NHL Notebook: Islanders confirm Lamoriello and Roy will return for 2024-25 season and James Hagens breaks Kucherov’s record at U-18 World Championships
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Lou Lamoriello and Patrick Roy can officially prepare for another year with the New York Islanders organization after Friday’s confirmation that both men will return for the 2024-25 season.
Lamoriello has served as the club’s GM and President of Hockey Operations since the 2018-19 season and will run the front office for the Islanders once more in 2024-25. Meanwhile, Patrick Roy, who replaced head coach Lane Lambert midway through the season, will remain the head coach for at least a full season.
The Islanders had quite the campaign, finishing the regular season with a record of 39-27-16 and racing to secure one of the two remaining Eastern Conference playoff spots. The battle took beating out the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings, and Philadelphia Flyers to lock in their spot for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately, the Islanders’ playoff journey was cut short after the Carolina Hurricanes eliminated them from contention in only five games.
Now, the organization will begin its transition into the off-season:
“I’m excited,” Lamoriello said to the media. “Next season started the next morning, and that’s what we have been doing. As far as what transpired, I think a lot has happened. (It was an) extremely positive transition. I take full responsibility. I put Patrick in a very difficult situation. Coming in at the time he came in, the changes that are necessary to do things the right way, you don’t have a lot of time. … So I’m excited. Patrick knows that. I couldn’t be more pleased where we are today.”
Before Roy took over the reins from Lane Lambert on January 20th, the Islanders held a record of 19-15-11 and were far from looking like a playoff team. Under his guidance, the numbers shifted to 20-12-5 over the final 37 games, leading the Islanders to a third-place finish in the Metropolitan Division.
The curiosity about where this team will be when next season rolls around will only grow as Lamoriello and Roy prepare for a big off-season.
Team USA’s James Hagens breaks Nikita Kucherov’s record at U-18 World Championships
Team USA’s James Hagens has broken Nikita Kucherov’s all-time scoring record at the U-18 World Championship with his 22nd point of the tournament.
During Saturday’s semi-final matchup between USA and Slovakia, Hagens recorded his third assist and third point of the game with an assist on Cole Hutson’s second-period goal, breaking the record and pushing the Americans to a commanding 4-1 lead.
The Americans eventually won the game 7-2, punching their ticket to the finals against Canada on Sunday.
Hagens, the 17-year-old from Hauppauge, New York, finished the round-robin with an average of four points per game, emphasized by a six-point effort during the final round-robin matchup against Finland.
Kucherov’s previous 21-point record was set back in 2011 while playing in the tournament for Russia. Kucherov additionally recorded 11 goals throughout the tournament to aid in a bronze medal win and winning the award for best forward. The previous record was set in 2009 by Finland’s Toni Rajala with 19 points; before that, Alex Ovechkin had 18 points as a 16-year-old in 2002.
The only players who have come close to tying Kucherov’s record were Team USA’s Jack Hughes in 2019 and Will Smith in 2023, who recorded 20 points throughout the tournament. However, Hagens’ production rate is one of the best the tournament has seen, as he entered Saturday’s semi-final game with a 3.80 points-per-game average.
Hagens announced on September 20th in a joint social media post alongside his brother Michael that he was committing to Boston College for the 2024-25 season. Recently, Boston College made it to the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Ice Hockey National Championship final on April 13th, but, unfortunately, lost 2-0 to Denver University.
Alongside his commitment to the NCAA, Hagens is projected to be the top prospect at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
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