From winning the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery to a general manager change, a move that brought even more internal changes outside of just roster construction, things have fundamentally shifted within the New York Islanders organization.
The focus, and rightfully so, is on the on-ice product for the Islanders, who missed the playoffs last season. While not at the forefront, the amount of change that has occurred for the Bridgeport Islanders, their AHL affiliate, cannot be overlooked and should come with just as much excitement.
Following a horrid 15-50-4-3 season, the organization elected to fire Rick Kowalsky and his assistants, holding on to only goaltender coach Sergei Naumov, after the team won just four games at home the entire season.
Enter Rocky Thompson, the newest head coach for Bridgeport and one who previously lifted hardware in the OHL, leading the Windsor Spitfires to the Memorial Cup as their head coach back in 2017.
In his introductory press conference, Thompson said all the right things, discussing how hard the team will work and how much he’s learned serving as an assistant coach under John Tortorella and new Islanders assistant coach Bob Boughner.
What sticks out the most still today is his tagline from that day: “We’re not going to be the punching bags anymore.”
For all the many flaws the Bridgeport team had last year, confidence likely became the biggest. No longer will the Islanders roll over. The entire identity has flipped.
That’s per the Bridgeport prospects who spoke at development camp about their excitement to play for Thompson and showcase that the organization’s future is brighter after the light dimmed following some tough seasons.
Beyond the coaching change, the roster adjustments will be quite enticing for fans as well. The franchise struck a balance between retaining former star veterans and overhauling the vast majority of the team’s leadership.
Defensively, the team underwent a massive makeover. The headliner of the additions is Ethan Bear, one of the best defensemen in the AHL over the last couple of seasons.
The Regina, SK native led the division-winning Hershey Bears in points (46) and assists (36) last season and represented Hershey at the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic. He was also named to the AHL’s Second All-Star Team, one of the highest honors in the league. He has a chip on his shoulder as he tries to fight for another chance in the NHL. He’ll be a great leader within that younger room.
Other defensive additions include Cole McWard, Luke Rowe, and Sean Day. It’s very possible that Day, more than any other signing, could prove to be the coup of the lot. One of the best skaters around, Day received exceptional status back in his junior hockey days, and there are believers there’s still an NHL player within the 27-year-old still.
The offense will look different, too. Franchise record-holder Chris Terry returns to lead this group into its next era. Julien Gauthier returns following missing all but nine AHL and one NHL game last year due to a season-ending upper-body injury. Iis offense is something Bridgeport desperately could’ve used.
Matthew Maggio and Alex Jefferies are both looking to take that next step forward. Maggio has always been a leader, with that skillset heavily on display during development camp this past July.
External addition Matthew Highmore will be a key presence for the team at the center position.
Most significantly, the team will have its late-season college free agent signings playing for the entire season. Cam Berg, a 2021 fourth-round pick, will play the full season with Bridgeport, along with Gleb Veremyev, who looks like a player who may not only be a hulking presence for Bridgeport but a dark horse candidate for a potential NHL call-up at some point throughout the upcoming season.
There will also be an exciting local flavor to the team.
Laurel Hollow’s Marshall Warren returns and only looks better with every passing game he plays. Warren’s close friend and Copaigue native Ross Mitton returns after signing as a college free agent.
Mitton will quickly become a fan favorite behind his hard-nose, high-energy game, which he brings as a self-described power forward. While Max Dorrington is from Massachussets, he played his final college season down the road from Bridgeport with Sacred Heart. Veremyev is from New Jersey. These local pieces only enhance the bond that the team looks to grow with the fanbase.
The final part of this roster reconstruction and one of the most important upgrades comes in the goaltending department.
David Rittich’s addition to the NHL squad as Ilya Sorokin’s backup, if Semyon Varlamov isn’t ready to go once the season begins, bumps Marcus Hogberg further down the depth chart, guaranteeing the Swedish netminder will open as a key figure for Bridgeport.
Parker Garhagen, an AHL veteran, joined the room as well. Tristan Lennox and Henrik Tikkanen return, too, but they seem more likely to start in the ECHL. Hogberg and Garhagen, on paper, look to be one of Bridgeport’s best tandems in a long time.
If Varlamov is ready to go, there’s a chance that Rittich plays in Bridgeport, that is, if he passes through waivers. That’s not likely, especially given his $1 million cap hit and his NHL backup track record.
While all of these reasons are compelling for excitement, there’s one player who has generated more excitement and buzz this summer than any other. Calum Ritchie.
The centerpiece of the Brock Nelson trade and now a top prospect for the Islanders, Ritchie will attend New York’s NHL training camp with the hopes of making the roster. If he does not do so, and currently Stefen Rosner’s roster projection has him missing the cut, Ritchie immediately becomes the headliner for this entire Bridgeport team.
The 20-year-old posted 70 points (15 goals, 55 assists) in 47 OHL regular-season games last season with the Oshawa Generals, then added another 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 21 playoff games.
The level of excitement surrounding Ritchie is very high, and if he starts in the AHL, he will be at the top of their lineup and consistently one of the most exciting players not just for Bridgeport, but in the entirety of the AHL this upcoming season.
Bridgeport opens its season on Saturday, October 11, against the Providence Bruins at Total Mortgage Arena. To get tickets and learn more about game-night promotions and events, click HERE
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