EXCLUSIVE: Islanders Goalie Prospect Tristan Lennox Reflects On NHL Debut
Islanders goalie prospect Tristan Lennox reflects on his brief NHL debut, Patrick Roy’s decision, his recovery from injury, and the competitive drive that fuels his game.
EAST MEADOW, NY — New York Islanders goalie prospect Tristan Lennox had an interesting 2024-25 campaign. Working his way back from a serious knee injury that kept him sidelined for 14 months, the 2021 third-round pick played in four games with Bridgeport, posting a 4.12 GAA with a .853 SV% behind a shaky blue line.
On Apr. 10, some hours after turning aside 20 of 23 in a 3-2 loss to the Hartford Wolfpack, his fourth career AHL start, Lennox drove from Bridgeport to Long Island after being recalled on an emergency basis. Starter Ilya Sorokin had sustained a lower-body injury in the previous game against the Nashville Predators.
Marcus Högberg got the start against the New York Rangers but was pulled after allowing five goals, leading to Lennox making his NHL debut in the third period, trailing 5-1.
His debut lasted all of 4:43 minutes.
After allowing one goal on two shots, head coach Patrick Roy decided to pull the 22-year-old and put Hogberg back in. The Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender realized he might have made a mistake throwing Lennox in there after barely any professional games under his belt.
“After the sixth goal, I wanted to give a break to Marcus [Högberg], mentally more than anything else,” Roy said. “And I put Lennox in. When I saw the first goal...it’s on me. Maybe I should have kept [Högberg in]. The kid didn’t have a chance to practice. I thought that was unfair to him, to put him out there like this. That’s why I put Marcus back in. Didn’t want to expose him and put him in a tough spot. The chances we were giving, they were 2-on-1s and 3-on-2s. I didn’t think it was fair for the first game."
We didn’t get to speak to Lennox after the 9-2 loss, but I caught up with him to talk about that experience and more:
Stefen Rosner: I know your NHL debut may not have gone the way you planned, but what was that experience like?
Tristan Lennox: “Yeah, it definitely showed me what the big guys are like, and what their shots are like, and the speed a little bit. Even though it was just a couple of minutes, being in there, seeing the speed of the game and everything like that was good. So I think it really opened my eyes a little bit, and I had a big summer this summer. So it was good.”
Stefen Rosner: Roy, after the game, told us that he didn’t do right by you. Just what were your thoughts on how your debut went down?
Tristan Lennox: “It was good. It was all good. Obviously, as a competitor, I’d like to be in there as long as I can, but Patty’s got to do what’s best for the team. And he thought he did that. So that’s that.”
Stefen Rosner: Did that motivate you more going into the summer?
Tristan Lennox: “For sure, yeah. Once you get a taste, you want another. So, it was pretty cool.”
Stefen Rosner: Outside of staying healthy, what was the biggest thing you worked on this summer?
Tristan Lennox: “I think just challenging shooters. Once you’re with the big guys, you know that they can hit that little spot in the corner, so making yourself as big as possible, and being athletic like I am, and just stopping pucks like that. I think that was the biggest thing for me.”
Stefen Rosner: Watching you, you have that no-quit, ultra-competitive attitude. Where does that confidence come from?
Tristan Lennox: “I think it’s just the way I was brought up. My parents, my dad always told me never to give up on a puck in practice, and he’d be watching my every move. So I think that’s kind of what it was for me. And also just being a competitor, like doing anything with the boys — playing Chel, doing anything, I want to win. So I think that’s mostly what it is.”
Stefen Rosner: Game nights at home were very competitive, I’d imagine?
Tristan Lennox: “Yeah, I have a twin brother. We battled a lot. So it was good.”
Stefen Rosner: Are you guys closer now as you've gotten older? My twin and I hated each other — we fought about everything growing up.
Tristan Lennox: “Yeah, that was the same thing with us. We were at it every day, being separated by the parents. It was good.”
Stefen Rosner: Did he play hockey?
Tristan Lennox: “Yeah. He was a defenseman, but we were always battling no matter what it was.”
