WOW! NY Islanders prospect Tristan Lennox with 59-save shutout after signing ELC

What a couple of days for New York Islanders goaltending prospect Tristan Lennox.

A day after signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Islanders, the 20-year-old made an incredible 59 saves for the Saginaw Spirit in a 2-0 shutout win over the Peterborough Petes on Thursday night. The 59 saves is a new franchise record, besting the 54 saves by Ivan Prosvetov in 2019. 22 of the 59 saves came in the third period, preserving the shutout and the win.

Lennox was selected by the Islanders in the third round, 93rd overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, and standing at 6'4 is an intriguing prospect moving forward. The Islanders are set in goal now and likely for the foreseeable future with Ilya Sorokin, but whether Semyon Varlamov is back at a reduced salary cap number next season or not, the team needs to develop their next backup goaltender.

During the last two seasons, when Varlamov has missed time, Cory Schneider, who has resurrected his career in Bridgeport to an extent, has been called upon to be a backup, only getting one start over the last two seasons. 2018 third-round pick Jakub Skarek, now playing in his third season at AHL Bridgeport, has struggled to show improvement with a 3.24 GAA and save percentage of 0.896 in 26 games. He has yet to record a season with a .900 save percentage or better in North America.

The remarkable shutout is the latest strong performance from Lennox, who was named OHL Goaltender of the Week in late February after going 3-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .926 save percentage with wins over the Soo Greyhounds, Guelph Storm, and Owen Sound.

During those three games, Lennox allowed six goals and stooped 75 shots, close to the number he stopped in one game on Thursday night.