NY Islanders: Bridgeport Islanders recall 6'8" goaltender Henrik Tikkanen from Worcester Railers

With their last pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the NY Islanders drafted 6'8" goaltender Henrik Tikkanen in the seventh round, 214th overall. The Lohja, Finnish native enjoyed a decent bit of success last season tending the net for MoDo Hockey in the HockeyAllsvenskan league, the second-highest league in the Swedish ice hockey system. He put together a 13-4-0 record with a .903 SV% and 2.50 GAA. He crossed the pond to North America this summer when he signed an AHL with the Bridgeport Islanders. He since was reassigned to the ECHL affiliate Worcester Railers, until Tuesday morning when he was recalled by the Islanders AHL club.

According to Joshua Linsenberg who covers the AHL Islanders for NYIHockeyNow, Cory Schnedier is day-to-day per Bridgeport head coach Brent Thompson. Schneider is having an excellent season for the B-Isles with a 13-4-2 record, .926 SV%, and 2.44 GAA. He's been backed up by Jakub Skarek who has accrued a 4-9-3 record .877 SV%, and 3.75 GAA.

The B-Isles are hoping Tikkanen can bring over a little bit of the success he's had at the ECHL level with the Railers. In 23 contests this season, Tikkanen has accrued an 11-10-2 record with a .911 SV%, and 3.08 GAA. It's a first-time promotion for the Finnish goaltender as Ken Applby is the usual recall to play in the AHL. Tikkanen and Applby manned the crease for the Railers when they made ECHL history as Worcester now owns the longest win streak in the leagues history, winning nine straight games.

Tikkanen and Applby are arguably the best goaltending tandem in the ECHL. Tikkanen has been under the tutelage of Applby who has been a successful goaltender at the minors and is now helping groom Tikkanen toward a professional future.

"It's been really good for me," Tikkanen tells FloHockey. "We're good friends now, and he treated me well when I got to training camp. He was always friendly to me and gave me help and would drive me to the rink and stuff like that. He's been a really big help for me on and off the ice, so it's really nice to be with him. We push each other all the time at practice, and that's been good, too."