CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Matthew Welsh waited a long time for his opportunity.
The Charlottetown Islanders veteran goalie has been invited to the Buffalo Sabres development camp. He left today for his first NHL camp, which begins Wednesday.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling. It’s hard to put into words,” said the Halifax native, who turns 20 in July. “I’ve been working towards something like this my whole life.”
Welsh was drafted in the second round of the 2015 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League draft. He has gone undrafted at the NHL level the past couple of seasons despite proving he can carry the load in major junior.
He was instrumental in getting the Islanders to the third round of the 2018 playoffs and has played 54 and 56 regular season games, respectively, the past two years.
“We think it is (long) overdue but it’s nice to see his persistence and his excellence over four years gets recognized,” Islanders head coach and general manager Jim Hulton said.
Welsh is one of seven members of the 2018-19 Islanders attending camps.
Centre Nikita Alexandrov was the St. Louis Blues first pick at Saturday’s draft while forward Thomas Casey was invited to the Detroit Red Wings development camp.
Hunter Drew, a sixth-round pick of Anaheim in 2018, is with the Ducks, Xavier Bernard, a 2018 New Jersey draft pick, is off to the Devils camp while German defenceman Alexander Dersch is attending the Tampa Bay camp. Former captain Pierre-Olivier (P.O.) Joseph, who was traded to Drummondville at Christmas time, is attending the Arizona Coyotes camp. He was a first-round pick of Arizona in 2017.
Summerside’s Noah Dobson is attending the New York Islanders mini camp after being a first-round pick in 2018 and winning the Memorial Cup with Acadie-Bathurst and Rouyn-Noranda the past two seasons, respectively. Summerside’s Jeremy McKenna is attending the Dallas camp after scoring 45 goals and recording 97 points as a 19-year-old with the Moncton Wildcats.
Hulton said he had spoken with Brett Budgell and Noah Laaouan, who didn't receive an invite to a camp after not getting drafted last weekend.
He told them it is a marathon, not a sprint, and they were both coming back to Charlottetown regardless of camp invitations. Hulton said there are plenty of examples of players not getting drafted initially who have get selected later or sign contracts before having pro careers.
He pointed to Alex Barré-Boulet, who played four seasons in the QMJHL and was invited to two camps before signing with a third team. The former Blainville-Boisbriand Armada sniper was named the AHL’s outstanding rookie this season with Tampa Bay’s affiliate in Syracuse.
There are also a few Atlantic University Sport hockey players with Island connections getting a look.
UPEI Panthers forward Kameron Kielly, a Charlottetown Islanders alumnus, is attending the Carolina Hurricanes camp.
He led the Panthers in scoring last season with 43 points (15 goals and 28 assists) in 30 games. It was one more point than his 42-point rookie campaign in 2017-18.
Kielly played five major junior seasons, four in Charlottetown after starting his career in Gatineau.
Kielly is one of nine non-roster invitees to the camp. Practices take place Wednesday and Thursday while there’s a scrimmage on Saturday.
UNB’s Stephen Anderson is attending the Ottawa Senators development camp, which began today and continues to Sunday. The 24-year-old Morell native had 12 goals and 21 assists for 33 points in 30 games in his fourth season with the Reds. It is the first camp for Anderson, who played major junior in Saint John, Val-d’Or and Cape Breton, plus 31 games with the Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals.
Saint Mary’s defenceman Nicholas Welsh, the older brother of Islanders goalie Matthew Welsh, is also attending the Sens camp.
UNB head coach Gardiner MacDougall, a Bedeque native, is also attending the Red Wings development camp.
