New York Islanders: Twitter Accounts Every Fan Needs to Follow in 2013-14

As training camp quickly approaches, it's time for hockey fans to make final preparations for the 2013-14 season.

In the 24-hour news cycle, Twitter reigns king. 

There's plenty of informative accounts for Islanders fans to follow, and there's no better time than now to get started.

@NYIslanders

The official Twitter account of the New York Islanders is the launching pad for a Twitter novice. You won't find any controversial, breaking news here, but there's relevant re-Tweets and links to featured content from their website.

"

RT @BruceBeck4NY: With @91Tavares at Yankee Stadium to promote @NHL Stadium Series! Check @NBCNewYork 4 at 6! #Isles pic.twitter.com/CK3tTxGzEs

— NYIslanders (@NYIslanders) August 8, 2013"

@StapeNewsday 

Arthur Staple is the best Isles beat reporter to follow. Most area newspapers do not devote the same level of coverage that Newsday does, and if you want quality reporting and accurate, insightful analysis, Staple is who you should look to.

"

The Yankee Stadium rink setup for January's Stadium Series games. #Isles #NYR #NJD pic.twitter.com/K3nWB7Q0uh

— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) August 8, 2013"

  

@ehornick

Eric Hornick is a statistical wizard. The author of The Skinny takes an outside-of-the-box approach to anything Islanders related. For instance, here's one of his breakdowns of the Isles schedule in 2013-14:

"

Remember all the noise about a 48 game/99 day #NHL schedule in 2013? From Oct 25 to Jan 31, #isles will play 48 gms in 99 days.

— Eric Hornick (@ehornick) July 19, 2013"

  

@ChrisBottaNHL

Those that follow this fanbase know the business side of hockey better than anyone. Nassau Coliseum, ticket sales, player salaries—if Charles Wang had to weigh in on it, Chris Botta, whose resume is nothing to sneeze at, probably Tweeted about it:

"

Charles Wang: "We hold athletes accountable. I wish we could trade politicians. I don’t know what we’d get for them.” #sbjsff

— Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL) April 18, 2013"

  

@91Butch

Butch Goring's been calling Islanders games since 2010 and analyzing the sport for MSG Networks since 2007. Don't expect anything groundbreaking, but he updates his page at least once or twice for each game played:

"

#Isles good teams take charge when a game is on the line,Isles blew the Flyers away in the 3rd with the score 2-1.positive sign of maturity

— Butch Goring (@91Butch) April 10, 2013"

 @fornabaioctp

If you want to keep tabs on the Bridgeport Sound Tigers' performance, Michael Fornabaio is your guy. Be forewarned that some Tweets aren't related to the team or hockey, especially during the offseason. Fornabaio gives analysis and commentary during the games with plenty of detail:

"

Kabanov ties it from above the left circle, a wrister with Niederreiter and Persson in front. Kabanov's second, 1st since 2/22 #BST

— Michael Fornabaio (@fornabaioctp) April 21, 2013"

  

@TheSoundTigers

Speaking of the Sound Tigers, it wouldn't be a bad idea to follow the official Twitter account either, especially if you're interested in giveaways and promotions:

"

Guess the Sound Tigers' first seven opponents for your chance at opening night tickets! http://t.co/tuqoJlj5J7

— The Sound Tigers (@TheSoundTigers) August 22, 2013"

  

The Players

Fans that choose not to follow the Islanders players on Twitter are missing out on some pretty amusing dialogue. You can see who was ranked the best Twitter presence on the team here. Players on Twitter include: Casey Cizikas, Matt Donovan (unverified), Calvin de Haan (unverified), Michael Grabner, Thomas Hickey, Anders Lee (unverified), Matt Martin, Colin McDonald, Matt Moulson, Aaron Ness (unverified), Brock Nelson (unverified), Kyle Okposo, John Persson (unverified), Ryan Strome and John Tavares.

Why follow all of them? The humor, of course:

"

My abs could look like that too with all those filters and enhancements on Instagram @grabs40 #thediesel #natural #nofilterneeded

— Colin McDonald (@ColinMcDonald13) July 22, 2013"

Follow me on Twitter: @jsempey