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Islanders Officially Poach Assistant General Manager From Canadian Team

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Jack Sutherland | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 4:22 PM ET

The New York Islanders have officially poached Ryan Bowness from the Ottawa Senators, and he'll be their new Assistant GM and Director of Player Personnel.

The New York Islanders have already made a major change in their front office, as they informed former general manager and President of Hockey Operations Lou Lamoriello that his contract wouldn't be renewed.

They hired former Tampa Bay Lightning executive Mathieu Darche as their new general manager, and weeks later, they have now found their new assistant general manager.

Coming to the Islanders is Ryan Bowness, who will serve as New York's assistant general manager and Director of Player Personnel.

Previously, he had worked with the Ottawa Senators as their assistant general Manager from 2022-23 through 2023-24. He was also their associate general manager in 2024-25.

Bowness already has extensive experience with scouting, as he worked with the Pittsburgh Penguins for several years as their Director of Professional Scouting and as a pro scout. He won a Stanley Cup with the club in 2017 with their win over the Nashville Predators.

Additionally, he worked with the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets franchise in several roles that included pro scout, manager of hockey operations, and their manager of player development.

Since joining the Islanders, Darche has already instituted multiple changes at various levels of the organization, including the dismissal of assistant coaches Tommy Albelin and John MacLean as well as the entire AHL affiliate Bridgeport Islanders coaching staff.

The Islanders missed the postseason for the 1st time in several years in 2025-26, but will be keeping Patrick Roy as head coach.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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