Bridgeport Islanders


The Bridgeport Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the franchise. The team started in 2001–02 season and was purchased by the Islanders in 2004. The team plays their home games at the Total Mortgage Arena.

History

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers joined the American Hockey League as an expansion franchise in 2001 and were coached by Steve Stirling. The team's name referenced both the Long Island Sound where Bridgeport lies and the circuses of former resident P. T. Barnum, with the Sound Tigers identity being unveiled at the Barnum Museum. 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 the 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.
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 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.
The team finished the 2024–25 season with a 15–50–4–3 record, their worst record in team history. Alongside this, they finished with a home record of 4–28–1–3, setting the record for the fewest home wins in a season for an AHL team.
The team is set to relocate to Hamilton, Ontario for the 2026-2027 season.

Team identity

Mascot

The lone mascot of the Bridgeport Islanders is an anthropomorphic blue tiger named Storm. He appears 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. Storm has weathered the storm since the club's change to the Islanders moniker and is a regular at home games.

Rivalries

The main rival of the Islanders are the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers. The games have become known as the Battle of Connecticut.

Season-by-season results

Players

Current roster

Updated January 27, 2026.

Team captains

;Notes
  • 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
  • There were two captains for the 2012–13 season: McDonald was named on Dec. 7, 2012, and Watkins was named on Feb. 22, 2013.
  • There were two captains for the 2018–19 season: when Ben Holmstrom played, he wore the "C" on his sweater. When Holmstrom did not play, Kyle Burroughs wore the C.

    Notable alumni

The following players have played both 100 games in Bridgeport and 100 games in the National Hockey League:

Team records

;Single season
;Career