https://eyesonisles.com/2021/03/20/islanders-prospects-daily-tons-action-finnish-prospects/

Fantasy Summary

At 6-7, Tikkanen tops even the existing redwoods in North American pro hockey. He’s a bit light for that height at 201, but that probably helps him to be so agile for someone that huge. While his technique needs development and consistency, Tikkanen typically remains calm under fire and uses his size effectively. He doesn’t like to go down unless he has to.


Observations

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July 2023 – The 6-7 Finnish goaltender appeared in 38 games for Worcester (ECHL) last season. A former seventh round pick, Tikkanen played well enough to earn a .914 save percentage. With Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov locked up long-term, the chances we see the 22-year-old in the NHL any time soon are slim to none. Thankfully that means he has a lot of time to develop in the AHL, ECHL or overseas. James Iacovone

 

June 2022 – After an eye-opening seven-game 2020-21 stint in Finland’s best hockey league that featured a 1.94 GAA and .921 save percentage, the sky-scraping Finn struggled in the Liiga this season. While he was back with KalPa, he posted 4.95 and .765 marks in two games, although he sparkled in a one-game loan to the Liiga’s Växjö Lakers. Hopefully a 13-4 mark in Sweden’s second-tier league restored some confidence. Mark Allan

 

March 2022 – The towering Finn is still tracking as a long-term project. Taken in the seventh round, the 6-8 netminder had a sparkling 1.94 GAA and .921 save percentage last season in seven games with KalPa. However, in two Liiga appearances to start this campaign with the same Finnish team, his numbers regressed to 4.95 and .765, causing a demotion to MoDo of Sweden’s second-tier pro league. Mark Allan

 

July 2021 – Perhaps because they had just five picks in 2020, and none in the first two rounds, the Isles’ braintrust spent some time deliberating who would be chosen in the final round. The sky-scraping Finn got the nod due to his immense size, agility and improvement from the previous season. Believing they could get him in the final two rounds, the Islanders actually submitted his name ahead of time to ensure he’d be eligible for the draft. They obviously looked beyond his unimpressive numbers (.889 and .895 save percentages the previous two campaigns for HIFK’s U20 squad). Eyes were opened this past campaign, however, when he achieved 1.94 and .921 stats in seven outings for KalPa in the Liiga, his country’s top pro circuit. Numbers like that take the sting out of a 6-5-1 record with a 3.25 GAA and .877 save percentage for IPK in the Mestis (Finland’s equivalent of the AHL). The Islanders haven’t signed the 20-year-old yet, but their system is not deep with promising young netminders, so a contract offer will likely come sooner rather than later, especially if he continues to thrive in Liiga play. After that, he faces a lengthy acclimation to North America while he refines his technique. Mark Allan

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 5.0
NHL Certainty 3.5
Country FIN
Position G
Roster Type Europe
Shoot/Glove Left
Date of Birth September 28, 2000
Height 6‘7”
Weight 201 lbs
Drafted 2010 Round 7; Overall: 214

Stats

 Season Team League GP GAA SVS%      Playoffs GP GAA SVS%
 2014-2015 HAKI U16 IIU16 Aluesarja1 - .940|      
 2015-2016 HIFK U16U16 SM-sarja Q2 - -|      
  HIFK U16U16 SM-sarja17 - .952|Playoffs5 - .926
  HJK U17U17 SM-sarja7 - .876|      
  Finland U16 (all)International-Jr2 - .944|      
 2016-2017 HIFK U18U18 SM-sarja27 - .889|Playoffs0 - -
  HIFK U20U20 SM-sarja0 - -|      
  Finland U17 (all)International-Jr1 - .625|      
 2017-2018 HIFK U18U18 SM-sarja22 2.31 .916|Playoffs4 2.25 .877
  HIFK U20U20 SM-sarja12 - .958|Playoffs0 - -
 2018-2019 HIFK U20U20 SM-sarja26 - .889|Playoffs1 6.00 .854
 2019-2020 HIFK U20U20 SM-sarja39 - .895|      
 2020-2021 IPKMestis12 3.25 .877|Playoffs0 -
  KalPaLiiga7 1.94 .921|      
 2021-2022 KalPaLiiga2 4.95 .765|      
  MoDo HockeyHockeyAllsvenskan19 2.50 .903|Qualification1 5.53 .857
  Växjö Lakers HCSHL1 1.00 .952|      
 2022-2023 Bridgeport IslandersAHL0 - -|      
  Worcester RailersECHL38 3.02 .914|      
 2023-2024 Bridgeport IslandersAHL18 2.10 .930|      
  Worcester RailersECHL20 3.22 .892|      
 2024-2025 Bridgeport IslandersAHL1 8.00 .758|      
  Worcester RailersECHL3 1.69 .937|      

Highlights