Bridgeport Islanders

The Bridgeport Islanders (previously known as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers) are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL). They are the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the franchise. The team started in 2001–02 season and were purchased by the Islanders in 2004. The team is based in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and play their home games at the Total Mortgage Arena.

Bridgeport Islanders
2021–22 AHL season
CityBridgeport, Connecticut
LeagueAmerican Hockey League
ConferenceEastern
DivisionAtlantic
Founded2001
Home arenaTotal Mortgage Arena
ColorsBlue, orange, white[1]
     
Owner(s)Jon Ledecky
General managerChris Lamoriello[2]
Head coachBrent Thompson
MediaConnecticut Post
MSG Network
News Radio WPOP (1410 AM)
AHL.TV (Internet)
AffiliatesNew York Islanders (NHL)
Worcester Railers (ECHL)
Franchise history
2001–2021Bridgeport Sound Tigers
2021–presentBridgeport Islanders
Championships
Regular season titles1 (2001–02)
Division Championships2 (2001–02, 2011–12)
Conference Championships1 (2001–02)
Calder Cups0
Current uniform

History
See also: Professional ice hockey in Connecticut
The Bridgeport Sound Tigers logo, used from 2001 to 2021

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers joined the American Hockey League as an expansion franchise in 2001 and were coached by Steve Stirling. In their inaugural season, the team won their division and had the best regular season record to win the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy. In the playoffs, they won Eastern Conference championship and the Richard F. Canning Trophy to advance to the Calder Cup finals against the Chicago Wolves. They lost the series four games-to-one.[3]

In their second season, the team finished second in their division and the fifth conference seed in the playoffs. They advanced to the conference semifinals where they lost to their division champion Binghamton Senators in six games. Stirling was promoted to head coaching position with the New York Islanders and was replaced by Greg Cronin for 2003–04. As the Sound Tigers, the team then had limited success, missing the playoffs ten times and not winning a playoff round since their second season.

On May 10, 2021, it was announced that the team would change its name to the Bridgeport Islanders beginning with the 2021–22 season.[1]

Team identity

Mascot

The lone mascot of the Sound Tigers was an anthropomorphic blue tiger named Storm. He appeared at home games sporting a jersey with the number 01. While Storm can usually be found exciting fans throughout the arena, he skates on the ice during periodic intermissions. Storm's appearance has changed since the team's inaugural season. With the Sound Tigers' rebrand to the Islanders, it is unclear whether Storm will remain as the team's mascot.

Rivalries

The main (and instate) rival of the Islanders are the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers (the main rival of the Bridgeport Islanders' parent club, the New York Islanders). The games have become known as the Battle of Connecticut. They have formed a rivalry with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Pittsburgh Penguins' AHL affiliate, largely due to the two teams frequently facing off in playoff match-ups. They also are semi-rivals with the Hershey Bears, the Washington Capitals' AHL affiliate.

Season-by-season results
Regular season Playoffs
Season Games Won Lost Tied OTL SOL Points PCT Goals
for		 Goals
against		 Standing Year 1st
round		 2nd
round		 3rd
round		 Finals
2001–0280432584—98.6132401921st, East2002W, 3–1, MANW, 4–0 SJMW, 4–3, HAML, 1–4, CHI
2002–03804026113—94.5882191982nd, East2003W, 3–0, MANL, 2–4, BNG——
2003–04804123124—98.6131781402nd, East2004L, 3–4, WBS———
2004–05803738—1479.4941922226th, East2005Did not qualify
2005–06803833—6385.5312462534th, East2006L, 3–4, WBS———
2006–07803637—1679.4942292675th, East2007Did not qualify
2007–08804036—1384.5252252405th, East2008Did not qualify
2008–09804923—35106.6632412122nd, East2009L, 1–4, WBS———
2009–10803832—4686.5382012205th, Atlantic2010L, 1–4, HER———
2010–11803039—4767.4442092567th, Atlantic2011Did not qualify
2011–12764126—3691.5992332191st, Northeast2012L, 0–3, CON———
2012–13763232—7576.4492182423rd, Northeast2013Did not qualify
2013–14762840—2664.4211832385th, Northeast2014Did not qualify
2014–15762840—7164.4212132465th, Northeast2015Did not qualify
2015–16764029—4387.5722092205th, Atlantic2016L, 0–3, TOR———
2016–17764428—3192.6052202125th, Atlantic2017Did not qualify
2017–18763632—5380.5262062145th, Atlantic2018Did not qualify
2018–19764324—6395.6252332282nd, Atlantic2019L, 2–3, HER———
2019–20632333—5253.4211522068th, Atlantic2020Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–2124814—2018.37559813rd, Atlantic2021No playoffs were held
2021–22723130—7473.5072132266th, Atlantic2022

Players

Current roster

Updated April 30, 2022.[4]

