Bridgeport Islanders forward Ruslan Iskhakov leads the team in points after another fast start to the season, but the Moscow native is still searching for consistency in his game in his second AHL campaign.
Iskhakov has two goals and eight points in the team’s first nine games this season including one game-winner. He’s one of the more dynamic offensive players in the Bridgeport lineup.
“There’s clearly a lot of offensive ability there,” Bridgeport coach Rick Kowalsky said during training camp. “He’s a tough guy to hit because he’s so elusive, so deceptive with the puck, and he can move laterally in short bursts.”
Speed and playmaking ability are two of Iskhakov’s strong suits. He is also versatile, having played center for most of his career until switching to the wing last season.
Iskhakov is fast and shifty but one concern some scouts have about him is his size. He is generously listed at 5’8” and 170 pounds.
“I’m on the smaller side, so I’ve got to be stronger,” Iskhakov admitted. “I put some extra work in the summer. I’m not 6-foot-5, but I’ve got to be quicker and more aggressive.”
Skill wise, Iskhakov creates offense and is extremely dangerous in shootouts and on breakaways. He has great vision on the ice and can set up teammates with his pinpoint passes.
Ruslan Iskhakov and the Next Level
Like many younger players, the thing that Iskhakov needs to improve upon to take his game to the next level is his play without the puck.
“He’s a guy that when he or someone does lose possession of the puck, he’s got to get on that and use that low center of gravity and his quick feet to get it back,” Kowalsky said. “He can do it. It’s just the willingness to do it all the time. And I think he learned a lot.”
That is particularly important for an organization like the Islanders which places an emphasis on keeping pucks out of their own net even more than creating offense.
The hot start is nothing new for Iskhakov. He got off to a very solid start last season as well. The diminutive Russian was named AHL Rookie of the Month for October after scoring four goals and adding seven assists in seven games last October. But in November, he scored just twice, and his overall production fell off.
“That was my first year playing on the wing,” Iskhakov said. “I usually play center. I think I needed some time to adjust. I think at the end of the season, I played pretty good. Obviously, I had some ups and downs. But yeah, overall, I think I progressed, went forward, and my game got better and more mature.”
Smoothing out those ups and downs will make him an elite player for Bridgeport and give Iskhakov a chance to make his NHL debut at some point this season if injuries strike the parent club.
“I’m not saying that’s the only thing that you think about throughout the season,” Iskhakov said at Islanders rookie camp. “But when you see somebody’s getting called up, it’s not really the things that you can control, so you focus on the things that you can control and you running up you and just trying to get there.”
That means playing a strong game for the Bridgeport Islanders and proving that despite his lack of size, he can play a solid two-way game and provide consistent offensive production.
Iskhakov has the talent to be a star for the Islanders. He showed flashes of that talent in his rookie campaign in the AHL. Now he needs to do it consistently to take his game to the next level. No doubt he will provide Bridgeport fans with a lot of excitement along the way.
