Daniil Prokhorov, a promising prospect for the New York Islanders, has made significant strides in overcoming the language barrier since being drafted last year. The defenseman from Krasnodar, Russia, who spoke little English at the time of his selection, has improved his conversational skills substantially ahead of his first full North American season.

Prokhorov spent the summer training in Stamford, Connecticut, alongside Islanders players and fellow Russian prospects, including Pavel Dorofeyev and Dmitri Voronkov. The group worked under strength coach Ben Prentiss, and Prokhorov’s development extended beyond physical conditioning. Chris Kreider, an Islanders forward who is fluent in English, Russian, and Spanish, assisted Prokhorov in improving his English. “He talks in good Russian, Kreider, and he trained me in English,” Prokhorov said in a recent interview.

Standing 6-foot-5, Prokhorov possesses an imposing physical presence on the ice, though there remains room for improvement in his skating. He has committed to an intense training regimen involving three daily sessions—two in the gym and one on ice—under Prentiss’s guidance. After brief experience in the American Hockey League, playing one game with Bridgeport last season, Prokhorov has spent much of the past year alternating between Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and VHL, the second tier in Russian hockey.

Elsewhere in the Islanders’ organisation, AHL Hamilton coach Jay McKee praised Vladimir Dravecky, a defenseman picked 13th in the fifth round of the draft, as a standout performer during his time in the Ontario Hockey League with Brantford. McKee described Dravecky as “one of the best practice players I’ve ever coached or even played with,” noting his intensity, purposeful gameplay, and active stick work. While acknowledging areas for development, McKee underscored Dravecky’s considerable potential.

Additionally, former NHL defenseman Francois Beauchemin was present at Friday’s practice to watch his son, Samuel Beauchemin, who attended the Islanders’ development camp on an invitation.