NY Islanders reward AHL goalie with new contract after strong season in Bridgeport

The New York Islanders have retained organizational depth in net, signing goaltender Henrik Tikkanen to a one-year, two-way contract, the team announced Thursday.

While the deal carries the same $850,000 NHL salary as Tikkanen's qualifying offer, The Hockey News, citing industry sources, reported the new contract includes a significant raise at the American Hockey League level. Instead of earning the $82,500 minor-league salary attached to the qualifying offer, Tikkanen will make $130,000 if assigned to the AHL.

The 25-year-old spent most of last season with the Bridgeport Islanders, where he established AHL career highs with 17 wins and 1,628 minutes played. Tikkanen finished the year with a 17-9-1 record, a 2.65 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage in 28 appearances.

He also made eight appearances for the ECHL's Worcester Railers, posting a 5-2-1 record with two shutouts, a 2.03 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. His performance earned him a selection to the 2026 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic.

The 6-foot-8 native of Lohja, Finland has appeared in 77 career AHL games with Bridgeport over the past three seasons, compiling a 31-33-6 record with a 3.06 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage. In 73 ECHL games with Worcester spanning four seasons, Tikkanen owns a 36-30-6 record with six shutouts, a 2.91 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.

Selected by the Islanders in the seventh round (214th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft, Tikkanen is expected to compete for playing time in Bridgeport while providing organizational depth behind Ilya Sorokin and Marcus Högberg entering the 2026-27 season.

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