Since the 2001-02 season, the Islanders have had their American Hockey League franchise in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Christened the Bridgeport Sound Tigers when original Islanders owner Roy Boe launched the team two decades ago, the franchise is heading into a new era for the 2021-22 season.
That’s because the Islanders decided that it was time for the franchise and the city of Bridgeport to keep the team at Webster Bank Arena and for the Islanders to expand their brand throughout the organization. To that point, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers have been rebranded as the Bridgeport Islanders, and the new era in team history begins on Saturday at 2pm, when the parent club hosts the New Jersey Devils in the first of three home preseason games that will be played at the home of their AHL affiliate.
The name change is very significant in terms of having everyone in the organization on the same page.
“It’s very important,” said Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz. “The way we play systematically, the way we teach, the way we treat our players, some of the cultural standards that we try to set are all a part of the growth. You come to the Islanders organization (and) this is what is expected, this is how we practice, this is how we do things, and this is how we act.”
In other words, any player, coach, trainer, or staff member that comes into the organization at the AHL level with the Bridgeport Islanders is going to learn what it takes to be a New York Islander.
With an ownership group led by Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky, a Hall of Fame General Manager in Lou Lamoriello, a Stanley Cup winning coach in Trotz, a team that has been to the NHL’s final four in each of the last two years, and a brand-new home in UBS Arena that is about to open in November, the Islanders have morphed from a laughing stock into a world-class sports franchise. The management wants that feeling of winning and being successful on and off the ice to be felt throughout the organization.
And for many individuals that join the Islanders’ family, the journey begins in Bridgeport.
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“When players make the jump to the National Hockey League, they’ve already gone through all those learning traits and then everything from terminology to style,” said Trotz. “All of that will be sort of seamless.”
Over the course of 20 years, there have been many players who have made the jump from Bridgeport to Long Island. On the current team that is expected to contend for the Stanley Cup this season, players like Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield, and Adam Pelech all began their professional careers as a Sound Tiger. Also, 2016 first round draft pick Kieffer Bellows played two seasons in Bridgeport in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
On Saturday, Bellows will get to go back to where it all started for him professionally.
“Being there really helped to develop to be the player I am today and help me be here right now on (Long) Island,” said Bellows. “That just speaks volumes to the organization and how much focus they put on their players to really develop. It’s a big credit to the whole organization to help these guys get up here and push this team to a Stanley Cup one day.”
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The rebranding of the AHL club is also expected to further expand the Islanders’ brand in the community of Bridgeport. The goal is to turn the fans in Bridgeport into Islanders fans and to have Islanders fans on Long Island closely follow what’s happening at Webster Bank Arena and pay a visit from time to time to see future New York Islanders.
Remember when the Islanders had the marketing slogan “We’re All Islanders?” Well, now everyone in and around the organization is an Islander.
“We want to have a connection not only from a player coaching training perspective but also with the fan base,” said Trotz. “We want our fans in Bridgeport to follow the young players and be Islanders fans and have that connection for a long time with this group.”
The rebranding of the Sound Tigers to the Bridgeport Islanders isn’t the only change going on in Connecticut. As part of an agreement between the Islanders ownership and the city of Bridgeport, there have already been renovations made at Webster Bank Arena, and there are more renovations to come over the next few years. Fans will notice some of the changes right away on Saturday with a freshly-painted and new-look main concourse, but some of the changes are behind the scenes and geared towards hockey operations and player development.
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“It’s a very nice facility,” said Trotz. “I’m looking forward to seeing what they’ve done with all of the players’ facilities, the dressing rooms. I know they’ve put a lot of work and a lot of money and a ton of time into it so I think it will be a really big upgrade for our organization and for everyone.”
After Saturday, the Islanders will play two more home preseason games in Bridgeport as they await the opening of UBS Arena on November 20. The Isles will host the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, October 5, and then welcome the Rangers to Webster Bank Arena on Saturday, October 9.
Over the first 19 seasons in franchise history, hockey fans in Bridgeport cheered on the Sound Tigers and took pride when “one of their own” made the leap to the National Hockey League as a member of the New York Islanders. The name of the franchise is different now, but there will always be memories of the many talented players that wore the Sound Tigers jersey and the championship banners that the team earned are still in the rafters.
But now, to strengthen the bond throughout the organization, the team has taken the name of the parent club…and now fans on Long Island and in Bridgeport can chant, “Let’s go Islanders!”
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