The offseason is finally over, and the New York Islanders are set to play their first preseason game tomorrow (Sep. 22) against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center. From there, the Islanders will play five more preseason games (two on the road and three at home). With a few weeks until the regular season begins, there are five players you should be paying attention to during the preseason.
Matthew Maggio
Matthew Maggio has impressed throughout training camp so far, quickly rising the ranks in the Islanders prospect pool. Before he hit the ice, nobody would have thought he would fight for an NHL roster spot this preseason due to the team’s surplus of forwards, and while the odds are still stacked against him, his odds have already improved.
Maggio is a 5-foot-11, 183-pound right shot, right wing selected 142nd overall in the 2022 Draft. He has an impressive shot and can skate well, two assets the Islanders lack in the middle six. He scored 16 goals and 27 points in 61 games with the Bridgeport Islanders last season, but his second half was much stronger than the first
Related: Islanders’ 2024 Offseason Prospect Profile: Matthew Maggio
There is no spot for Maggio in the Islanders’ middle six — at least for now — but he could impress enough to be the first man called up in the case of an injury. He will need to stand out at both ends of the ice during the preseason to secure this role, and there’s reason to believe his production could take a step forward. It will also be interesting to see if he gets ice time alongside NHL regulars like Brock Nelson or Jean-Gabriel Pageau, which could signal the team’s growing confidence in the young forward.
Henrik Tikkanen
Last season, the Bridgeport Islanders greatly struggled, finishing with the worst record in the AHL. Luckily, the team had a couple of bright spots, including 6-foot-8 goaltender, Henrik Tikkanen. The 23-year-old was recalled from the Worcester Railers on Dec. 28th and never looked back, going 8-6-2 with a 2.10 goals against average and .930 save percentage. He dominated the crease, and while these numbers are outliers in his career, there is reason for optimism.
Tikkanen may be tall, but he is also quick. He does a great job at minimizing rebounds and moving east to west, and his 215-pound frame allows him to cover most of the net. Even if last season’s performance is unsustainable, it showed his upside, and suiting up alongside NHL regulars in the preseason will show if he is capable of taking his game to the next level.
The Islanders have a lot of uncertainty in the goaltending department, making the third-string title a highly coveted and valuable position. The front-runner looks like veteran Marcus Hogberg, but Tikkanen could take his spot with a strong preseason. Although the Islanders boast one of the top goaltending tandems in the NHL, Tikkanen’s performance will be a key storyline to watch, as it could help alleviate any concerns.
Ilya Sorokin
When it comes to storylines, few are as significant right now as Ilya Sorokin’s. The goaltender is entering the first season of his eight-year contract and has already undergone surgery this past offseason. The focus this preseason will be on two key questions: when will he return to the ice, and will he perform like his old self? These are two questions that have yet to be answered, meaning there is a lot to follow in the ensuing weeks.
Maxim Tsyplakov
Maxim Tsyplakov has consistently impressed during his brief time on Long Island, opening up several possibilities as he embarks on his NHL career. Currently, he could end up playing anywhere from the second to the fourth line, making it crucial to monitor his placement in the lineup to gauge his role ahead of the regular season.
Although Tsyplakov started training camp in a depth role, he was grouped with Nelson, Kyle Palmieri, and Simon Holmstrom, suggesting that head coach Patrick Roy may be setting up a competition between Tsyplakov and Holmstrom for the left-wing spot on the second line. As a result, expect Tsyplakov to get more preseason action than most other Islanders as the team assesses his future role.
Scott Mayfield
There’s not much left to say about Scott Mayfield at this point. He suffered a lower-body injury in the Islanders’ 2023-24 season opener and never fully recovered. Statistically, he was one of the league’s poorest-performing defensemen, committing costly turnovers and taking multiple late-game penalties over his 41 games. Now, reports indicate he’s fully healthy, and it’s time to see if he can bounce back.
The Islanders will kick off the regular season at home on Oct. 10th against the Utah Hockey Club. After that, they’ll go on a three-game road trip against Central Division teams before returning for four of their next five games at UBS Arena.
