John Tavares, the No. 1 overall draft choice, signed a three-year entry level contract worth almost $900,000 per season that could escalate to as much as four million dollars annually if incentives are reached. Should the 18-year-old center make the Islanders out of training camp, his first NHL game action will come against former top overall draft picks in Sidney Crosby and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

“It’s really not going to change the way I think or the way I live my daily life or approach the game,” Tavares said at the team’s Iceworks facility.

The contact came during the last day of prospect camp. Tavares was named the fourth top overall draft selection in Islanders history during June’s draft in Montreal and will now compete for a roster spot right away when the club assemblies for the Saskatoon-based training camp.

“It’s good to be here and officially be part of the organization,” Tavares said. “It’s nice to have it behind me but it’s not going to change me.

“I still have to work on a lot of things, getting physically stronger and getting my pace up to NHL standards.”

General manager Garth Snow worked with Tavares to reach an agreement early in the offseason. It took the Islanders until Oct. 2 to sign last year’s first round pick Josh Bailey, who missed the first 14 games with an unspecified lower body injury.

The Islanders will not have to worry about a holdout and Tavares said he can concentrate on preparing for the season instead of worrying about the game’s business aspect.

“He’s a driven kid and obviously we’ve said all along he’s another piece of the puzzle of what we’re trying to build here,” Snow said. “He’s going to fit in nicely with the group that we have.”

Scott Gordon led the practice for the team’s prospects and other invited young players that started Friday and concluded yesterday.

The Islanders head coach said the sessions were designed to be instructional instead of a way to evaluate skills, though Gordon said he came away impressed with the teenage Tavares’ poise and offensive skills near the net.

“Sometimes it looks like he has three sticks to the defender’s one stick in his ability to do the things he does with the puck,” Gordon said. “His nose around the net is a unique talent and to me that was the most evident thing about his game that really stood out.”

Almost 500 people attended Tavares’ public press conference last week and a similar crowd lined up to get into the practice facility here on Sunday when a scrimmage was open to the public. Before his first shift, Tavares already has helped generate excitement to a team that finished the season last in attendance.

“It’s great to see the fan support in the middle of July when they could be on the beach instead of in a cold rink,” said Calvin de Haan, the Islanders other first-round pick and a former teammate of Tavares in the OHL. “It’s an exciting time for this team. They’re rebuilding and we have a lot of talent coming up through the system.”

There was no public press conference to welcome de Haan. That treatment was reserved for Tavares, the No. 1 overall draft pick. But for the Islanders to parlay a youth movement in postseason success, de Haan’s maturation will also be critical.

On the draft’s first night in Montreal, the Islanders added a scoring center in Tavares and an offensive-minded defenseman when the club traded up to the 12th spot to select de Haan. Despite having just four professional practice sessions, the 18-year-old de Haan said prospect camp has been a valuable experience.

“Definitely the speed of the game,” de Haan said about the biggest surprise in camp. “You have to think and react a little quicker than you do in juniors, but I think I’m adapting to that pretty well so far.”

De Haan established a reputation an offensive-minded defenseman for the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals, scoring eight goals while adding 55 assists in 68 games. But his 165-pound frame could be detrimental to guarding NHL forwards and might require more time in juniors or at the AHL level before the Ottawa native can help the big club.

At 6-0, de Haan does have the frame to bulk up and said worked with Oshawa’s coaches to improve his positioning to become a more complete player. As a result, de Haan finished third in the OHL’s Rookie of the Year balloting.

“I’ve definitely been working on that, especially in the latter part of the season,” de Haan said. “The coaches were stressing it. I’m not bad defensively but I know I can really improve on it.”

When the Islanders hold regular training camp in September, de Haan will be able to talk with Mark Streit, the Isles All-Star defenseman who showed he can be a steady defender while contributing in the offensive zone.

De Haan will be able to vote in his first election in November after just turning 18 last May. That means the left-handed shot will have plenty of time to fulfill his potential even if he doesn’t call Nassau Coliseum home in the upcoming season.

“Realistically, I don’t think I’ll be here next year,” he said. “It’d be great to play in the NHL but I think the ice time I’ll get in juniors next year will benefit me. I would love to play here next year but it will be tough, for sure.”

Tavares and de Haan were teammates before, with the OHL goal scoring record holder starting the season in Oshawa before being traded to the London Knights. The Islanders are organizing team activities like trips to ballgames and a Jones Beach concert for its young players. Off the ice, the 44 players on the prospect camp initial roster can socialize and be friends. The competition kicks up on the ice. De Haan said the dichotomy of making friends in the dressing room while also competing for roster spots and in some cases a future in hockey can be a strange experience.

“You’re enemies on the ice in a way,” de Haan said. “But off the ice, everything is cool. If you took a hit from one of your buddies, you just brush it off later. Everyone is trying to impress and battle out there.”

Kyle Okposo was the marquee name in prospect camp in 2007 and Josh Bailey took over the mantle last season. Tavares is this year’s must-watch recruit. Both Okposo and Bailey’s performance were harbingers of a rookie year NHL call-up, giving the new players hope of following a similar career trajectory.

To acquire de Haan, the Islanders traded the 16, 77 and 182 overall selection to move up four spots.  Even the blue liner said he was surprised to be selected that high and will now try to reward the Islanders faith.

“I was ranked later first round the whole season and to be picked 12th was a shock to me,” de Haan said. “I’m going to have to run with it now and hit it out of the park.”