Snow), and I got to know that I’m on the team. I’m really happy about it.”
One interesting sub-plot is the possibility of Niederreiter playing against the Montreal Canadiens and his nemesis Michael Cammalleri, whose slash on Niederreiter earned him a one-game suspension. Oddly enough, that game against Montreal would be the 10th game of the season for the Islanders, so it would be an interesting scenario.
Anyway, that’s looking far ahead because it’s a game-by-game thing, as Islanders coach Scott Gordon said. For now, Niederreiter can feel proud of his accomplishment and try to stay at the NHL level by playing well.