The 2025 second-round NHL draft pick will join the Islanders for the rest of the season.
The Charlottetown Islanders have left an import spot open all season in the anticipation of the possibility of Carolina Hurricanes draft pick Ivan Ryabkin being loaned to the team.
On Monday, that hope finally became reality. The team used the 21st overall pick in the 2025 CHL import draft on the gifted Russian, and now he'll finally be playing in front of the Charlottetown fans after starting the season with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.
Ryabkin, 18, is a dynamic skilled offensive talent. He recorded one goals and six assists in his rookie AHL campaign, after scoring 30 (19+11) points in 27 USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks last season.
The Russian-born forward will join Juraj Jonas Durco and fellow Russian Nikita Voyaga as the three imports for the Islanders the rest of the season.
The Islanders currently sit fifth in the Eastern conference with 41 points through 38 games, but they're just three points back of third-place Cape Breton.
Even with Ryabkin, it'll be tough to get past some of the key contenders in the playoffs this year, but the new star forward in P.E.I. is sure to make a splash.
The team says their new star's debut will likely come on Friday, as the team takes on Halifax at the Eastlink Centre.
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