Appleby Advancing Game in Stint with Islanders

There’s been a new, masked, face at New York Islanders practices for the past week and a half, as Ken Appleby has served as the team’s backup netminder with Semyon Varlamov out with a lower-body injury.

The 28-year-old Appleby is in his fourth season with the Islanders’ organization, but first real stint with the Isles and he’s appreciative of the chance to practice – and potentially play – with the NHL club.

“It's pretty special,” Appleby said after the team’s practice in Las Vegas on Friday. “I had a couple of short stints back when I was with the [New Jersey] Devils and it's been a few years since I've been back up here. Comparing it from then to now you kind of learn to appreciate it and also know a little bit of what to expect.”

Appleby appeared in three NHL games during the 2017-18 season with the Devils, going 0-1-0 in one start and a pair of relief appearances. He’s largely spent his career between the American Hockey League (108 games) and the ECHL (151) since turning pro in 2015-16. For the past two years, he’s largely played for the Islanders ECHL affiliate in Worcester, going 27-24-3, while also playing 14 games with the Bridgeport Islanders over that span. He said the long journey through the minors has been a mental test, but his belief in himself hasn’t wavered.

“Every league teaches you something and you try to apply it to your game,” Appleby said. “I've always tried to keep that confidence in myself that I have what it takes. It tests you for sure, especially going down to the ECHL, you question yourself every now and again, but I think what you can take out of that is that it gives you a little bit more mental fortitude.”

This season, he’s stuck in Bridgeport, posting a 5-5-0 record with a 2.88 GAA and an .897 SV% and has assumed the role as the organization’s third goalie in the wake of Cory Schneider’s retirement, though Jakub Skarek has started more games (19).

Being up with the New York Islanders has been beneficial for Appleby, who is not only working with NHL shooters, but getting access to all the NHL coaches and training staff.

“All the training staff that they have here to take care of you every little thing that you need, you're truly treated like nothing else when you're up here,” Appleby said. “You learn to really appreciate it coming from ECHL.

That said, Appleby credited the Islanders ownership for their professional setups in the AHL and ECHL.

“I spent a good amount of time in Worcester and I have to give it to the owners and the coaching staff there, they treat you like you're in the NHL,” Appleby added. “That's their NHL, so you still come to the rink every day with the same mindset and learning to grow.”

While facing any Islanders players makes for a fun challenge and there’s lots to be learned from Goaltending Coach Piero Greco, Appleby’s best resource may just be Ilya Sorokin. Appleby was asking questions while Sorokin was stretching out after Saturday’s morning skate and is looking to soak up as much as he can.

“He's fun to watch,” Appleby said. “Even sometimes when the pucks is in the other end I'm still watching him and seeing what he's doing. There’s so much you can learn off of him, Varly or anyone at this level. He’s one of the better goalies in the NHL, so any chance I get, I'm going to try and take as much information from him as I can.”

Appleby called himself a slow developer, but before turning pro, he won an OHL Championship and Memorial Cup with the Oshawa Generals in 2015. That season Appleby led the OHL with a 2.08 GAA, a .924 SV%, was tied for first with six shutouts, and finished second with 38 wins.

The path since has been long and included stops in Albany (AHL), Adirondack (ECHL), New Jersey (NHL), Binghamton (AHL), Manitoba (AHL), Jacksonville (ECHL), Milwaukee (AHL), Florida (ECHL), Bridgeport (AHL) and Worcester (ECHL), but he’s worked his way back to the cusp of the NHL – and he’s savoring every second.

“Any day you're up here is pretty special,” Appleby said. “It's something you work for, for a very long time.”