Dustin Kohn

A second round draft pick (56th overall) overall by the New York Islanders, Dustin Kohn was a promising defense prospect who never panned out.

A quick and agile defender, skating was the key to his game. Not only did he have great speed but he had superb balance. Which which was good because he was not the biggest rearguard by any means. He could be muscled off the puck, but his skating saved him time and time again.

Kohn was a prolific junior scorer but his skill level was obvious. He made strong outlet passes and good decisions. Defensively he was competitive and surprisingly aggressive despite his average size.

Kohn, an Edmonton native, was a member of the Calgary Hitmen but was traded to the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2006, where he brought the league's worst power play to life.

In 2007 Kohn turned pro and began apprenticing in the AHL with the Islanders farm team the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Over the next four seasons he emerged as a solid AHL defender.

Kohn's big league chance came in 2009-10 thanks to a series of injuries on Long Island. He was initially called up when Islanders defenseman Andy Sutton was suspended for a nasty boarding hit on Pittsburgh's Pascal Dupuis. Kohn played in 22 games (zero goals, four points) with the New York Islanders in the 2009-10, but somehow he never seemed to really fit in the Islanders plans.

In 2001 Kohn headed over to Europe, playing in Sweden, the Czech Republic and England. He also studied at the University of Sheffield's School of Management while playing in England.