New York Islanders Officially Announce Two New Hires as Assistant Coaches

Bennett, 62, brings 25 seasons of NHL experience with him. The previous eight were with the Colorado Avalanche, where he had a consistently excellent power play that ranked fifth in the league at 23.0% since 2017-18.

Though Colorado had a much more offense-oriented team than the Islanders currently have, Bennett's proven records are encouraging to an Islanders' unit that was 31st last year at just 12.6%.

Before Colorado, Bennett was on the Kings' bench between 1999 and 2006 and with the Blues between 2007 and 2017.

Boughner, 54, has NHL head coaching experience with the Panthers (2017-19) and Sharks (2019-22).

Boughner and Derek Lalonde were let go by the Red Wings together last season

Most recently, he was an assistant in Detroit, overseeing the Red Wings' defense and penalty kill until he was let go in December along with head coach Derek Lalonde.

While Detroit's shorthanded unit faltered, Boughner was operating with a rebuilding roster. He previously oversaw San Jose's penalty kill as an assistant from 2015 to 2017, where it operated at a respectable 80.6%.

With both special units struggling last season, such moves were seen as a necessity. The Islanders were an average five-on-five team but were marred by poor special teams and streaky offense.

Darche believes the reconstituted coaching staff, led by Roy, returning assistant Benoit Desrosiers, and the new recruits, will bring the team back into contention for the 2025-26 playoffs.