Finally, there will be hockey to discuss.

The Islanders will hit the ice for rookie camp starting Thursday morning, with training camp kicking off in full next week. 

The running joke this time of year is that you get excited for each new landmark for the start of the season — rookie camp, training camp, the first preseason game — until it actually happens. The actual exciting part doesn’t come until Oct. 10, just under a month from now.

Still. Even for a team short on high-end prospects, there is good reason to care about the next few days beyond it being a box to check off on the calendar. Here are the storylines I’ll be watching as rookie camp plays out.