The New York Islanders did not make the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, but their American Hockey League affiliate in Bridgeport did get to the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, so Islanders Country did get the opportunity to catch some postseason action.
And, in those playoffs, the opportunity to see Aatu Raty gain some valuable professional experience with the Bridgeport Islanders created a lot of excitement throughout the organization and fan base.
Now, Raty is back for his first full professional North American season, and the Bridgeport Islanders are set play their home opener against the Laval Rocket Saturday night at Total Mortgage Arena, with a near-capacity crowd expected.
“It’s extremely exciting,” said Michael Cosentino, the Bridgeport Islanders’ new President of Business Operations. “You can feel the response that we’re getting from our fans. The building will be rocking. There’s just a tremendous amount of excitement about the prospects and the start of the season. There’s still a lot of residual excitement over last year’s playoff run so you can just feel it.”
Fans should plan on arriving early on Saturday night for a fan fest that will take place both inside and outside of Total Mortgage Arena, starting at 5 p.m. ahead of the 7 p.m. puck drop.
The evening will include live music, food trucks, and street hockey, along with a magnetic schedule giveaway for the first 2,500 fans. And once inside the arena, fans are encouraged to be in their seats early for warmups, opening video, and introduction of the 2022-23 Bridgeport Islanders.
“It’s going to be a festival type of atmosphere and a celebratory type of atmosphere from an experience standpoint,” said Cosentino.
Having the team’s AHL affiliate in Bridgeport gives Islanders fans a chance to keep an eye on Raty, as well as the development of other top prospects like forwards William Dufour, Simon Holmstrom, and Ruslan Ishakov; defensemen Sam Bolduc and Grant Hutton; and goalie Jakub Skarek.
Related
Fans don’t have to travel too far to see the New York Islanders of the future, as Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport is about 60 miles from UBS Arena on Long Island – and fans on the Island can also get to Bridgeport via the Port Jefferson Ferry.
“It’s incredibly close,” said Cosentino, who is also the Executive Vice President of Business Development for the New York Islanders and UBS Arena. “We did marketing around the playoff run last year for our big club fan base and season ticket members. We saw a lot of pickup from our New York Islanders fan base and season ticket members who went to those games. There’s an incredible appetite for them to follow the development of our younger Islanders.”
The Bridgeport Islanders (formerly Sound Tigers) have been the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders since the inception of the Bridgeport franchise in 2001. Over the years, many key players spent time in Bridgeport before getting the call to Long Island – including several current Islanders like Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas, Adam Pelech, and Ryan Pulock.
Keep in mind that over 88 percent of all NHL players spent time in the AHL, so one night you may see a prospect playing in Bridgeport, and then the next time you see him, it could be at UBS Arena.
“The AHL is a developmental league so it’s an opportunity for fans to get up close with some of those up-and-coming players,” said Cosentino. “Building the connection, seeing the players develop right in front of your eyes and come together…there’s absolutely a lot of excitement around that. It opens up possibilities for us to get families, kids, and huge hockey fans that are excited to see the New York Islanders of tomorrow in Bridgeport.”
It may not be too long before Islanders fans get to see the likes of Aatu Raty, William Dufour, and Simon Holmstrom playing for the big club. For now, the short trip to Bridgeport to see these prospects develop is a great opportunity for Islanders fans to get a glimpse of the future and see the Bridgeport club compete for a Calder Cup championship.
Follow Peter Schwartz on Twitter: @SchwartzSports
Listen live to WFAN via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker
Follow WFAN on Social Media:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch