Ilya Sorokin sets a new milestone for the Islanders as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy.

Ilya Sorokin’s Historic Achievement with Islanders

Ilya Sorokin has once again made headlines in Islanders history. On Wednesday, he was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the second time in his six-year NHL career, marking the first instance where an Islanders goalie has received multiple nominations for this prestigious Goaltender of the Year award.

Joining him as finalists are Jeremy Swayman from Boston and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy.

There’s a pretty solid chance for Sorokin to clinch this year’s award, especially after finishing as a runner-up in the 2022-23 season. This nomination marks the sixth time an Islanders goaltender has been recognized as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, which is voted on by all 32 NHL general managers. Having been selected 78th overall by the team in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Sorokin finds himself alongside legends like Billy Smith (1982), Roland Melancon (1983), Kelly Hrudi (1988), and Robin Lehner (2019) in this honor.

Interestingly, Smith remains the only one from this list to have actually won the award.

At 30 years old, Sorokin has achieved an impressive seven shutouts this season, tying the franchise record for the most in a single season. In a notable 9-0 victory over the Devils on January 6, he made 44 saves—the highest number of shutouts by any NHL goaltender this season—marking his 26th career shutout and breaking an Islanders record that had stood for nearly half a century.

When looking at the league, Sorokin stands out with remarkable statistics: he leads in road wins (18), ranks eighth in saves (1,386), is tied for ninth in overall wins (29) and games played (55), and sits tenth in total minutes played (3,226).

Despite the Islanders collapsing towards the end of the season and missing the playoffs, Sorokin managed to maintain a 29-24-2 record, boasting a .906 save percentage and a 2.68 goals-against average.

This season, he has an impressive record of 15-5-0 when facing 30 or more shots, even achieving a franchise-record 13-0-0 to start the 2025-26 season. Between March 17 and April 12, Sorokin delivered superb performances in 14 consecutive games, including nine straight starts and four successive victories.