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Rocky Thompson, Chicago Wolves (Courtesy Chicago Wolves)

Islanders AHL Team & Their Rocky Road Back to Contention

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Mike Fink | Last updated Jul 4, 2025 10:40 AM ET

“I believe in developing in a winning environment, so the AHL will definitely be a focus.” That’s how Mathieu Darche set the tone for his general manager (GM) tenure with the New York Islanders. In his first press conference, he stated the importance of a good team in the American Hockey League (AHL). To have a good farm system, the Bridgeport Islanders must be a winning team as well as the NHL group.

A lot must change after a historically bad season, one where they went 15-50-4-3 and won only four home games in six months. They were awful across the board, so Darche had to act fast and make some big changes. He did, and the Islanders are already crawling back into AHL relevancy, providing a winning culture for the prospects to play in.

The Rocky Thompson Hire & the Mixed Bag He Brings

It’s quite the reversal to go from Rick Kowalsky to Rocky Thompson as the head coach. Kowalsky was 52 when he was hired in the 2023 offseason, making him one of the older coaches in the AHL. Thompson will be 48 when the season begins, so he fits right in with the many other up-and-coming coaches in the league.

Thompson is a proven winner, taking the Chicago Wolves to the Calder Cup Final in 2019 and also having success at the junior level. Kowalsky was a below .500 coach who missed the playoffs in seven of his 10 seasons as an AHL head coach, while winning only 40 games in two seasons with the Islanders.

The question is how Thompson will change the team, aside from bringing a winning culture. An aggressive mindset and pressure stand out, something the Islanders lacked last season and clearly work in the AHL, as the Charlotte Checkers showed. Along with forechecking and looking to create turnovers in the offensive zone, this team will look to generate more shots on the net compared to waiting for a good shot, as they did multiple times under Kowalsky.

At the same time, it’s not all sunshine in Bridgeport (it’s usually cloudy for those wondering) with Thompson behind the bench. He’s a hands-off coach and not focused on the details, which explains why the power play was awful when he ran it for the Philadelphia Flyers in recent seasons. At the same time, Thompson won’t micromanage, so it could translate to the AHL level and get the most out of the prospects.

The Veteran Additions

In the AHL, the only thing that stays the same is change. Teams change from one season to the next, and even within one season, there’s plenty of turnover with players called up and sent down like a rollercoaster ride. The Islanders brought in a player who can turn things around, not just veterans to fill out the roster.

Signing Chris Terry was the big in-house task for the Islanders, and they took care of it. He was one of the bright spots with 19 goals and 47 assists on a team that didn’t provide him much help. But more important than the stats and production is what Terry brings to the locker room as a prominent voice and much-needed leader for a younger team.

Along with the Terry addition, Darche signed defenseman Ethan Bear and goaltender David Rittich in free agency. The intention of signing both players is to add depth to the NHL roster, but they will likely play multiple games at the AHL level and become the anchors of the defense and the goaltending, two positions that need help, even with the influx of talent.

The Youth Movement

Ideally, Matthew Schaefer and Calum Ritchie are on the NHL roster on opening night. If both skaters are ready, they change the complexion of the team as they might retool faster than initially anticipated. However, if neither prospect is ready, they’ll develop in the AHL beforehand.

As intriguing as having both Schaefer and Ritchie on the roster is, it’s best for the Islanders to stay patient, and that’s the path Darche is willing to take, especially with a generational talent on defense. This applies to many of the prospects in the system, including Cole Eiserman, Kamil Bednarik, and Danny Nelson. Before these prospects make an impact on the NHL roster, they’ll be in the AHL and likely make a significant impact while there.

Last season, there weren’t many prospects the Islanders could point to. Maybe Alex Jefferies and Matthew Maggio, but the team gave up quickly on William Dufour (who was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in the Brock Nelson trade). Otherwise, there wasn’t much in the system. This season, there are plenty of players to choose from, and they’ll all make the AHL team more exciting but also better at hockey.

Ending With a Bang?

The Islanders, for all their changes and upgrades, are still in a rough division. Even with the turnover to the teams at the top, notably the Hershey Bears losing head coach Todd Nelson and multiple contributors to the Calder Cup teams, it won’t be easy to make up ground.

That said, the Islanders closed the gap in one offseason. They won’t be the punching bag of their division or the AHL. Instead, they’ll be in the middle of the pack and potentially near the top of the league, creating the winning culture Darche wants to see just one season into his GM tenure.

The looming question for the Islanders is if this is their last season in Bridgeport. There were multiple reports about the team moving to Hamilton, Ontario, after the season, which, if the case, puts a dark cloud over the season, the same way the Arizona Coyotes played 2023-24 with uncertainty about their future.

If that’s what ends up happening, the Islanders have a chance to leave the market with a bang. It’s something the Norfolk Admirals did as the Tampa Bay Lightning affiliate (go figure) in 2012, as they won the Calder Cup title and then moved to Syracuse, a market further north from the NHL team but with a fan base passionate about hockey. It’s why this season can be one final case for Bridgeport to prove it’s a market that deserves the Islanders or an AHL team if this team leaves.