New York Islanders sign goaltending prospect Tristan Lennox

The New York Islanders have signed goaltender Tristan Lennox to a three-year entry-level contract, the team announced Wednesday.

Once considered one of the best Ontario-born goaltending prospects, Lennox was taken with the 93rd pick in 2021. Lennox, 20, is in his fourth season with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, posting a 22-15-1 record with two shutouts in 40 games. Lennox also won gold at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, posting a 3-0-0 record with a shutout and a .951 save percentage.

Lennox and Saginaw will look to win the OHL championship this year after the club added Pavel Mintyukov and Hunter Haight to a team that already had Vegas prospect Matyas Sapovaliv and exceptional status star Michael Misa.

Lennox is now the sixth goalie signed in the system and could end up challenging 23-year-old Jakub Skarek for starts in Bridgeport next year. While Lennox’s numbers are nothing to write home about, his 6-foot-4 frame, solid mobility and overall confidence give him something to work with.

The future of the crease, though, seems set with 27-year-old Ilya Sorokin. He’s been one of the better goalies in the league this year as the team looks to challenge for a wild-card playoff spot. Veteran Semyon Varlamov is in the final year of a $5 million AAV deal and could be moved ahead of Friday’s trade deadline.