Islanders approved for minor-league move to Ontario from Bridgeport
The Bridgeport Sound Tigers prepare for a game on Dec. 22, 2012, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Credit: Getty Images/Jeff Zelevansky
BUFFALO – It’s official: The Islanders’ AHL affiliate is in its final days in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
The NHL’s top minor league announced on Tuesday its board of governors had unanimously approved the relocation of the franchise, which is owned by the Islanders, to Hamilton, Ontario, for the 2026-27 season.
The AHL also announced the Islanders’ affiliate will switch to the North Division from the Atlantic Division next season. The team has eight regular-season games remaining as it battles to qualify for the AHL playoffs, which it has not done since 2022.
The Islanders confirmed season-long speculation on March 19 that the franchise would be relocated, pending AHL approval. The Islanders also said that day a team nickname and logo for the Hamilton franchise would be announced after the relocation was formally approved.
The team will move from the 10,000-seat Total Mortgage Arena to the 18,000-seat TD Coliseum in Hamilton, which recently underwent a $300 million renovation. That facility is operated by Oak View Group, which also developed and built UBS Arena.
The Islanders have had their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport since the AHL granted the city an expansion team in 2001. The team was known as the Sound Tigers until 2021, when it was renamed the Islanders. The Islanders purchased the Bridgeport club in 2004.
Bridgeport was the Islanders’ seventh AHL affiliate city — and its longest served — since they joined the NHL in 1972.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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