The New York Islanders have signed goaltender Henrik Tikkanen and forward Alex Jefferies to two-year entry-level contracts. Tikkanen is coming off a solid season all around and ended in a heartbreaking manner, missing out on the Kelly Cup Playoffs on the final day of the regular season.
Tikkanen was the seventh-round and 214th overall draft pick by the New York Islanders in 2020, and he’s seen time with both the Worcester Railers and Bridgeport Islanders. The Finnish goalie spent the first three months of 2024 with the Bridgeport Islanders, appearing in 16 games and going 7-5-2 with a 2.17 GAA and .927 SV%.
In 20 games for the Worcester Railers this season, he went 11-7-1 while having a 3.22 goals-against average and a 0.892 save percentage. In his first season with the Railers, 2022-23, he posted an 18-17-3 record with a 3.02 GAA, .914SV%, and two shutouts.
The New York Islanders also signed forward Alex Jeffries to a two-year entry-level contract. Jeffries was the team’s fourth-round pick, 121st overall, in the 2020 draft.
Jeffries played his collegiate hockey at Merrimack College; in his senior season, he put up 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points in 22 total games. In 2024, he was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award. This award proved that he was the top amateur player in the country. The Framingham, Massachusetts native played a career total of 105 games in college. He posted 97 career points while putting 41 of which to the back of the net and dishing out 56 assists. As a junior Jeffries scored a career high of 14 goals and 27 assists for a total of 41 points. In that same season, he was named to the Hockey East First All-Star Team, and in the 2020-21 season, he was a Hockey East All-Rookie selection.
Jeffries only played a total of 10 games in the AHL, putting up three goals and three assists after signing an ATO with the Bridgeport Islanders.
ITR 26: 2 Nations Fighting – Inside The Rink
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