Islanders coach Capuano: Strome 'a little scared to make a mistake' in 1st NHL season

The New York Islanders added several significant pieces through the NHL Draft over the past couple years; namely Griffin Reinhart, Michael Dal Colle and Josh Ho-Sang. But the team's best young player is widely believed to be 2011 fifth-overall pick Ryan Strome, who appeared in the first 37 games of his career this past season.

The 21-year-old scored seven goals and added 11 assists during that time - split over two separate call ups - and posted an impressive 52 Corsi For rating, as per Extra Skater. 

Despite that production, head coach Jack Capuano told Newsday, "I thought he played safe, a little scared to make a mistake," adding that "he understood what he needed to do" moving forward.

With a plethora of young talent set to battle for roster spots and lineup depth chart positioning in training camp, Strome knows he needs to take things up a notch:

[Having all the forwards] makes for good competition, but at the end of the day I have to worry about myself. Ultimately, wanting to make the team is one thing, and the next thing is wanting the team to be competitive. I really haven't looked at it from the selfish side. It's more, the team's going to be better and hopefully I can be here to contribute. I feel like I can be and I feel like I will be.

Strome, a natural center, may be displaced to the wing in light of the addition of Mikhail Grabovski via free agency, but he appears ready to do whatever it takes to impress Capuano and his staff:

It doesn't really change and I don't know what to expect. I played center most of my time here and then [at development camp] I played wing and I thought I played pretty well. Things change and being versatile is obviously an advantage. Whatever they have in mind, I'm prepared for.