Islanders acquire defenseman from Wild

The New York Islanders acquired the signing rights to defenseman Ryan Healey from the Minnesota Wild Saturday in exchange for future considerations.

Healey, 22, was originally selected by the Wild in the fourth round (121st overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft. A right-shot defenseman from Chicago, Illinois, he recently completed a four-year collegiate career at Harvard University and is now eligible to begin his professional career.

During the 2025-26 season, the 6-foot, 183-pound blueliner appeared in 34 games, producing four goals and eight assists for 12 points. He finished second among Harvard defensemen in scoring while also recording a plus-one rating, the first positive plus-minus season of his NCAA career.

Across 130 career games with Harvard, Healey accumulated 19 goals and 36 assists for 55 points. His best offensive campaign came during the 2023-24 season, when he finished with 22 points in 29 games. That same year, he earned NCAA All-Ivy League First Team honors after also being named to the ECAC All-Rookie Team as a freshman.

Before joining Harvard, Healey played in the United States Hockey League with the Sioux Falls Stampede. In his draft season, he collected 21 points in 59 games after spending the previous year competing across five different levels. He also represented the United States at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, recording two assists in four games.

New York now control Healey’s NHL signing rights but must sign him to an entry-level contract by Aug. 15. If no agreement is reached by that deadline, he will become an unrestricted free agent.

Acquiring Healey before that date also gives the Islanders an opportunity to evaluate him at development camp before making a contract decision. If he signs, he is expected to begin his professional career next season with AHL Hamilton, adding organizational depth on the blue line. This is also a depth move for the Hamilton Hammers.

The post Islanders acquire defenseman from Wild appeared first on ClutchPoints.