RYAN HEALEY ON ISLANDERS TRADE, FIRST DEVELOPMENT CAMP
DEFENSEMAN ACQUIRED FROM MINNESOTA WILD ON JUNE 27, SIGNED WITH AHL HAMILTON ON JULY 19
Jul 20, 2026
During Draft Weekend, the New York Islanders made a point of addressing organizational defensive depth.
Three of the team's five picks were defensemen, but after day two of the draft concluded, the team acquired another blueliner, bringing in Ryan Healey from the Minnesota Wild for future considerations.
“I was super excited and It’s a great organization. They’re really nice and welcoming to me. ” Healey said during Islanders Development Camp.
Healey was caught by surprise when he got the call about the trade, but he got to immediately share the news with his family.
“I was actually out to dinner with my family when I got the call." Healey said. "We were all really excited"
Healey is played four NCAA seasons with Harvard, totaling 55 points (19G, 36A) in 130 games. The 6'0," 172 lbs. blueliner recorded 12 points (4G, 8A) in the 2025-26 season, where he ranked second in scoring amongst Harvard defensemen. His career high was 22 points (9G, 13A) in 29 games in the 2023-24 season.
“I had a great experience at Harvard. My teammates were great and I learned a lot from them.”
Off the ice, Healey was studious and earned a degree in economics, crediting the influence of his parents with pursuing his education. Two months post-grad, he’s looking to build off a solid four years at Harvard.
“I just graduated in May, which was pretty exciting." Healey said. "I somehow got through it all.”
When he's not hitting the ice or the books, Healey is an avid surfer, which he revealed to the Islanders social media team.
Healey grew up in Hull, MA, so he spent his early years always by the water and worked at a surf camp one summer as a teenager. He ultimately developed a passion for surfing throughout the years – which he said helped his skills on the ice.
“Growing up near the water, I was always riding bikes with friends around town, so surfing just came to me. " Healey said. "It’s a lot of fun. The balance and endurance part of surfing definitely carries over to hockey.”
For Healey and the Islanders, Development Camp was a get-to-know-each-other-process, so the priority was making an impression on management instead of the Long Beach surfing scene.
"They just said have a fun week, meet some new people, and take away what you can," Healey said. "This is for development, it's not a try out. It's been fun."
Following Development Camp, a career development, as Healey signed a one-way American Hockey League contract with the Hamilton Hammers on Sunday.