It was not a fun night for the New York Islanders Thursday, as they were routed by the rival New York Rangers 9-2.

For one player, however, the night would be unforgettable if not brief.

Former Worcester Railers goaltender Tristan Lennox made his NHL debut for the Islanders, after head coach Patrick Roy inserted the 22-year-old netminder in the third period with the Islanders down 6-1.

Lennox relieved Marcus Hogberg but faced just one shot, a Brett Berard five-hole on an odd-man rush to increase the Rangers’ lead to 7-2.

Roy then elected to put Hogberg back in the game after that, but it mattered little as the Isles were all but eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention with the lopsided loss.

Lennox was emergency recalled on Thursday after a lower-body injury to starting goaltender Ilya Sorokin. The Islanders’ third-round pick (93rd overall) in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft has appeared in four games with Bridgeport of the American Hockey League this season, posting a 0-3-0 record with a 4.44 goals-against average and an .832 save percentage.

An injury in 2023-24 with the Railers has limited Lennox’s action in net this season. He went 5-6-2 last season with the Railers, recording a .909 SP and 2.94 GAA over 13 games.

The native of Ottawa became the 766th former ECHL player to make his NHL debut and the 14th this season.

The 6-foot-4, 196-pound goaltender is the fourth Railer player to go on to play in the NHL after appearing in a game for Worcester. He joins Jakub Skarek, who made his NHL debut for the Islanders on Feb. 2, 2025, Arnaud Durandeau, who made his NHL debut for the Islanders on Feb. 20, 2023, and Ken Appleby, who appeared in one game for the Isles on Jan. 15, 2024.

The Florida Everblades announced Friday they have agreed to terms with forward Josh Ho-Sang on a standard player contract (SPC).

The 29-year-old right-shot right winger won the Kelly Cup with the Everblades last season, posting one goal and 17 assists during the Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Toronto native also provided two goals and 13 assists in 11 regular season games ahead of the 2024 playoffs.

Before the Everblades, the 6-foot, 174-pound Ho-Sang played 53 NHL games and 225 AHL games split between the New York Islanders, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and San Antonio Rampage.

Ho-Sang scored seven goals and 17 assists in the NHL. The Kelly Cup Champion was drafted in the first round (28th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders from the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires.

Ho-Sang played 256 OHL games split between Windsor and the Niagara IceDogs, finishing with 82 goals and 210 assists.

The Everblades kick off the weekend with a big matchup in Estero against the Toledo Walleye. Puck drop is set for 7:30 Pm ET.

Wheeling has a proud hockey heritage that dates back to 1992, when the Wheeling Thunderbirds came to town.

Many players have passed through the team over the years, either on their way to the NHL or elsewhere.

Last Saturday, goaltender Brandon Halverson became the 69th former Nailer/Thunderbird to reach the National Hockey League after playing in Wheeling.

Halverson got the starting nod for the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night against the Utah Hockey Club at Delta Center.

Halverson played in four games for the Nailers during the 2020-21 season, as he unfortunately had his season end prematurely due to injury. Wheeling was one of five ECHL teams he suited up for over the course of six seasons. The most recent of those was 2023-24, when he was a member of the Orlando Solar Bears.

The Traverse City, Michigan native played four games against the Nailers last season, as he won twice at Kia Center, while Wheeling got the upper hand in the two matches at WesBanco Arena.

The 28-year old has eclipsed the 100 games played mark in both the ECHL and the American Hockey League, as he has gone 46-55-11 in 118 ECHL contests and 41-41-15 in exactly 100 AHL games.

Halverson is currently enjoying the best season of his career, as he was named to the 2024-25 AHL All-Star Game, thanks to a 16-9-8 mark with the Syracuse Crunch. His 2.32 goals against average ranks eighth in the AHL, while his .913 save percentage is tied for 11th.

This was not the first NHL game for Halverson, who was drafted by the New York Rangers in the second round (59th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft. He made his debut on Feb. 17, 2018 with the Rangers in Ottawa. That makes him the fourth of the 69 former Nailers/Thunderbirds to make his NHL debut before coming to Wheeling and return to the NHL after playing for the Nailers. The previous three were Luca Caputi, Joaquin Gage, and Dany Sabourin.

Halverson made 19 saves on 25 shots Saturday night for Tampa Bay in a 6-4 defeat against Utah.

The Nailers will host the Cincinnati Cyclones for Frosty Friday at WesBanco Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:10 Pm ET.

The South Carolina Stingrays announced Tuesday that goaltender Garin Bjorklund has been re-assigned from South Carolina to the Hershey Bears.

The 22-year-old Bjorklund is in his third season of professional hockey. He leads South Carolina's goaltenders with a 21-4-3 record, 2.02 goals-against average and .927 save percentage in 29 games played in 2024-25.

The 6-2, 174-pound Calgary, Alberta native is in the final year of an entry-level NHL contract with the Washington Capitals, who selected him in the sixth round (179th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft. He has yet to play an AHL game in his professional career.

In three ECHL seasons, Bjorklund has a 36-15-4 record with a 2.66 GAA and .905 SP in 57 games.

Before turning pro, Bjorklund spent parts of four seasons with the Western Hockey League's Medicine Hat Tigers, appearing in 96 career WHL games.

With three wins last week, the Stingrays (46-14-3-2) extended their win streak to 11 games and currently sit in first place in the ECHL with 97 points. They are three points ahead of the Florida Everblades for the top spot in the league and need just two points to guarantee home-ice advantage in the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

South Carolina will clinch home-ice advantage for the first round if the Jacksonville Icemen lose in regulation on Wednesday or if the Stingrays win on Friday in Kalamazoo.

