NY Islanders Giving Back Through Fourth Annual Shoulder Check Showcase

Tony DeAngelo of the New York Islanders will be on the ice at the 2026 Shoulder Check Showcase.

Shoulder Check Showcase 2025 / COURTESY: Matt Raney

The fourth annual Shoulder Check Showcase, which is a charitable hockey game with a mission of spreading human connection and supporting mental health awareness, is fast approaching — with Tony DeAngelo being present to represent the New York Islanders.

The NHL is heavily involved in the Shoulder Check Showcase, with over 25 League players slated to participate in the event. Founder and Executive Director Rob Thorsen originally founded the HT40 Foundation and the event in May of 2022 after his son, Hayden, took is own life. The event's premise and message are centered around how much human connection matters, demonstrating that sometimes simply reaching out to someone or putting a hand on someone's shoulder can make all the difference in an individual's life.

Thorsen said he wants the Shoulder Check Showcase to demonstrate an easy way of making a positive difference surrounding the stigma of mental health.

"There's a lot of great work out there now that's about breaking down the stigma," said Thorsen to Islanders on SI. "Our observation was, we're still asking the person who might be having a hard time to push themselves into the space to be vulnerable. So, our thought was let's just give everybody a role in this, and let's make it disarming, and let's make it easy."

Tony DeAngelo Representing NY Islanders in 2026 Shoulder Check Showcase

The 2026 Shoulder Check Showcase will be held at Sacred Heart University's Martire Family Arena, with a pregame party starting at 4:00 p.m. EST; puck drop is slated at 6:30 p.m.

The event's website that the event this year will be their biggest one to date.

While DeAngelo will be representing the Islanders, some other NHL players participating in the event include Trevor Zegras, Chris Kreider, Matt Rempe, Ryan Leonard, and Gabe Perreault.

DeAngelo — a defenseman — is coming off posting 35 points across five goals and 30 assists for the Islanders in 2025-26 after being signed as a free agent by the Isles in Jan. of 2025.

Mar 21, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Islanders defenseman Tony DeAngelo (77) looks on during warm-up before the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Zegras's father of Gary Zegras is a Founding Board Member of HT40 and said that the Shoulder Check Showcase demonstrates that everyone can positively impact the mental health of others.

"What's really unique about this initiative is that it puts it on all of us to just say, 'Hey. Let's just let's just put our arm around each other and ask how you're doing and make sure that everybody's okay.' And I think that everybody's got that in them," Gary said.

The 2026 Shoulder Check Showcase marks the first year the event has taken place at Martire Family Arena — which has a capacity of around 4,000 and will house DeAngelo and fans for the event.