On the Islanders Beat

The only time nerves seemed to affect Islanders prospect Kyle Okposo in his pro debut Friday night was when he first took the ice.

The 2006 first-round draft pick was the last Bridgeport Sound Tiger onto the rink in Binghamton and his first practice shot went about 10 feet wide to the left.

"I got a little nerves, but that's to be expected," Okposo said.

By game time, however, he had settled. His only penalty, a hooking call, came in the final seconds of regulation as he tried to defend the open net. He was not involved in any of the three first-period fights.

For a teenager, Okposo showed he wasn't lacking in maturity.

"Overall I thought his whole game was pretty good," Bridgeport coach Jack Capuano said. "Especially for his first game for a young kid -- very impressed."

When asked about the technical aspects of Okposo's play, Capuano kept repeating some variation of the same answer -- for a first game, it was impressive.

But for someone who is supposed to be an NHL star in the near future, there’s some work to be done.

Okposo had trouble handling passes. Though he made no major errors on defense, he did allow some Binghamton Senators to blow by him too easily. Okposo was strong when the puck was in his possession, using his 6-foot, 195-pound frame to his advantage, but his decision-making wasn’t the best, as he chose to pass a couple times when he probably should have taken the shot.

Okposo did have two assists, and established a rhythm with Jeff Tambellini on the top line. They nearly connected for a go-ahead goal in the third period.

"He doesn't look out of place one bit," said Tambellini, Okposo's roommate.

No, Okposo's not out of place. Just on a learning curve.

NOTES

Okposo's contacts were giving him trouble during a first-period line shift.

On his first assist, 11 seconds into the second period, Okposo knocked the puck down with his hands. He said he felt no pain after the game. "Thank God it didn't break my hand," Okposo said.

-- Evan Drellich