This spring, the Stingrays are heading to the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the 29th time in the team’s 32 seasons of existence. They will attempt to win their fourth Kelly Cup Championship this season.

The Stingrays travel to Kalamazoo this week to take on the Wings on Friday. Puck drop is set for 7 Pm ET.

The Reading Royals announced Monday that they will rebrand their name and colors (red & black) to the Reading Red Knights for their Reading Red Knights Night on Saturday, April 12 against the Worcester Railers at Santander Arena.

The Reading Red Knights promotional game, presented by Members 1st Federal Credit Union, is dedicated to celebrating the Reading School District, as well as the Latin community with a La Noche de Los Royales promotion.

"We are happy to partner with the Reading School District for a second consecutive season on this great event to celebrate our community," Chris Hazel, Director of Ticketing said in a statement. "We are excited to bring together two organizations in the city and provide students the opportunity to attend a game for free in a night dedicated to their school district. We look forward to becoming the Red Knights for a game.”

The promotional game will feature the Royals wearing specialty Reading Red Knights jerseys on the ice! Proceeds from the Red Knights Jerseys and other Red Knights Merchandise will benefit the Reading School District.

Fans can support by ordering their Reading Red Knights jersey or Reading Red Knights puck at RoyalsTeamStore.com.

Reading School District members can each enjoy the following deals for the Apr. 12 game:

Students Receive:

Two Free tickets through the link. Must purchase tickets after 2 have been claimed for free.

Student ID can be shown at the box office for 2 free tickets, as well.

Staff/Admin Receive:

One Free ticket for Staff with the purchase of additional tickets.

Additional tickets available at discounted rate.

Alumni Receive:

Special discounted ticket offer for alumni to come out and support the game, with a chance to grab some Red Knights merch while they're there.

Links to access special Reading SD deals will be provided through the Reading School District. Students and Faculty are encouraged to reach out to their school building administrators for the above offers.

The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, announced Saturday the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL) have signed goaltender Jon Gillies to a professional tryout contract (PTO).

Additionally, Ryan Fanti has been recalled by the Crunch, also announced Saturday.

Gillies, 30, has appeared in two games this season for the Solar Bears, posting a 1-1-0 record, a 3.08 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound netminder has appeared in 35 NHL games with the Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, New Jersey Devils, and Columbus Blue Jackets. He also boasts a substantial resume in the AHL and ECHL, providing the Solar Bears with a proven and reliable presence between the pipes.

A native of Concord, New Hampshire, Gillies was originally selected by the Flames in the third round (75th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft.

Before turning professional, he played three seasons at Providence College, where he helped lead the Friars to an NCAA National Championship in 2015 and earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player honors.

The Atlanta Gladiators announced Thursday that the club has signed a two-year extension to continue as the ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Nashville Predators.

“The Nashville Predators and Milwaukee Admirals have been terrific affiliates the last two years,” Gladiators owner Alex Campbell, commented in a statement. “We’re proud to extend our partnership through the 2026-27 season, and I look forward to continued success for the Predators, the Admirals, and the Gladiators.”

Since joining forces with Nashville and the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League prior to the 2023-24 season, Atlanta has had 11 players join the club under either an AHL or NHL contract, further adding to the developmental pipeline between all three teams.

This season, the Gladiators have benefited from additions such as defenseman Jeremy Hanzel (48GP-3G-15A), forward Alexander Campbell (3GP-2G-2A), and first-year goaltender Ethan Haider, a former 5th round selection of the Predators in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft (29GP, 16-11-1, 3 SO).

The Predators are led by head coach Andrew Brunette, who played for the ECHL's Hampton Roads Admirals during the 1993-94 season. Since taking the helm, Brunette has guided Nashville to a record of 72-62-12.

Additionally, forward Cole Smith who now has over 200 games of NHL experience, began his professional career with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades.

The Predators currently sit in seventh place in the NHL’s Central Division, with a record of 25-32-7, for 57 points. This past season, Nashville qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, finishing as a Wild Card team in the consistently competitive Western Conference.

"We are excited to keep the Atlanta Gladiators as part of the Predators family moving forward," Predators General Manager Barry Trotz said in a news release. "We've been fortunate enough to reap the benefits of having a longstanding AHL affiliate in Milwaukee, and we are hoping that our partnership with Atlanta will blossom into something similar. The proximity between our two teams offers us the chance to further expand the game of hockey in the South, with two strong, passionate fan bases cheering us on. I'd like to thank the Gladiators organization – including the ATL Hockey Group, led by Alex Campbell – for their leadership and commitment to making this relationship even stronger in the coming years."

Over the years, Nashville has partnered with several teams, including the Hampton Roads Admirals (1998-00), New Orleans Brass (2000-01), Cincinnati Cyclones (2001-02, 07-17), Toledo Storm (2003-04), Norfolk Admirals (2017-18), the Florida Everblades (2019-22), and most recently the Atlanta Gladiators (2023-Present).

Atlanta was initially affiliated with the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers from 2003 until 2011, when the franchise relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Following the Thrasher’s departure from the NHL, the Gladiators have partnered with the Arizona Coyotes (2011-15, 2022-23), Boston Bruins (2015-18), Ottawa Senators (2021-22), and the Predators (2023-Present).

The Predators are currently on a west coast road trip, with their next game set forFriday in Anaheim against the Ducks. The Gladiators are also back in action on Friday when they host the South Carolina Stingrays for Heroes Night. Puck drop is set for 7:30 Pm.