So, why did the Islanders make this move?
The Islanders are all set at the NHL level after they signed Semyon Varlamov to a four-year extension this past summer and Ilya Sorokin to an eight-year extension, which kicks in next season.
At the AHL level, the Islanders have 24-year-old Jakub Skarek (7-22-6, 3.23 GAA, .888 SV%), who inked a two-year extension this past summer, but his development has tailed off.
Due to Sorokin and Varlamov, Skarek has no real path to the NHL, so you can’t rule out parting ways after this season despite his being under contract.
Bridgeport could potentially lose Skarek’s goalie partner, 29-year-old Ken Appleby (10-10-1, 2.85 GAA, .901 SV%), after this season, as he’s an unrestricted free agent, which is where Hogberg comes in.
In the ECHL, the Islanders saw 23-year-old Henrik Tikkanen, who stands at 6′8 and weighs 201 lbs, take tremendous strides in his second season with the organization after being selected in the seventh round (No. 214) at the 2020 NHL Draft.
In 20 games with the Worcester Railers this season, Tikkanen played to an 11-7-2 record, with a 3.22 GAA and an .892 SV%. But when he was given the chance at the AHL level – an 18-game sample size – he impressed, posting an 8-6-2 record with a 2.10 GAA and a .930 SV%.
Tikkanen’s Worcester partner, Tristan Lennox, has only one year of professional experience. He had a 2.94 GAA, a .909 SV%, and a record of 5-6-2 in 13 games with Worcester.
So it seems that, with the Hogberg signing, he will replace Appleby in Bridgeport for 2024-25.
