At the age of 26, Tanner Fritz played his first 34 NHL games last season after spending 160 games in the ECHL and AHL. For a somewhat undersized winger (5’11”, 192 lbs) he failed to distinguish himself on the scoreboard, recording a mere three goals and four assists on the season.
However, he did help to set up quite a few scoring chances for his linemates Andrew Ladd and Brock Nelson. After the Islanders switched defensive zone systems late in the season, the trio matched opponents in terms of shots and scoring chances when on the ice at 5v5, which was rare for a NYI forward line last season.