Kinkaid Attending Rookie Camp After Inking PTO 

With 13 years of pro hockey on his resume, 35-year-old netminder Keith Kinkaid acknowledged he had a little more experience than most at New York Islanders Rookie Camp.

“I'm just putting my best foot forward, just be a pro, be a rookie,” Kinkaid said with a laugh.

The veteran goaltender inked a PTO (Professional Tryout) with the Islanders after spending his summer on Long Island, skating and working out at Northwell Health Ice Center, the Isles practice facility.

Kinkaid has an established rapport with Islanders President and GM Lou Lamoriello, as the netminder started his pro career in the New Jersey Devils organization when Lamoriello signed the undrafted goaltender as a free agent in 2011. Their paths crossed again this summer with Kinkaid in close proximity and hungry for a new opportunity.

“You’ve got to prove yourself,” Kinkaid said. “That's what I'm coming here to do, prove myself. Lou [Lamoriello] knows me from the beginning of my career, so I'm hoping I can still show them what I got.”

With extensive familiarity with the management suite and the area the Farmingville, New York native is focused on making the most of this opportunity with the Isles.

“I just want to bring some experience and kind of show the way,” Kinkaid said. “This is my 14th season, and I just want to do anything I can to turn heads to still got a lot left in the tank.”

Kinkaid played 169 NHL games over 13 pro seasons along with a career .905 SV% and a 2.91 GAA. He’s willing to make himself a resource to the fresh faces attending their first, second or third rookie camp, especially young goalies Henrik Tikkanen and Tristan Lennox.

“I want to help them any way I can,” Kinkaid said. “Help them with movements, help them with little things I've picked up in my career. Maybe tell them throw a two-pad stack in every once in a while… I guess I'm dating myself now. But both [Tikkanen] and Lennox, they were awesome today.”

The veteran netminder is rounding his experience playing for Tri-State Area teams, as he played in the Devils organization for seven seasons (2012-2019) and with the New York Rangers for two (2020-22). Admittedly, this current opportunity hits close to home.

“I did grow up an Islanders fan, I loved going to the Coliseum,” Kinkaid said. “That was always a joy in my life. This is really cool.”

The Long Island natives in the organization are slowly, but surely increasing, as Kinkaid is also attending camp with fellow Long Islander Marshall Warren, who was born in Laurel Hollow, New York.

“We worked out together and he was hoping I was coming to camp, and it happened,” Kinkaid said. “He's a funny kid, really skilled. It’s nice to have a couple of Long Island players here.”

As an experienced vet in the pros, Kinkaid’s fairly familiar with the Islanders organization – Kinkaid was teammates with Kyle Palmieri in New Jersey and has played with Anders Lee and Brock Nelson at IIHF World Championships He’d seem plenty of Islanders as opponents and more recently practiced with fellow netminder Semyon Varlamov as recently as this summer – so the transition to a new organization has felt smooth off the bat.

“Everyone's very welcoming and easy to get along with,” Kinkaid said. “Great group of guys over here.”

With 13 seasons of pro hockey under his belt, Kinkaid is still of the mindset of learning more and growing his game with each practice, excited for his new opportunity on Long Island.

“I'm always learning,” Kinkaid said. “Every goal goalie coach is teaching you something different, you just got to put it in your toolbox and use it for when it applies.”