Robert (Bobo) Carpenter

August 2021 – After the Isles didn’t tender him a qualifying offer, Carpenter signed a one-year AHL deal with the Milwaukee Admirals, an affiliate of the Predators. He has great genes from his father Bobby, but his skill level is much more modest than his dad, who played in almost 1,200 NHL games. His hard-working son must carve out a pro career based on desire and hard work. Mark Allan

July 2021 – In spite of working diligently to improve his game, and carrying the genes of one-time NHL 53-goal scorer Bobby, the younger Carpenter got into just 19 games in a pandemic-shortened AHL schedule. He’s a hard worker with leadership qualities, so he might still carve out a big-league career, but he wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer and his future might not be with the Islanders. Mark Allan

July 2021 – It was an unremarkable second AHL campaign. At 24, the RFA needs to start getting noticed. Mark Allan

February 2021 – The 24-year-old started hot in his second “full” AHL campaign with two scores in his first three outings with Bridgeport. Mark Allan

June 2020 – The AHL rookie scored twice in his final three games before play was suspended, which left him with just four goals and eight assists in 28 appearances. He works hard to improve his game, so his second campaign with Bridgeport should be a more accurate indication of what his pro future might hold. Mark Allan

March 2020 – The solidly built son of renowned NHL center Bobby Carpenter was not drafted, but scored in his professional debut in April 2019, one of two appearances for Bridgeport on an amateur tryout contract. Off-season shoulder surgery followed, preventing Carpenter from participating in the Islanders’ training camp, although he signed a two-year deal with the Isles with a $925,000 AAV. The Massachusetts native began the campaign on non-roster IR and did not make his AHL debut until just before Christmas. Understandably starting slowly, the 23-year-old had two goals and eight assists after 25 outings. In four seasons at Boston University, he amassed 56 goals and 46 assists with a cumulative plus-20 rating in 144 games for the Terriers. An assistant captain as a junior and captain in his grad year, he helped BU capture win the 2018 NCAA Hockey East championship and was named to Hockey East’s second all-star team. Tapping into some genes he got from his dad, Bobo led the USHL with 35 goals with the Sioux City Musketeers in 2014-15 and was named to the USHL all-rookie second team in 2014-15.

After the cruel disappointment of not being drafted, Carpenter has worked hard to address flaws in his game, most notably sub-par skating. He doesn’t need to work on his release, which is a strong point. And he’s filled out dramatically after being undersized when it was his turn at the draft. The rest of this AHL schedule will be informative, but 2020-21 will be the clearest indication yet of his big-league potential. Mark Allan