The New York Islanders re-signed goaltender Henrik Tikkanen to a one-year, two-way contract worth $850,000 at the NHL level on Wednesday, per Puckpedia. The 25-year-old, a seventh-round pick in the 2020 draft, returns as organizational depth in a crease fronted by Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov, and has yet to appear in an NHL game.
What makes Tikkanen stand out is his size. The native of Lohja, Finland, is among the tallest goaltenders in professional hockey at roughly 6-foot-8, and would become the tallest netminder in NHL history, surpassing 6-foot-7 Ben Bishop, should he ever crack the lineup. He has spent recent seasons splitting time between the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders and the ECHL’s Worcester Railers, posting a 2.65 goals-against average and .897 save percentage across 29 AHL games in 2025-26. His new deal carries a $130,000 salary at the minor-league level.
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The Nashville Predators have hired former NHL forward Matt Calvert as their forward development coach, the team announced. Calvert, 36, spent 11 seasons with Columbus and Colorado, recording 203 points in 566 games before retiring in 2021, and reunites with Predators GM Chris MacFarland, who served as an assistant general manager with both of those clubs during Calvert’s playing days. In his new role, he’ll help evaluate and develop Nashville’s forward prospects. Calvert will work along side Scott Nichol, Predators Assistant General Manager, Admirals General Manager and Director of Player Development.
The Washington Capitals loaned 2026 first-round pick Oliver Suvanto to Tappara of Finland’s Liiga for the 2026-27 season, the team annoucned Friday morning. The 17-year-old center, the 18th overall selection, who signed his three-year entry-level contract earlier this week, will spend a second full season in Finland’s top professional league rather than turning pro in North America. Ranked the top international center in his draft class by NHL Central Scouting, Suvanto posted 11 points in 48 Liiga games as an underager last season, the most by any player age 17 or younger in the league.