Ryan Pulock always had the tools to grow into a leading defender on the New York Islanders; he just needed the opportunity to play without fear of getting scratched for mistakes and with more structure on defense. With ten games remaining in the 2018-19 season, Pulock has found exactly that under head coach Barry Trotz.



Pulock’s NHL career didn’t get off to an ideal start. After making his debut in February 2016, he played just 15 games at the NHL level. The following year, an injury cut his NHL opportunity short, as he finished the year in Bridgeport once healthy.



Pulock finally was able to put his skills on display as a rookie last season under coach Doug Weight. His 10 goals and 32 points in 68 games were the highlights, but he still spent numerous games as a healthy scratch.



The 2013 first-round draft pick averaged 18:24 minutes in all situations last season, or third-pair minutes, which ranked fifth on defense behind Nick Leddy, Johnny...