The last hurdle for the Bridgeport Islanders relocation has been cleared as the AHL’s Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve the relocation of the New York Islanders’ affiliate to Hamilton, Ontario.
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The formal vote follows an announcement earlier this month that the New York Islanders planned to move its affiliate currently located in Bridgeport, Connecticut to Hamilton. The team will begin play at the newly renovated TD Coliseum starting next fall.
The team does not yet have a name or a logo, but can now formally begin the process of preparing for its inaugural season.
AHL hockey last was played in Hamilton in 2015 with the Hamilton Bulldogs. That team had existed as an affiliate first for the Edmonton Oilers and later the Montreal Canadiens beginning in 1996.
TD Coliseum is set to open later this year, finalizing a $300 million investment into upgrading the building formerly known as Copps Coliseum, which opened in 1985.
The building has been home to multiple iconic events including the famed 1987 Canada Cup that featured the most famous goal in that tournament’s history when Wayne Gretzky found Mario Lemieux for a winning goal against the Soviet Union.
The Coliseum has also hosted Canada’s Memorial Cup, the 1991 Canada Cup and several WWE events including the inaugural Royal Rumble in 1988.
The AHL’s approval also includes moving the team from the Atlantic Division to the North Division. That will move the Atlantic Division to seven teams, while pushing the North to eight teams.
Currently for the Calder Cup Playoffs, five teams qualify from the North Division with one series in the first round and the top three teams in the division earning byes to the best-of-five division semifinals. In the Atlantic, only two teams receive the first-round bye, with two best-of-three series played in the first round for a total of six teams in the division reaching the playoffs.
The Calder Cup Playoffs in its current format includes 23 teams. There is no indication yet how or if the postseason format will change with the new configuration, but one could reasonably assume the two divisions will swap their current setups.
The Bridgeport Islanders will play their final regular-season home game on Sunday, April 12 against its interstate rival, the Hartford Wolf Pack. They will close the season with three games on the road, concluding with the Hershey Bears on April 18.
The Isles are currently in position to earn one of the six available playoff spots in the Atlantic Division, sitting fifth in the division standings.
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