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Nino Niederreiter makes the New York Islanders’ opening day roster

New York Islanders v New Jersey Devils

of the New Jersey Devils of the New York Islanders at the Prudential Center on October 1, 2010 in Newark, New Jersey.

Bruce Bennett

It’s not surprising that No.1 pick Taylor Hall will make the Edmonton Oilers as a rookie, but as you go deeper into the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, it becomes less expected. So I was a little surprised to hear that Nino Niederreiter, the fifth pick of the draft, made the cut for the New York Islanders.

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.”

Now, as the article points out, the Islanders will have nine games to decide if they want to keep Niederreiter at the NHL level. If they decide to keep him with the big team, that will “burn” one of the seasons on his entry-level contract and the team will need to re-sign him in three years. Sending him down some time before that nine game deadline will maintain another year on that deal, which might be good since the 18-year-old might need some more seasoning.

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.