When they hired head coach Ted Nolan last summer, the Islanders knew they were getting a bench boss with a winning pedigree. But Nolan brings far more to the table than just that, for his presence will undoubtedly have a significant — and extremely positive — impact on the team’s ability to ice a competitive roster.

Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Nolan, an Ojibwa Indian, began his coaching career with the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds (OHL). There, he helped young forward Chris Simon — a fellow Ojibwa — win a battle with alcoholism and turn his life around, and the NHL veteran has been one of Nolan’s staunchest supporters ever since.

So it came as no surprise when Simon signed with the Islanders during the off-season, and got his first opportunity to play for his former junior hockey coach at the NHL level. Their combined presence led directly to what has turned out to be the Islanders’ most important off-season acquisition, shutdown defenseman Brendan Witt.

“I was roommates with Chris Simon for a long time in Washington,” Witt said in a recent interview. “He had nothing but good things to say about Teddy. I’ve always wanted to play for him.”

Witt has thoroughly enjoyed the experience thus far, largely because of Nolan’s no-nonsense style.

“Ted’s a straight-up shooter, there’s no games involved,” he said. “If you work hard, you get rewarded, and that’s the way it should be.”

In the mid-1990s, Nolan ran the bench for the Buffalo Sabres, winning the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL’s “Coach of the Year” for the 1996-97 season. But he had some personal conflicts within the organization — reportedly with GM John Muckler and star goaltender Dominik Hasek — and it turned out to be his final season in Buffalo.

After toiling in obscurity for eight seasons, Nolan resurfaced with the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats last year, leading them to a tremendous 52–15 record and a spot in the Memorial Cup Finals. That performance convinced Islanders owner Charles Wang to give Nolan another shot to coach at the NHL level.

The Isles’ controversial summer maneuverings — notably, the replacing of GM Neil Smith with backup goalie Garth Snow and the signing of Rick DiPietro to a 15-year contract — drew plenty of snickers around the league, but Witt remained confident in the team’s potential.

“It was a bit of a gong show over the summer,” Witt said. ” I was signed by Neil Smith, then he got fired, and then everyone made a big splash about Ricky’s deal. The press just tries to blow it out, stir it up, and sell papers. But when it comes down to it, we come here to play the game and to compete.”

Indeed, Nolan’s Isles do just that, and Witt is quite possibly the team’s toughest competitor. Every night, he is matched against the opposition’s best forward. Last Thursday, he shut down dynamic Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk in the Isles’ 5–2 win. On Saturday, he helped keep the Canadiens’ top line off the scoresheet as the Isles rolled to a 4–2 victory. On Sunday afternoon, Alexander Ovechkin was Witt’s assignment, and in what may have been his strongest performance of the season, Witt held the Capitals’ superstar to just two shots on goal (and no points) in the Isles’ 2–1 shootout loss.

The Isles’ recent success — a 4–0–3 record in their last seven games — has put them back in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race, just two points behind eighth-place Carolina with two games in hand. More important to their fans, the Isles are three points ahead of the crosstown rival Rangers, due in no small part to Witt’s success in neutralizing Jaromir Jagr; in fact, the Isles have won all four meetings with the Rangers this season.

“I played with [Jaromir] for a couple of years in Washington,” Witt explained. “I just know his tendencies. You try to be physical on him every night. If you’re physical on him and make it a long night, it seems like he doesn’t want to fight through that. Take away his time and space.”

In addition to getting the most out of workhorses like Witt and Eastern Conference All-Star Jason Blake, Nolan is also gaining a reputation as a coach who gets key contributions from every roster player.

Against Atlanta, enigmatic Russian forward Viktor Kozlov — whose best seasons came when he played alongside Pavel Bure with the Panthers in the late 1990s — delivered a stellar three-point performance. In the win over Montreal, it was Trent Hunter and Miroslav Satan — two goals each — who stepped up. And on Sunday, rugged veteran Sean Hill delivered a 33-minute performance and was a key reason why the Isles were able to salvage the point despite playing without Radek Martinek, who left Saturday’s game with a broken ankle.

Perhaps Nolan’s most impressive reclamation project this season has been forward Andy Hilbert. The former Boston Bruins prospect has improved virtually every aspect of his game this season. He started off with a 21-game pointless streak, but has come on strong ever since, tallying 17 points in the ensuing 31 games to go with a remarkable plus-16 rating. And Nolan appreciates the effort.

“Andy is one of those guys who’s gotten better and better as the season’s progressed,” Nolan said last week. “The way he competes, the way he pays attention to details in practice, Andy’s one of those guys you feel very safe putting on the ice.”

Put simply, Nolan’s Islanders never cease battling. After suffering through a 2–8–1 stretch that dampened their playoff hopes, they have hung in and battled their way back into contention. Clearly a team on the upswing, it’s a good bet that their second half will be stronger than their first, and there isn’t a team in the Eastern Conference that would relish a first round matchup against Nolan’s hardworking club … not even his former team, the high-flying Buffalo Sabres. And wouldn’t that be a compelling series to watch.

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.