No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
34 Collin Adams LW L 24 2021 Brighton, Michigan Islanders
14 Andy Andreoff (A) C L 30 2021 Pickering, Ontario Islanders
39 Ken Appleby G L 27 2021 North Bay, Ontario Islanders
21 Cole Bardreau C R 28 2019 Fairport, New York Islanders
37 Felix Bibeau C L 23 2020 Mercier, Quebec Bridgeport
3 Samuel Bolduc D L 21 2020 Laval, Quebec Islanders
18 Erik Brown LW L 26 2019 Keene, Ontario Bridgeport
6 Mike Cornell D R 34 2017 Franklin, Massachusetts Bridgeport
42 Trevor Cosgrove D L 24 2022 Exeter, New Hampshire Bridgeport
17 Cole Coskey RW R 22 2020 Zion, Illinois Bridgeport
11 Austin Czarnik C R 29 2022 Washington Township, Michigan Islanders
28 Michael Dal Colle LW L 25 2016 Richmond Hill, Ontario Islanders
29 Arnaud Durandeau LW L 23 2019 Montreal, Quebec Islanders
2 Seth Helgeson (C) D L 31 2017 Faribault, Minnesota Bridgeport
15 Simon Holmstrom RW L 20 2019 Tranås, Sweden Islanders
7 Grant Hutton D R 26 2019 Carmel, Indiana Islanders
24 Blade Jenkins LW L 21 2021 Jackson, Michigan Islanders
12 Otto Koivula LW L 23 2018 Nokia, Finland Islanders
36 Jeff Kubiak C L 28 2017 Tinley Park, Illinois Bridgeport
8 Paul LaDue D R 29 2021 Grand Forks, North Dakota Islanders
32 Jimmy Lambert RW R 25 2022 Newcastle, England, Great Britain Bridgeport
10 Kyle MacLean LW L 23 2021 Basking Ridge, New Jersey Bridgeport
41 Connor McCarthy D R 25 2021 LaSalle, Quebec Bridgeport
33 Reece Newkirk C L 21 2021 Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan Islanders
16 Aatu Räty C L 19 2022 Oulunsalo, Finland Islanders
26 Robin Salo D L 23 2021 Espoo, Finland Islanders
35 Cory Schneider G L 36 2021 Marblehead, Massachusetts Islanders
1 Jakub Skarek G L 22 2019 Jihlava, Czech Republic Islanders
25 Chris Terry LW L 33 2021 Brampton, Ontario Bridgeport
38 Paul Thompson RW R 33 2021 Derry, New Hampshire Bridgeport
4 Mitchell Vande Sompel D L 25 2017 London, Ontario Islanders
27 Parker Wotherspoon D L 24 2017 Surrey, British Columbia Islanders

Team captains
Notes
  • ^1 There were three captains for the 2004–05 season: Aldridge named on Oct. 16, 2004, Seeley named on Nov. 6, 2004, and Campbell named on Mar. 16, 2005
  • ^2 There were two captains for the 2012–13 season: McDonald named on Dec. 7, 2012, and Watkins named on Feb. 22, 2013.
  • ^3 There were two captains: when Ben Holmstrom played, he wore the "C" on his sweater. When Holmstrom did not play, Kyle Burroughs wore the "C".

Team records
Single season
Goals: Jeff Hamilton, 43, (2003–04)
Assists: Rob Collins, 48, (2005–06)
Points: Jeff Tambellini, 76, (2007–08)
Penalty minutes: Eric Godard, 295, (2004–05)
GAA: Wade Dubielewicz, 1.38, (2003–04)[C]
SV%: Wade Dubielewicz, .946, (2003–04)[C]
^ C. AHL Records
Career
Career goals: Jeff Hamilton, 89
Career assists: Jeremy Colliton, 126
Career points: Jeremy Colliton, 203
Career penalty minutes: Brett Gallant, 857
Career goaltending wins: Wade Dubielewicz, 81
Career shutouts: Wade Dubielewicz, 15
Career games: Mark Wotton, 368

References
  1. "Bridgeport reboots as the Islanders". American Hockey League (Press release). May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021. The new Bridgeport Islanders logo features an iconic mark for the team’s future. The strong letter “B” recognizes the great city of Bridgeport. The stick which forms the letter “B” has the parent Islanders “NY” logo as the tape on the blade, a subtle nod to the affiliation between the two clubs. The iconic Islanders blue and orange colors remain the same.{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. Fornabaio, Michael (May 22, 2018). "Lamoriello takes over Islanders' hockey operations". Connecticut Post. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  3. Clinton, Jared (September 10, 2015). "AHL Logo Ranking: No. 7 - Bridgeport Sound Tigers". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on 2017-02-18. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  4. "Bridgeport Islanders Roster". Bridgeport Islanders. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
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