While there hasn’t been much news surrounding the New York Islanders this past week, their AHL affiliate had plenty. The Bridgeport Islanders had a notable amount of player movement and the announcement of a significant branding change.
Pair of Departures
News broke of two different Islanders leaving the team to go play internationally over this past week. First was Ruslan Iskhakov, who signed a deal to play with CSKA Moscow of the KHL. The 23-year-old winger was an exciting prospect who was tearing it up at the AHL level. He scored 50 or more points in both of his two AHL seasons, being named to the all star team in both instances. Iskhakov got a small taste of NHL action at the tail end of this season, playing in the Islanders’s regular season finale and in game four of their first round playoff series. Unfortunately, the path to regular NHL playing time proved to be extremely murky with the Islanders deep roster, resulting in this move. If he ever does seek a return to the NHL, the Islanders own Iskhakov’s rights until he turns 27.
The second of the two departures was long-time Islander Otto Koivula. The 26-year-old signed a deal to play in the SHL with the Växjö Lakers. Koivula erupted onto the AHL scene with a 21-goal, 25-assist season as a rookie. He became a fixture in the Bridgeport lineup for the next five years, with his career season coming in 2021-22 when he recorded 35 assists and 47 points. His role in the AHL never really translated to consistent success in the NHL. However, he did manage to play in 28 NHL games, recording four assists and serving predominantly as an injury replacement.
Pair of Additions
Compensating for the two losses was the news of two additions to the Bridgeport roster. First marked the return of free agent Tyce Thompson. The Islanders acquired the 25-year-old Thompson last season in a trade that sent Arnaud Durandeau to the New Jersey Devils. He recorded three goals and 11 assists in 51 games with Bridgeport in his first season. Thompson is the younger brother of Buffalo Sabres star Tage Thompson and the son of former Bridgeport head coach Brent Thompson. Tyce has 11 games of NHL experience, recording one assist throughout.
The next addition was 24-year-old center Liam Foudy. Foudy was the 18th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, playing predominantly with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He managed a lengthy stay in the pros but never was much of a producer, only recording 22 points across 102 games played. And most of those came during his career year in 2022-23, where he scored seven goals and seven assists. Despite his lack of point production, Foudy has been praised for his speed. At worst, he’ll stay with Bridgeport for the year and fill the void left by Koivula’s departure. But there’s also a lot of potential for him to get playing time in the NHL should the Islanders need extra depth.
An Infamous Logo Makes It’s Return
On the side of non-player-related news, the Bridgeport Islanders announced a major branding change. They’ll be reviving the infamous fisherman as their primary logo for the 2024-25 season. The fisherman only lasted two seasons in the NHL, starting in the 1995-96 season and ending in 1996-97 season. Fans resented the logo as the Islanders’ sought to replace the iconic logo they won four straight Stanley Cups under. It also represented an ugly time in the Islanders’ history, a time when every facet of the franchise was failing miserably.
That being said, Islanders fans who lived through that period have harbored a deep hatred for the fisherman that’s lasted to this day. However, another sector of younger fans grew fond of the “retro” logo and willed it back to existence. It got so popular that the Islanders created a new, reverse retro version of the jersey that the team wore for six games in the 2022-23 season. Bringing the fisherman to Bridgeport seems to be the team’s way of keeping the logo around for its supporters but out of the NHL spotlight with respect to its opponents. The fisherman logo will make its re-debut on October 12th for the Bridgeport Islanders’ home opener.
Featured image courtesy of NHL.com
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