Islanders of Tomorrow Learn From An Islander Of Today at Iceworks

It may be hot outside, but on the rinks of  in Syosset, there's always a chill in the air, cold enough for a day of hockey courtesy of the New York Islanders.

The storied franchise has operated the complex for the last dozen years, and along with it, its summer hockey camp, open to young players of all skill levels. Each summer, kids trade their swimsuits for pads and helmets, grab a stick, and take to the ice to learn the skills they need to perhaps one day (fingers crossed for more reasons than one) make it to the Nassau Coliseum.

"We focus on power skating where we work on edge control, foot speed, agility and stride development," said Iceworks Hockey Director, Andy Morenberg. "When we get into pucks we cover more of the finer points of the game, stick handling, passing and shooting."

Attending a camp run by the Islanders has its advantages, namely, the Islander players themselves. They show up throughout the summer to help the kids with their skills.

On this day, winger Nino Niederreiter, took to the ice. A 2010 draft pick out of Switzerland who played nine games with the team this past year, Niederreiter got a kick out of sharing the rink with a group of youngsters that share his passion for the sport.

"I was just loving it, they did [these camps] in Switzerland," Niederreiter said. "I like to see who the future hockey players will be, hopefully in the league one day, it was just great to see them."

Morenberg says without question that skills learned at the camp sink in a lot faster when demonstrated by a real-life Islander.

"You can be that whatever they learn or whatever skills are imparted from our pro players to our youngsters, that those skills are going to take root right away," Morenberg said.

While the on-ice skills are key, both coaches and players alike stress that hockey is a game, and the main goal (pun intended) is to have fun.

"Having fun is most important, that's what it's all about, especially at such a young age," Niederreiter said. "If you're still loving it at 17, and you think 'I want to go all the way,' even better, but if you're young, you [really] should just enjoy it."

So, are there any future Islanders among this group? Danny Grubb of Merrick will tell you himself.

"It's pretty cool," Grubb says of skating with Nino. "If they can do it, I might be able to do it one day."

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