Diamond shines at Islanders camp

Growing up, taking in his first professional hockey games in the early 1990s, Long Beach native Joey Diamond watched the likes of Pat LaFontaine and Mick Vukota on the Nassau Coliseum ice while he ate popcorn in the stands.

Now, the hard-nosed forward is living his dream as part of the Islanders organization, skating in the same place where Vukota became the franchise’s all-time leader in penalty minutes — a distinction Diamond holds at his alma mater, the University of Maine.

“I grew up coming to this building and rooting for the Islanders, so it’s very exciting for me to be a part of this organization,” said Diamond, who, after signing a one-year, entry-level contract with the Islanders in April, took part in last week’s Mini Camp, and had a goal and an assist in the Orange vs. Blue scrimmage on July 11 that drew more than 5,000 fans.

A 2006 Long Beach High School graduate, the 5-foot-7, 175-pound Diamond was an integral part of the Marines’ state championship hockey team as a sophomore. He scored the winning goal in overtime to beat Massapequa in the decisive game of the best-of-three Nassau County championship series that season. 

“He’s always been a fiery and talented player who’s had a chip on his shoulder,” said Long Beach coach Joe Brand. “I knew one day he’d be getting paid to play the game somewhere. We called him ‘Showtime’ for a reason. He doesn’t mind playing in traffic, and he’s not going to back down from anyone.”

After leaving his mark with the Marines, Diamond played three seasons of junior hockey and totaled 99 games among the New York Apple Core, the Omaha Lancers and the Hamilton Red Wings. He displayed a potent mix of LaFontaine’s scoring prowess and Vukota’s toughness with Hamilton in 2008-09, racking up 42 goals, 34 assists and 213 penalty minutes.