Islanders pending Group VI unrestricted free agent goaltender Jakub Skarek won’t return to the team – or the NHL – next season. He’s signed a one-year contract with Finland’s HIFK with a second-year option, the team announced.
Skarek has spent the better part of the last six years in North America. Selected by the Isles in the third round back in 2018, they kept waiting for the 25-year-old to take a significant step in his development, but it never came. Over six seasons with AHL Bridgeport, the Czech netminder never once posted a save percentage at or above .900, averaging a .890 mark with a 3.34 GAA and just five shutouts in 161 appearances. He compiled a 49-84-17 record as the Baby Isles made the Calder Cup Playoffs just once in his tenure.
The 6’4″, 211-lb netminder finally made his NHL debut late this season, with injuries taking No. 2 and No. 3 options Semyon Varlamov and Marcus Högberg out of the equation behind starter Ilya Sorokin. He allowed five goals on 39 shots for a .872 SV% across one start and one relief appearance.
Skarek now returns to Finland, where he had some success in the top-flight Liiga with Pelicans in 2018-19, his post-draft season. He logged a 2.45 GAA, .906 SV%, and a 6-8-7 record in 22 appearances there. He’ll now add to his Liiga resume in 2025-26 in Helsinki, positioned as the backup behind former Wild draft pick Niko Hovinen.