On Friday, the Islanders again showed off the benefit of stockpiling draft picks.
In response to putting defenseman Travis Hamonic (upper body) on injured reserve -- where he joins fellow blueliners Johnny Boychuk (upper body) and Lubomir Visnovsky (yup, upper body) -- the Isles are expected to recall their second highly-touted prospect of the week: Ryan Pulock, the 15th overall pick at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Earlier, the club called up Griffin Reinhart -- the fourth overall pick in ’12 -- after Boychuk and Visnovsky were shelved.
Hamonic is the latest 20-minutes-per-night blueliner to go on IR, and he will be missed. He has three goals and six points through 21 games this season and leads all Isles defensemen in hits, with 66.
Pulock, 20, has yet to make his NHL debut but could do so when the Isles host the Blues on Saturday. The former WHL Brandon standout is enjoying some success in his first full season of professional hockey, registering eight goals and 13 points in 20 games for Bridgeport while leading all Sound Tigers defensemen in scoring.
As for the injured players, Visnovsky appears the closest to returning. He was at practice on Friday and is inching closer to playing for the first time since Nov. 28.