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New York Islanders

Islanders Take Matias Rajaniemi, Henrik Tikkanen with Final Draft Selections

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The New York islanders wrapped up a marathon second day of the NHL Draft by selecting defenseman Matias Rajaniemi and goaltender Henrik Tikkanen in the sixth and seventh rounds.

The selections capped a day in which the Islanders had to wait roughly three and a half hours to make their first pick of the day. The Islanders did not have a first or second-round pick in this year’s draft.

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Matias Rajaniemi was selected 183rd overall by the Islanders and was the first defenseman the team took in this year’s draft. The Finnish native was one of the youngest players eligible to be drafted this year.

The 18-year-old is a sizable defenseman at 6’4,” 205 lbs playing in SM-liiga.

Future Considerations ranked Matias Rajaniemi 163rd and NHL Central Scouting listed him 74th among European skaters. EliteProspects.com described Rajaniemi’s as a play that makes “simple passes and can utilize a heavy shot from time to time. Rajaniemi did fine shutting down offense coming his way.”

Henrik Tikkanen was the first goaltender the Islanders drafted in the 2020 draft. The Finnish native stands at 6’8″ and plays in Finland’s second-highest professional hockey league.

The Islanders made their final pick of the night around 7:16 p.m., which was nearly eight hours after the second day of the NHL Draft began.

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