The Brent Thompson era in Bridgeport is officially over. The longtime Sound Tiger head coach accepted an offer to be an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks.
As the New York Islanders organization turns the page by naming Rick Kowalsky as the Sound Tigers’ new head coach, it would do a disservice to Thompson’s reign not to look at his success in developing the prospect pool for the franchise. Along the way, he’s helped build a boatload of NHL players. While we’ll dive into his successes, we’ll also take a look at some of his mishaps as a developer in the Islanders’ system.
NHLers Under Thompson
Adam Pelech
Of course, we’re going to start with Adam Pelech. The seven-year veteran has solidified himself as one of the premier defensive defensemen in the game today.
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Drafted in the third round of the 2012 NHL Draft (otherwise known as the all-defense draft for the Islanders), Pelech was known for his intelligence and play away from the puck and had a successful Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and international career. From there, he was a member of both Canada’s Under-18 World Championship team as well as its Under-20 World Junior team.
The Islanders signed Pelech to an entry-level deal and he immediately became a favorite of Thompson’s. He compared him to the likes of two-time Stanley Cup champion, Willie Mitchell, who enjoyed a successful 15-year career. Thompson told the CT Post in 2015, “You know how I feel. At our level, really at the NHL level, I believe he can be a great NHL shutdown defenseman…(Pelech’s) hockey IQ is through the roof. That’s what separates him. His reads. He’s played on an elite stage before. A lot of people forget he played for Canada’s World Junior team” (from ‘Back from his NHL debut, Sound Tigers’ Pelech keeps learning’, CT Post, Dec. 3, 2015).
Well, he wasn’t wrong. During the two-year stretch where the Islanders made consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference Final, Pelech made a significant impression on fans and around the league.
Ryan Pulock
Pelech’s partner, Ryan Pulock is another defenseman that has risen in the ranks under Thompson’s tutelage. The former 2013 first-rounder was highly regarded for his missile of a slapshot that can reach over 100 miles per hour. He had a bit of a late start in the pros. After a 23-goal season in the Western Hockey League, he began his professional career. While most fans were clamoring for him to be a mainstay with the Islanders, he spent the better part of three years with the Sound Tigers.
While he was making frequent appearances on the scoresheet, the Islanders brass wanted to see more improvements on the defensive end. Eventually, Pulock reached his defensive potential by becoming a permanent NHL fixture in the 2017-18 season. Thompson credited former Islanders prospect and current AHL journeyman Aaron Ness for helping Pulock grow his defensive game.
As Pulock grew more accustomed to the NHL style, he and Pelech became one of the more dominant defensive pairings in the league. While he sacrificed some of his offense to be more defensively responsible, the Islanders were thrilled with Pulock’s progress and rewarded him with an eight-year $49 million contract in 2021.
Scott Mayfield
As seen with Pulock, defensemen take quite a bit longer to develop. Scott Mayfield was no exception to the rule. He was selected in the second round of the 2011 Draft, and he’s been an exceptional shutdown defenseman in his 11-year pro career.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Mayfield is built like a monster and plays with some bite. He was a staple on the blue line in Bridgeport and found himself in an enforcer role for his first two seasons. From there, he improved on his skating which was a need leading into his draft year, and became a force in his own zone.
Mayfield didn’t become a full-time NHLer until after his fourth pro season, but once he did, the Islanders had extreme faith in him. They signed him to a five-year deal that was considered extremely valuable at the time (at $1.5 million per year), and this past offseason, signed him to a lucrative seven-year extension.
Casey Cizikas
Selected in the fourth round of the 2009 Draft, Casey Cizikas was considered somewhat of a risk. He had an off-ice incident that resulted in the death of a peer, and it steered teams away from selecting the center. However, the victim’s family never blamed him. Even though he was convicted of manslaughter, he was only sentenced to community service and a year’s worth of probation, allowing Cizikas’ career to continue.
Throughout his junior career, Cizikas was touted for his two-way game, and ability to play in big games. Playing for the then-Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), he was heavily relied upon and recorded multiple 60-point seasons, leading his team to a Memorial Cup appearance, and becoming the lead penalty killer and captain for Canada’s silver medal winning team at the World Juniors.
It didn’t take Cizikas long to make his NHL debut. During the 2011-12 season, he played 52 games for Bridgeport and appeared in 15 games with the Islanders. The following season, he split time between the AHL and NHL, until he became a mainstay in 2013.
Ever since being drafted, Cizikas has been as advertised. Thompson credited him for being a “playoff hockey player every day,” and that he “loves what he brings to a team” (from ‘The Islanders’ ‘Perfect Meat-And-Potatoes’ Casey Cizikas, as told by former teammates’, The Athletic, June 3, 2021). He’s the kind of player everyone would love to have on their team, and the Islanders struck gold, as it looks like he’ll be an Islander for life after signing a six-year deal in 2021.
