Report: Bridgeport Islanders to Relocate to Hamilton, Ontario for 2026-27 AHL Season

Reports about the potential relocation of the AHL team, the Bridgeport Islanders, surfaced in late June and early July of 2025. Yesterday, it was announced that the Islanders will relocate to Hamilton, Ontario, to begin the 2026-27 American Hockey League season, per Frank Seravalli.

Frank Seravalli of Frankly Hockey made the report in a reply to a person’s post on X, stating that the move will be made and an announcement is expected from the league in the near future.

The Islanders currently sit sixth in the AHL’s Atlantic Division with a 17-17-2-1 win-loss record across 37 games played. The Islanders have 35 games remaining in their schedule before they move to Hamilton.

Bridgeport has had some rough seasons over the past few years, finishing in the basement of the Atlantic Division and the entire league in consecutive seasons (2023-24 and 2024-25.)

At the time of writing, it is unknown what Hamilton’s AHL team will be named. It is also unknown who Hamilton’s NHL affiliate will be, and given that they’re making a move from the USA to Canada, it is reasonable to speculate that they’ll have an affiliate of a nearby NHL team.

Although unlikely, the Edmonton Oilers remain the only NHL team who don’t have a Canadian-based AHL affiliate. Most teams have pivoted to have their affiliates closer for quicker recall scenarios in recent years, but there are still rare cases of teams having farther AHL affiliates.

The move felt almost a given after Hamilton lost their OHL team after a temporary relocation turned permanent, and now the city of Hamilton, Ontario gets to cheer on a professional hockey team for the first time since 2015 when the Hamilton Bulldogs were apart of the AHL.

Given that the Oilers previously had a partnership with Hamilton before the Bulldogs’ relocation to St. John’s, it is reasonable to question if the Oilers may partner back with a Canadian-based AHL team. Until then, it’s purely speculation at this point.