History of the New York Islanders’ AHL Affiliates

As the saying goes, “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” 

Fans of the Bridgeport Islanders, like those in many other American Hockey League (AHL) cities before them (including the franchise’s successor), are feeling this sentiment now.

On April 23, 2026, the Bridgeport Islanders were eliminated in the Calder Cup Playoffs by the Hershey Bears. In normal cases, the organization would begin its offseason with team officials conducting season-ending interviews and locker room cleanouts, with the opportunity to refresh and focus on building the squad for next season. 

Meanwhile, fans would typically reflect on the season, look ahead to the next, and plan to attend their home games to support their favorite team. However, for the Bridgeport Islanders’ organization and their fans, this is no longer the case after the final horn sounded at the Hershey’s Giant Center.

Late in the regular season, on March 31, 2026, the AHL Board of Governors sanctioned the relocation of the New York farm team to Hamilton, Ontario, for the 2026-27 season, thereby concluding the 25-year history of AHL hockey in the city known as the “Park City”. 

As the organization transitions to the Steel City, it is an appropriate occasion for Bridgeport supporters to reflect and for the new Hamilton supporters to acquire knowledge about the history they are inheriting.

Before Bridgeport

To trace the New York Islanders’ AHL journey to Bridgeport and Hamilton, let’s briefly review how Bridgeport established itself as the primary affiliate city for the Islanders.

The NHL Islanders’ first AHL affiliation was the New Haven Nighthawks, shared with the Minnesota North Stars from 1972 to 1973. The Islanders then had primary affiliation in the Central Hockey League from 1973 to 1984, with the Fort Worth Texans from 1973 to 1979 (winning the league championship in 1978) and the Indianapolis Checkers from 1979 to 1984. 

The Islanders resumed their AHL affiliation with the Springfield Indians from 1984 to 1990 and also had a primary International Hockey League (IHL) affiliation with the Peoria Rivermen and the Indianapolis Ice from 1987 to 1989. In 1990, the Islanders relocated their AHL team to Troy, New York, becoming the Capital District Islanders.

The Islanders resumed IHL affiliation from 1993 to 1998, but in the Western U.S., at Salt Lake (1993-94), Denver (1994-95), and Utah (1995-1998). The organization had multiple affiliations in the late 90s in both the AHL and IHL simultaneously, with players playing for the Kentucky Thoroughblades, Lowell Lock Monsters, Chicago Wolves, and Springfield Falcons.

The Early Years in Bridgeport

After the IHL folded in 2001, the Islanders returned to Connecticut for the first time in nearly 30 years, making the expansion Bridgeport Sound Tigers their main farm team. 

Their first season was the most successful in franchise history. Led by head coach Steve Sterling and including rookie stars Rick DiPietro and Raffi Torres, as well as veterans Jason Krog and second-year talent Trent Hunter, the team secured the Eastern Division with a 43-25-8-4 record. In the playoffs, Bridgeport beat the Manitoba Moose and the St. John’s Maple Leafs, then edged out the Hamilton Bulldogs in a tough seven-game Eastern Conference Championship series before falling to the Chicago Wolves in five games for the Calder Cup.

Bridgeport made the playoffs in 11 of its 25 seasons, but won only two playoff rounds and advanced to the second round once, in its second year, following its memorable Calder Cup push in the inaugural season. The team also won their last pennant in the 2011-12 season, with Brent Thompson on the bench and Jeremy Colliton as captain, posting a 41-26-3-6 record, but was swept by their longstanding archrivals, the Connecticut Whale, now known as the Hartford Wolfpack.

Bridgeport Switches Nicknames, But Mixed to Low Results

Before the 2021-22 season, the Islanders organization rebranded the Bridgeport AHL team as the Bridgeport Islanders. In their first season under their new moniker, the AHL Islanders reached the second round for the first time since the 2002-03 season, but were ousted in the Atlantic Division semifinals by the Charlotte Checkers in four games.

The following seasons were abysmal for the franchise, with the worst coming in the 2024-25 season, when Bridgeport won only 15 games and posted a 15-50-4-3 record, the worst in franchise history and last in the league overall. 

One of the lone bright spots on the team in the punitive years was the play of Chris Terry, who became a fan favourite and broke team records in the luckless season with 51 assists and 79 points. 

Bridgeport’s Loss Is Hamilton’s Potential Gain

Despite the struggles of both the parent and minor league clubs over the past decade, Bridgeport did provide a steady hand of current prominent talent, including Sebastian Aho and Devon Toews. 

What is stressful for the Bridgeport faithful is that the team that competed to the last week of the season to nail a playoff spot is going to be better as they make their mark in Hamilton, thus robbing the oppurtunity to witness the nucleus of Victor Eklund, Calum Richie, Cole Eiserman, Isiah George, Jesse Pulkkinen, Adam Beckman, Matthew Maggio, along with the potential of Kayshawn Aitcheson and Lucas Romano in next year’s squad to form into a possible playoff contender.

Bridgeport’s AHL Future

Every sports city has their diehards who support the team through the good and the bad. Bridgeport is no different, but its overall yearly attendance was one of the factors that led the franchise to move forward from the city where it had laid roots for a quarter century. 

In their five seasons under the Islanders rebrand, Bridgeport has consistently ranked in the bottom five in attendance from 2021-22 through 2024-25, averaging 3,130 fans per season. The team finished better last season, though it was still the ninth-worst overall, averaging 4,425. 

Attendance woes aside, there is significant upside to Bridgeport being considered for a pro hockey team, given its proximity to NHL teams in adjacent states like the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils, if they pursue that route in the future.

Coming from a hometown that lost its hockey team a few years ago, I understand the emotion and grief of losing a beloved team for reasons beyond their control, but I can also reflect fondly on the memories the team provided, which will last a lifetime.