Prospects Thompson Missed On
Michael Dal Colle
Michael Dal Colle will always be a curious case. The fifth overall pick of the 2014 NHL Draft has officially entered “bust” territory. What made him so special in the OHL was his incredible ability to score. His junior career was lush, winning a Memorial Cup with the Oshawa Generals, and a gold medal during the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament for Team Canada. Not only that but he secured back-to-back 90 points seasons including a 42-goal campaign. He was clearly dominating the OHL, so his transition to the pros shouldn’t have been that difficult.
Except it was. Dal Colle’s career in Bridgeport was just… bland. He was an AHL All-Star in his third season with the club, but even that year, he was nothing to write home about. He never surpassed 20 goals in his pro career and ended up being a serviceable bottom-six role player for the Islanders. He worked hard, but it seemed like he lost his scoring touch the second he left junior. Once his contract ran out with the Islanders, he headed to Finland to play for HC TPS of Liiga.
Kieffer Bellows
Similar to Dal Colle, Kieffer Bellows’ time in the pros was nothing to be amazed by. Coming out of the U.S. National U18 Team, he was renowned for his deadly shot and intelligence.
Bellows was drafted in the first round in 2016 before players like Thompson’s son Tage, Alex DeBrincat, and Jordan Kyrou. He had a rough start at Boston University, but the following year, he lit the Western Hockey League on fire with 41 goals. Along with that, he won a gold medal in the 2017 World Juniors, and things seemed to be going his way.
Starting in 2018, Bellows played well, but not great. He had 12 goals and seven assists in 73 games, but the following year registered 22 goals and enjoyed a cup of coffee in the NHL. Many fans were encouraged by Bellows’ effort and were even more intrigued by his laser for a shot, clamoring for him to be placed on Mathew Barzal’s wing. Former coach Barry Trotz gave him a chance to play alongside the dynamic center, only to be unimpressed, and moved him down the lineup shortly after.
After a couple of failed attempts with the Islanders, he was waived and picked up by the Philadelphia Flyers. In 27 games, Bellows only managed to register three goals and then was sent down to the AHL. In a contract year, Philadelphia neglected to pick up his qualifying offer, sending him into unrestricted free agency.
Bellows has the skill to be a legitimate player in the NHL, but something always seemed to be missing. He’s a below-average skater, and can sometimes get lost on the ice. Not being qualified by the Flyers is concerning for his career, and he may be destined for either Europe or a career in the minors.
Josh Ho-Sang
The dynamic Josh Ho-Sang was always a wild card. Even when he was drafted, many experts wondered how the relationship between him and the Islanders would work.
There was no doubt that Ho-Sang was one of the more talented players in his draft year. He even predicted he would be the best player to come out of his class. With the blend of his skills between his elite vision, skating, and unique personality, many Islanders fans believed they had a star in the making on their hands.
However, Thompson and Ho-Sang clashed in the AHL. A quote that Thompson gave to the New York Post was damning to his career:
“He’s a baby, he’s immature and he’s got a lot of growing to do. I’m excited. The upside of him is outstanding. He worked hard today, he’s been working really hard. We all make mistakes, we all have bad games. It’s how do we respond from those and what do we learn from them? Every piece of this season for Josh, with us, is a development piece.”
– Brent Thompson (from ‘”Immature’ Josh Ho-Sang hits AHL rock bottom”, New York Post, Jan. 11, 2018)
While Ho-Sang didn’t have the “hockey guy” mentality, he had some success while playing with the big club. In 53 NHL games, he posted 24 points in bottom-six minutes. As Thompson stated before, his inconsistencies drove not only him but Trotz mad as well.
After Ho-Sang left the Islanders, he spent some time in Europe, signed with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, and even had the opportunity to play for Team Canada in the 2022 Olympic Games. Ultimately, after only playing one game for Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), he’s currently contemplating retirement due to an injury that required surgery.
Thompson Did Some Great Things – But Wasn’t Perfect
When looking at Thompson’s 10-year career as a head coach, perhaps there’s nothing to be amazed at. He holds the Bridgeport AHL franchise record for wins with 411 and 336 losses. There wasn’t a whole lot of success, missing the playoffs six times and only making it to the second round once. His tenure was unspectacular, but he helped develop a number of exceptional defensemen.
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Thompson’s one weakness was his inability to develop top-tier forwards. He played defense in his hay-day, so perhaps he didn’t have an eye for letting forwards do what made them special in the first place.
There’s a time and place for disciplining players for not being defensively responsible, but Thompson didn’t know how to split the difference. With his departure, it opens the door for a new philosophy for a prospect pool that desperately needs a change at the helm.
