The New York Islanders have recalled top prospect, Kyle Okposo from Bridgeport of the AHL. Okposo will make his NHL debut on Tuesday night when the Isles host the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Nassau Coliseum.

Okposo was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2006 NHL entry draft and is considered the highest rated prospect in the Islanders' organization. He left the University of Minnesota this December and played for the United States in the World Junior Championships before joining the Islanders' AHL affiliate in Bridgeport in January. In 29 games with the Sound Tigers, Okposo had eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points.

"It's the right time to give Kyle the chance to show what he can do at the NHL level," said Islanders general manager Garth Snow. "From the beginning, we said that when it came to Kyle, we would do what was best long-term for both him and our franchise. He has played well in Bridgeport and deserves a look. Our organization is very excited to see Kyle in an Islanders uniform, and I'm sure so are our fans."

It doesn't hurt that there are exactly nine games left in the Islanders' season and that they can have Okposo play nine games or less for them at the NHL level without costing them an NHL season of service against his contract.

The newest Islander was excited about making his NHL debut. "My focus had been on playing well in the AHL and helping the Sound Tigers, so I didn't know when the call would come," Okposo told the Islanders' website. "But now that it has, the excitement is off the charts. I just want to have a good practice on Monday and then I'll start thinking about playing a big game against the Maple Leafs in front of our fans on Tuesday. It's up to me to make the most of the opportunity."

The Islanders have announced that they will sell tickets to Tuesday's game at 50 percent off if they are purchased at the Coliseum box office.

Okposo's AHL coach, Jack Capuano, expected the rookie to provide some offensive help for the goal-starved Islanders. "He has tremendous hockey sense. Kyle sees the ice extremely well and utilizes all four guys on the ice. He has exceptional skill and offensive instincts."

Isles' coach Ted Nolan was also excited about the prospect of adding Okposo to the lineup. "This guy's got a tremendous amount of skill. He's going to be a really good, young player who's going to step into this organization and is probably going to be one of the leaders down the road. We're kind of excited to see that skill level and ability at this level and we're excited to see how he reacts."

With all of the injuries the Isles have suffered, many of Okposo's former Bridgeport teammates will be with the big club when he makes his debut. To a man, they all anticipated what the rookie prospect could add to the lineup.

"He's such a skilled player," center Ben Walter said. "He loves to play the game. Every day in practice, he' working hard. For a young kid, he's really strong on the puck. When he gets it down low, he's really hard to bump off it. He's going to be a great player for a lot of years, I'm sure."

While he was still not sure exactly who Okposo's linemates would be, Nolan was leaning towards playing the rookie with at least one more experienced and defensively responsible player. "You might see him with Richard Park," Nolan explained. "Almost everybody he's played with, he's made them better. Richard's one of those safe, reliable guys who won't leave the zone early, he won't leave his teammate in a position where he's by himself. You need a good veteran with him and probably another young guy."

With all of the excitement surrounding Okposo's NHL debut, Nolan warned not to expect the rookie to be an immediate savior for the team. "He's going to be a good player, but to be quite fair with him, we'll give him an opportunity to find his way in the next nine games. We'll give him a taste and next year look forward to having him in the lineup full-time."

Okposo will give the Islanders organization and their fans something to look forward to as they finish what has proven to be a difficult and injury-plagued season. Now, as that campaign winds down, fans will get a taste of what the future may hold. They hope it is the beginning of something special.