Rookies return after taste of NHL

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Forward Ryan Strome and defenceman Ryan Murphy are heading back to the Ontario Hockey League after getting a brief taste of life in the NHL.

The New York Islanders announced Thursday that Strome would be returned to the Niagara IceDogs while the Carolina Hurricanes sent Murphy back to the Kitchener Rangers.

Neither player appeared in a regular-season game after making it through training camp.

Both were selected in June's entry draft -- Strome went fifth overall while Murphy was picked 12th.

There are currently six players from the draft class still with NHL teams: Edmonton's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (No. 1), Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog (No. 2), New Jersey's Adam Larsson (No. 4), Ottawa's Mike Zibanejad (No. 6), Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele (No. 7) and Philadelphia's Sean Couturier (No. 8).