There no more interesting name in the Islanders "Farm System" than Mike Sellitto, not because he's lit up the score boards, far from it actually, but he's the first Islanders farm player I've seen report to four different teams in four different leagues. That is some sort of feat, Sellitto has bounced from Bridgeport camp to the Louisiana IceGators of the Southern Professional Hockey League, to the Danbury Whalers of the inaugural Federal Hockey League, to enjoying coffee from the Press-box at Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard, to finally getting into 10 games at Kalamazoo. I hope he has frequent flyer miles on his credit card, he's going deserve a nice long vacation after this season and with hope next year he'll play at one level and only move up when absolutely needed (after all the Islanders system is as snake bitten with injuries as the the Parent club). (Sellitto's head shot from Wings Stadium)
Sellitto's from Elmont, New York and 23, so hopefully he grew up rooting for the Blue and Orange (and if not, that's a damned shame); that is until he moved from Nassau to Weston, FL (HockeyDB lists place of birth, not hometown I see), which is...quite a change for a potential hockey player. The Islanders found him not at your local rink (okay well, maybe they did) BUT at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, which is more known to baseball fans for Chicago Pitching Prospects Chris Sale and Casey Coleman. Sellitto's only stand out year for the Eagles was '08-'09 when he got into 41 games notching 14 G and 31 PTs to go with 80 PIM. His other two seasons were an average of 24 games played, 7 G and 15 PTS to go with 30 PIM. Those numbers are actually pretty decent when you realize that FGCU plays division II, especially when people scratch their head saying "they play hockey at college...in Florida?" Actually I doubt anyone does say that, besides me when I first heard of Sellitto. Scouts liked what they saw I guess and offered Sellitto an invite to Prospect and Bridgeport camp.
Sellitto, unlike previous Rookie mention Justin Taylor, did not crack Bridgeport's squad and was assigned to the Louisiana IceGators for seasoning (no pun intended), Sellitto got into 20 games and notched 11 points. From there he was transfered or re-assigned (I don't remember which) to the brand new Federal Hockey League and the Danbury Whalers. My guess here is that if Bridgeport found themselves short handed a call up of Sellitto made more sense than a call up our of Kalamazoo or a PTO from elsewhere, I'm not sure though. Sellitto got into 5 games drawing three minor penalties and that was that for the FHL. in Late December Sellitto was called up as an extra body by Bridgeport and didn't get into any games there and was sent back to Danbury, where oddly he didn't play for most or any of January it seems. on Feb 4, he was assigned to Kalamazoo where he's gotten into 10 games and notched 1 assist. So, it's been an interesting first season of hockey for Sellitto as he's been unable to really get much going since leaving the Bayou. If the Islanders believe that Sellitto can become anything resembling a potential call-up they need to put him in one league and have him work out the kinks; or if he's going to yo-yo, have it between two teams be it B-Port/K-Zoo or B-Port/Odessa. Treating Sellitto as a pinata and moving him at will wherever you please, is NOT beneficial in any way.
Finally, If Sellitto's ever going to crack the NHL (heard it here first, he's not): he either needs to be Micheal Grabner on amphetamines and get MORE breakaways than Grabz, which is essentially impossible; or he needs to bulk up a bit and start parking in front of the goal and pushing his way into scoring opportunities. Sellitto is a relatively small dude, he stands 5'10 and 180lbs. Which leads me to ask: why do the Isles keep signing up undersized LIers to play in the Organization? Vladimir Nikiforov, a player from Hauppage and former Grizzlie/Isles prospect stands 5'8 and 170; Smithtown resident Tony Romano is 5'11 and 185...these guys need to either be all muscle and push guys off with ease to find the net or be absolute speed demons, and I just can't see that being the case.
Anyway, Sellitto's an interesting case, and if the Isles truly believe in him, they won't abuse him next year.
Stats, what few they are:
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