Islanders Hire Jay McKee as AHL Head Coach

On May 29, the New York Islanders hired Jay McKee as their first-ever head coach of the American Hockey League (AHL) Hamilton Hammers. The Islanders made the announcement official late morning on social media. McKee returns to the city that established him as one of Major Junior’s top bench bosses.

Here is the story of McKee, from his pro career to his tenure as the bench boss in Kitchener, Hamilton and Brantford.

Pro Career

McKee was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round, 14th overall, in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. Hailing from Kingston, Ontario, he played Major Junior hockey with the Sudbury Wolves and the Niagara Falls Thunder from 1993 to 1996. He made his professional debut with Buffalo’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, during the 1995-96 Calder Cup Playoffs on April 5, 1996.

Less than a week later, McKee debuted in the NHL on April 10 against the Ottawa Senators. Over the next two seasons, he fluctuated between Rochester and Buffalo. The 1998-99 season marked McKee’s first as a full-time player with the Sabres, where he appeared in 72 games. From 1998 to 2002, McKee averaged 76 games per season, establishing himself as one of the franchise’s key defensive stalwarts. 

McKee left Buffalo in 2006 for the St. Louis Blues and finished his professional career with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2009-10 season. McKee ultimately ended his playing career with two seasons in Dundas as the Real McCoys’ player-coach, playing in Allan Cup Hockey and winning the title in his final year, the 2013-14 season.

In total, McKee played 826 games in the major professional circuit, recording 151 points in his seventeen seasons across three different organizations.

Coaching Career

After concluding his NHL career, McKee began his coaching career as an assistant coach for the NCAA Division II Niagara University Purple Eagles in the 2010-11 season. McKee returned to the Sabres organization as an assistant coach in 2011, then got his first taste as bench boss, serving as head coach and player for the Dundas Real McCoys for two seasons.

Following his two-year tenure in Dundas, McKee joined the coaching ranks in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) as an assistant with the Erie Otters in 2014. In 2015, McKee left the Otters to join Mike Van Ryn’s coaching staff with the Kitchener Rangers.

After Van Ryn stepped down during the offseason, McKee was promoted to the leading bench role. During his three full seasons with the Rangers, the team consistently finished at least fifth in the Western Conference, including capturing a division title in 2017-18, their first in a decade. However, in the early part of the 2019-2020 season, the Rangers dismissed McKee after only seven wins in the first 21 games.

In early July 2021, the Hamilton Bulldogs appointed McKee as their head coach. After mid-season additions of Arber Xhekaj and Mason McTavish, he guided the team to the OHL Championship in his debut season. Similar to his three full seasons in Kitchener, McKee consistently kept the Bulldogs within the top five standings during his tenure.

After overseeing the move from Hamilton to Brantford in 2023, he was unable to replicate the championship-winning form, even though his club was in the top three of the Eastern Conference in all three seasons in Brantford. 

In his last season with the Bulldogs, the team won 48 games and finished atop the Eastern Conference, but fell in a disappointing seven-game series to the Barrie Colts in the Eastern Conference Final. 

Final Thoughts

The Islanders’ hiring of McKee to run their AHL club was well deserved. With his coaching style and track record, it will be interesting to see how the Hammers perform under McKee as he begins his first head-coaching stint at the professional level.