The New York Islanders have the fifth overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, which will will be held June 24 and 25 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Our friends at SBNation.com are running a hockey writers mock draft, and in that mock Lighthouse Hockey has selected Dougie Hamilton, a defenseman from the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League.
Here is a little bit on Hamilton from a scouting report at NHL.com:
"He moves the puck well and makes good outlet passes, he does make good decisions with the puck, moves it very well out of his zone. He's a big guy, he'll take the body. … He uses his size well. He can muscle people off the puck."
Hamilton is a 6-foot-4, 193-pound player who turns 18 later this week. He is rranked No. 4 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters eligible for the draft, and its top-rated domestic defenseman.
"I just like everything he does, everything about his game," Central Scouting's Chris Edwards told NHL.com. "He's a solid, solid defensive guy."
-- SB Nation New York will have more Islanders coverage as the draft approaches. For more on the draft , you can also visit SB Nation's NHL Draft Hub.