New York Islanders News

The Utah Mammoth are 1-1-0 to start the 2025-26 season and will start Vanecek between the pipes for his first start of the season on Monday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 29-year-old Vanecek is in his first season with Utah after splitting the 2024-25 campaign with the San Jose Sharks and Florida Panthers, posting a 3.62 GAA and .884 SV% in 25 combined appearances (5-14-4). The Mammoth enter Monday's contest as -166 road favorites against the Blackhawks.

The Utah Mammoth are 1-1-0 to start the 2025-26 season and will likely start Vanecek between the pipes for his first start of the season on Monday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 29-year-old Vanecek is in his first season with Utah after splitting the 2024-25 campaign with the San Jose Sharks and Florida Panthers, posting a 3.62 GAA and .884 SV% in 25 combined appearances (5-14-4). The Mammoth enter Monday's contest as -166 road favorites against the Blackhawks.

Ritchie was acquired before last season's trade deadline as part of a deal that sent Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche. The 20-year-old Ritchie has not yet made his regular-season debut with the Islanders and will have to wait a while longer as he is set to begin his 2025-26 campaign in the AHL after returning from a lower-body injury.

Searching for their first victory of the 2025-26 season (0-2-0), the Islanders will roll with Sorokin for a third straight game. The 30-year-old Sorokin is coming off a disappointing season in which he posted a 2.71 GAA and .907 SV% in 60 games (30-24-6). Through two games this season (0-2-0), the veteran goalie has a 4.21 GAA and .860 SV%; not promising numbers for a goalie hoping to return to the 2.34 GAA and .924 SV% he posted in 2022-23, when he finished as the runner-up for the Vezina Trophy. The Islanders enter Monday's contest as +111 home underdogs against the Winnipeg Jets.

After posting elite totals in his first three NHL seasons, Sorokin has posted a 2.86 GAA and .908 SV% in 117 combined appearances over the last two seasons (55-43-18); a steep decline from the 2.34 GAA and .924 SV% in his previous 136 games (70-46-18). Although still a talented netminder, Sorokin's recent stats are likely more aligned with what can be expected in the 2025-26 season. Still, the Islanders enter their season-opening matchup on Thursday as -127 road favourites against a Pittsburgh Penguins team coming off a 3-0 opening-night victory over the New York Rangers.

The Islanders signed Bear to a one-year contract in the offseason to provide some depth on their blueline, but he will need to wait to make his team debut as he will be sidelined for a few weeks on Injured Reserve. The 28-year-old Bear spent the entirety of the 2024-25 season in the AHL, tallying 46 points (10G / 36A) in 62 games with the Hershey Bears. He has 67 points (17G / 50A) in 275 career NHL games.

Coming off offseason surgery, it's unclear when Varlamov will return to action, but he will start the 2025-26 campaign sidelined on the Injured Reserve. The 37-year-old netminder was limited to only 10 games last season (3-4-3), posting a 2.89 GAA and .889 SV%, due to various injuries.

Engvall continues to recover from offseason hip surgery and is not expected to be ready for opening night, so expect him to start the season on IR. Once healthy, Engvall will likely once again be battling for playing time in the Islanders' bottom-6.

Ritchie was acquired before last season's trade deadline as part of a deal that sent Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche. The 20-year-old Ritchie has not yet made his regular-season debut with the Islanders and will likely have to wait a while longer, as he will likely not be ready for their season opener next week.

Prokhorov was the Islanders' 2025 2nd round pick (42nd overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with New York. The 18-year-old Russian winger improved his draft stock in 2024-25 after a solid 20-goal, 27-point campaign with MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg (MHL) across 43 games played. He is expected to remain in Russia with Dynamo Moskva (KHL) on loan for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Schaefer was this year's first overall selection in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Islanders on Monday. The 17-year-old missed the majority of the 2024-25 season due to a serious collarbone injury but still managed to go first overall in the draft due to his five goals and 22 points in 18 games with Erie (OHL). He is expected to be a key part of the Islanders' future for years to come.

Heineman was acquired as part of the Noah Dobson trade and signed a two-year extension with the Islanders. Heineman adds a little bit of offence to New York's bottom-6, but more than anything, brings physicality and penalty killing prowess. Heineman was on pace for 13 goals, 11 assists and 229 hits over 82 games last season.

Holmstrom had a breakout 2024-25 season, scoring 45 points (20G / 25A) in 75 games, earning himself a two-year contract extension with the Islanders worth $3.625 million. The 24-year-old produced at an extremely impressive rate to end the season, with 22 points (10G / 12A) in 30 games from late January to early April.

Vanecek joined the Florida Panthers and the trade deadline last season and served as the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky during the run to a Stanley Cup Championship. The 29-year-old Czech goalie has battled consistency over the previous few seasons and will hope to emerge as a reliable option for the Utah Mammoth in 2025-25.

Bear will join his fourth organization in five seasons after signing a one-year deal worth $775,000 with the Islanders on Tuesday. The 28-year-old defenceman last appeared in the NHL in 2023-24 after spending last season in Hershey (AHL) where he had 10 goals and 46 points in 62 games played. He is expected to compete for one of the Islanders' final roster spots in training camp.

The first domino of the 2025 free agency has dropped after St. Louis signed Matt Luff to a one-year, two-way contract on Tuesday. The 28-year-old right-winger spent 2024-25 between Charlotte (AHL) and Springfield (AHL) and had 20 goals and 49 points in 56 total games played. He will provide St. Louis with some offensive depth but is expected to start the season back in Springfield.

After a successful return from the KHL mid-season in 2024-25, Tony DeAngelo has earned himself a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Islanders ahead of the 2025-26 season. The 29-year-old will likely take on a bigger role this season after Noah Dobson was moved out of town last week and is expected to occupy the top powerplay in his absence. Across 35 games in 2024-25, he had four goals, 19 points and a -11 plus/minus.

Romanov missed portions of the 2024-25 season due to injuries, limited to only 64 games, but has signed a massive eight-year contract worth $6.25 million AAV. The hard-hitting 25-year-old defenseman has 64 points (13G / 51A), 465 blocks, and 502 hits in 221 career games with the New York Islanders.