The Bridgeport Islanders wrapped up their 2023-24 season a week ago, missing out on the Calder Cup playoffs for the second time in as many years. The team was the only in the AHL (American Hockey League) to finish with fewer than 60 points. That said, there were several bright spots to their season that fans will look back fondly upon when they think of the 2023-24 campaign. Ruslan Iskhakov and Matt Maggio are two players who shined.
Ruslan Iskhakov
Ruslan Iskhakov was the Islanders’ most electrifying player this past season. He was also their most valuable. The 23-year-old Russian led the team in both goals and assists, finishing the season with 50 points, well clear of Brian Pinho who came second on the team with 34. Iskhakov had some highlight-reel goals too. His between-the-legs game-winner against the Hartford Wolfpack in March was likely the highlight of the Islanders’ season, and it landed him with the number three spot on SportsCenter’s top ten.
Iskhakov’s spectacular play paid off. He was selected to represent the Islanders at the AHL All-Star game for the second year in a row, an honor that was unquestionably deserved. As the season winded down, he received the call he had been waiting for: he was called up to the NHL club to play in their last game of the regular season. He registered his first NHL point in that game and he looked very at home playing up in New York, at home enough that he has seen playing time in the postseason. Iskhakov will become a free agent at the conclusion of the Islanders’ playoff run: it remains to be seen what his plans are for next season.
Matt Maggio
Matt Maggio is arguably the Islanders’ most promising prospect. He was relatively unknown when the Islanders selected him with the 142nd pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, however he broke out the following season, pacing the OHL in points in 2022-23 for the Windsor Spitfires. His first full season in Bridgeport was highly anticipated, and it turned out to be a story of two halves for the young forward. Through the first three months of the season, he put up four goals and four assists; through the second half, he put up 12 goals and seven assists, assuming a key role in a struggling offense.
Maggio touched on his development in a postgame press conference following the team’s second-to-last game of the season, saying “I think coming into pro hockey there are a bunch of learning curves you have to get over. I needed to get better defensively at the start of the year, had to learn the pro game and understand that the things that worked in Junior wouldn’t really work here as much. I needed to mold my game to be a little more North – South and be harder in the corners… The coach’s confidence has come along, now he’s trusting me with 4-on-4 and going out late in the game and in overtime.”
Islanders fans should be encouraged by Maggio’s development over the course of the campaign. He has looked stronger on both sides of the puck and was an impact player in Bridgeport after the All-Star break. He should compete for a roster spot at the NHL level next season, and if he comes up short he will be a welcome presence on the AHL roster again.
Two Stars
While the season in Bridgeport was disappointing on the whole, these two players stood out as the two brightest stars on the team in 2023-24. Iskhakov’s hard work and stellar play has paid off with playing time in the NHL playoffs, and he is a player that the Islanders should look to bring back this offseason. Maggio will aim to continue on his upward trajectory and compete for a roster spot in New York come training camp. While the season in Bridgeport could have been brighter, Maggio and Iskhakov were a joy to watch in 2023-24.
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