Bridgeport Islanders
Bridgeport Signings: Get to Know MacKinnon & Sevigny, Re-Meet Tikkanen
The Islanders made signings on Friday! Well, not Lou Lamoriello and the New York Islanders, but Chris Lamoriello and the Bridgeport Islanders.
A pair of defensemen in Ryan MacKinnon and Vincent Sevigny and goaltender Henrik Tikkanen will play for Bridgeport this upcoming season.
Get to know the three newest members of the organization.
Ryan MacKinnon
If the name Ryan MacKinnon rings a bell, it’s not just because he shares the last name of the Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan Mackinnon.
Ryan has previously been a member of the New York Islanders organization.
Following four years in the QMJHL and three years in the Atlantic University Sports League, a collegiate league in Canada, the left-shot defenseman signed a contract with the Worchester Railriders, the New York Islanders ECHL affiliate.
From 2017 until the end of the 2020-21 season, Mackinnon played 124 games for the Railriders (11 goals, 39 assists) and just 17 games with Bridgeport (3 assists).
He spent the entirety of the shortened 2020-21 season with Bridgeport.
For the 2021-22 campaign the Prince Edward Island native had signed a one-year deal with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Philadelphia Flyers AHL affiliate.
In 25 games, Mackinnon notched two goals and an assist, his first being his first career AHL goal.
He spent some time, five games, with their ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals.
Vincent Sevigny
The 21-year-old, 6’3 left-shot defenseman Vincent Sevigny captained New York Islanders prospect William Dufour and the rest of the St. John Sea Dogs to their second Memorial Cup in franchise history.
Sevigny and Dufour connected for some goals now and again.
Vincent Sevigny scoring with help from fellow teammate William Dufour? We can get used to that #Isles pic.twitter.com/iaa5JnEqpL
— Nicole Shirman (@nicolefshirman) August 5, 2022
Dufour will be in Bridgeport for this upcoming season so we could see more of these plays coming.
In 37 regular season games with St. John, Sevigny scored 11 goals with 25 assists. He had a goal and an assist in four Memorial Cup games.
Prior to joining the Sea Dogs mid-season, the Quebec native had been a member of the Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) since breaking into the “Q” back in 2017-18. In 215 games with Victoriaville, Sevigny notched 36 goals and 85 assists.
Following his first season with the Tigres, Sevigny served as an alternate captain for the next three years.
Upon joining the Sea Dogs, the 21-year-old Sevigny was named captain which speaks to his leadership qualities. And under his lead, the underdog St. John Sea Dogs captured their second Memorial Cup trophy.
Henrik Tikkanen
Henrik Tikkanen, a 21-year-old Finnish netminder, was drafted by the New York Islanders in the seventh round (214th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft, William Dufour being drafted two rounds earlier (5th rd, 152nd overall).
The New York Islanders did not sign Tikkanen to his entry-level contract before they lost his rights on June 1, so Tikkanen became an unrestricted free agent, with the right to sign with any NHL team. Tikkanen will likely serve as the backup in Bridgeport to Jakub Skarek, to start, but could certainly become the starter depending on how he plays.
Skarek, in 37 games, posted a 16-15-5 record, with a 3.30 GAA and an .896 SV%. He made just won appearance in the Calder Playoffs, a loss.
Tikkanen has been an average, below-average netminder. But there is one thing that excites you, and that’s his size.
Tikkanen stands at 6’8, weighing 201 lbs. To put that in perspective, he would be the tallest goaltender in NHL history, passing the 6’7 Ben Bishop who retired earlier in the 2021-22 season after battling with injuries the last few years.
Henrik is a tall, tall man but has struggled to be a consistent backstop.
He only got 19 games with MoDo and did not really stand out. He played to a 13-4-0 record with a 2.50 GAA and a .903 SV%. There are two games missing from that record line, which could either be overtime/shootout losses or if Tikkanen entered a game/left a game.
Daily #Isles prospect spotlight:
Henrik Tikkanen (G)
– At 6’8” he is taller than any NHL goalie
– Good positioning and tracking
– Needs to learn how to balance height with speed and technical ability
– 0.556 SV% after stepping in as backup last game 😬pic.twitter.com/RS7ADPiiu1— Nicole Shirman (@nicolefshirman) September 25, 2021
With the signing of Tikkanen, the New York Islanders now have three goaltending prospects in the pipeline, with 19-year-old Tristan Lennox the other.