Islanders acquire Ryan Healey from Wild for future considerations

A collegiate product might have a different home when joining the pro ranks.

On Saturday night, the New York Islanders acquired the signing rights of defenseman Ryan Healey from the Minnesota Wild for future considerations.

Healey finished up his collegiate career at Harvard University this past spring, but didn’t sign with the Wild following his senior season. That means the Islanders have until Aug. 15 to sign the 22-year-old, or he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Healey was taken by the Wild in the fourth round, 121st overall, of the 2022 NHL Draft. It came after a respectable season in the United States Hockey League, as he was on his way to becoming a marquee piece on the back end in Cambridge. Healey didn’t light up the scoreboard with the Crimson, reaching the 20-point mark just once in his four-year career. However, his defensive play improved mightily over the past couple of years, as the team around him started to become more and more competitive in the rather tough ECAC.

This past season, the Chicago, Ill., native scored four goals and eight assists for 12 points in 34 games, posting a plus-minus of +1, the first time he finished with a positive rating in his NCAA career. In 130 career appearances at Harvard, Healey notched 19 goals and 36 assists for 55 points.

Prior to his college career, Healey spent a couple of seasons in the USHL. Along with playing a handful of games with the U.S. National Team Development Program’s Under-17 squad, he spent parts of two campaigns with the Sioux Falls Stampede, posting 21 points in 59 games in his draft year.

Healey doesn’t have much international experience, but he did represent the United States at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, posting two assists in four games.