A Draft Day Like No Other
Bobby Cowan, a 20‑year‑old forward from Kalamazoo, Michigan, was in the middle of a routine laundry cycle when the phone rang with the news that would change his summer.
The call came during the seventh round of the 2026 NHL Draft, sealing his selection by the New York Islanders and ending a brief stint as an undrafted prospect.
Cowan’s rookie season at Western Michigan University had already turned heads, as he posted 24 points in 39 games and topped the rookie scoring chart across the league.
Off the ice, he has been studying the style of Carolina’s rising star Logan Stankoven, a player whose offensive instincts he hopes to emulate in his own game.
Connections That Span State Lines
The Islanders’ captain, Anders Lee, shares more than just a leadership role with Cowan; both hail from Edina, Minnesota, and Lee even spent part of his winter break skating with Cowan’s high school squad.
Cowan also knows teammates Sam Laurila and Lincoln Kuehne from previous camps, giving him a familiar support network as he steps into the organization’s development camp.
Excited by the Islanders’ player development program, Cowan says he can’t wait to absorb the system, meet his new teammates, and prove that the laundry‑room dream was only the beginning.