Brock Nelson quietly becoming key forward for Islanders

When USA Hockey's Jim Johannson watches New York Islanders center Brock Nelson play, it always occurs to him the Minnesota native would have fit perfectly with the 1980 U.S. Olympic team had he been born three decades earlier.

"I hate making the 1980 reference, but he reminds of those guys," Johannson said. "They were all very simple: 'I'm here to play hockey, and it's all great.'"

Nelson, 23, is a hard-working two-way center who has quietly emerged as a key player on an Islanders team that has been an early surprise this year.

"He's not quiet, and he's not loud. He's just one of the guys," said Johannson, the chief talent evaluator for U.S. national teams. "He's a real easy player to be around."

Nelson has made noise offensively. Two-plus weeks into the season, he is 10th in the scoring race, with four goals and eight points.

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Asked about his scoring surge, Nelson said, "I've been helped by the team's hot start, and I have been fortunate enough to have gotten a couple of lucky bounces here and there and played with some great players."

That humble take on his strong play illustrates what Johannson is talking about. Nelson comes to play and leaves analysis of his game to others.

As a rookie, Nelson scored 14 goals and added 12 assists. Last spring, he played impressively at the world championships.

"He showed separation signs, showing that he's clearly going to be a player who is going to have some offensive impact in the game," Johannson said. "It was clear that it was coming. It was just a matter of when."

That tournament boosted his confidence.

"It was a building block," Nelson said. "I played with Craig Smith and (Tyler) Johnson and were able to be productive. It's a quick tournament so you have to find something that jells right away, and we were able to do that.

Nelson was second on the team with five goals in eight games and led with 20 penalty minutes.

"He has a real high compete level," Johannson said. "He did take some bad penalties, but they were compete penalties. But that's OK, because you don't want to have to prod a player. You would rather pull him back. He clearly showed signs of being a rising player in the tournament."

Nelson's emergence helps the Islanders in several ways: They have a more balanced attack, the team's scoring potential is greater, and opposing teams can't load up defensively against Tavares

When Nelson is at his best, he says he is being "good defensively, but with the offensive instincts to make a smart play."

Nelson owns a quality shot, evidenced by the fact he scored 25 goals in 66 games in the American Hockey League in 2012-13.

Islanders general manager Garth Snow said the real reason the Islanders own Nelson is chief amateur scout Trent Klatt nagged him incessantly. Like Nelson, Klatt is a Minnesotan and felt as if he had a good read on how good Nelson could be.

"He had been on me since the spring that we had to draft this kid," Snow recalled. "He had gone to meet the kid and sat with his family, and all I heard was Brock Nelson, Brock Nelson."

The Islanders picked No. 5 that season (2010) and took Nino Niederreiter. But they had two second-round picks, and Snow kept trying to trade back into the first round. When Nelson was available at the No.30 pick, Snow made a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.

"Right now, he is emerging as a hockey player, and it's going to be interesting to see where it is going," Snow said. "Obviously, he's not a finished product. He is one of those kids you pull for. It's been fun to watch him develop from the grass roots when he was 17 or 18 to where he is now."