Islanders Draft Central Day 25: Connor Murphy & Alexei Marchenko

With 25 days left until the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, help the New York Islanders count down to draft day, where they will have the fifth overall pick.

Tuesday, 05.31.2011 / 6:15 PM / 2011 Draft Central

By Dyan LeBourdais

Connor Murphy, a defenseman for USA U-18 of the United States Hockey League, and Alexei Marchenko, a defenseman for CSKA, are ranked twenty-fifth on the Central Scouting Service rankings list.

Connor Murphy
North American Skater
USA U-18, USHL
Final Rank:	25	Midterm Rank:		25
Position:	Defenseman	Shoots:		Right
Height:	6'3"	Weight:	185
Born:	March 26, 1993	Hometown:	Boston, MA, USA

Alexei Marchenko
European Skater
CSKA, RUSSIA
Final Rank:	25	Midterm Rank:
Position:	Defenseman	Shoots:		Right
Height:	6'2"	Weight:	183
Born:	January 2, 1992	Hometown:

Each day as we get closer to the June 24 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, MN, the Islanders Draft Central will update with a new North American and European player profile. Below, each of the top 30 North American and European prospects will be listed.
May 26, 2011 - 30th in CSS Ranking Rickard Rakell (North American) Alessio Bertaggia (European)	May 27, 2011 - 29th in CSS Ranking Alexander Khokhlachev (North American) Adam Pettersson (European)
May 28, 2011 - 28th in CSS Ranking Matthew Puempel (North American) Sergei Shmelev (European)	May 29, 2011 - 27th in CSS Ranking Phillip Danault (North American) Fredrik Claesson (European)
May 30, 2011 - 26th in CSS Ranking Shane Prince (North American) Sergei Barbashev (European)

Share Isles Scout Trent Klatt On Connor Murphy - Murphy is a big, agile, puck moving defenseman. He scored the game winning goal in overtime at the U-18 World Tournament in Germany this past April. Isles Scout Vellu Kautonen On Alexei Marchenko - Marchenko has a good frame and a hard shot. He has offensive skills.
North American Net-minders European Net-minders
1. Edmonton Oilers 2. Colorado Avalanche 3. Florida Panthers 4. New Jersey Devils 5. New York Islanders
Round 1 - 5th overall Round 2 - 34th overall Round 2 - 50th overall (from Wisniewski deal to Montreal) Round 3 - 63rd overall (from 4th round 2010 draft selection dealt to Colorado) Round 4 - 94th overall Round 5 - 124th overall Round 5 - 126th overall (from two 6th round 2010 draft picks dealt to Atlanta) Round 7 - 184th overall
United States Hockey League USA U-18 The Islanders have a history of drafting collegiate players with USHL backgrounds. Prospect Connor Murphy most recently played for Team USA Under-18 and has committed to playing college hockey at Miami University this fall. In 2006, the Islanders drafted Kyle Okposo 7th overall. He played USHL hockey for the Des Moines Buccaneers, but then went on to play two years at the University of Minnesota before joining the Islanders. The Islanders have also drafted Matt Donovan (2008, 96th overall from the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders), Jason Gregoire (2007, 7th overall from the Lincoln Stars) and Blake Kessel (2007, 166th overall from the Waterloo Black Hawks) from college/USHL teams. In April, Donovan left the University of Denver to sign an amateur-tryout contract with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and played in the Isles' AHL affiliates' six remaining regular season games. His entry-level contract will kick in at the start of the 2011-12 season. Gregoire (University of North Dakota) and Kessel (University of New Hampshire) have also decided to forgo the remainder of their collegiate careers opting to turn pro.

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