The planned makeover of the Islanders’ AHL outfit took a necessary step forward Monday as Rocky Thompson was named head coach in Bridgeport.
The 47-year-old Thompson spent the last five seasons in the NHL, three as an assistant coach for the Flyers and two as an associate coach for the Sharks.
Prior to that, Thompson was a head coach with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves and the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, winning a championship with the latter and reaching the Calder Cup Final with the former.
The Islanders are in desperate need of a turnaround with their minor league club, where the entire coaching staff was let go after an embarrassing 15-50-4-3 record this season that included just four wins at home.
After former GM Lou Lamoriello traded away first-round picks in four consecutive drafts, the culture and the standard at Bridgeport were allowed to atrophy.
Now, the Islanders hold the top pick in this week’s draft and have other rising prospects in Cole Eiserman, Danny Nelson and Isaiah George.
While it’s possible — if not likely — that none of those four start next season in Bridgeport, the situation cannot be ignored any longer.
“I believe in developing in a winning environment [in the AHL],” new GM Mathieu Darche said at his introductory press conference. “It doesn’t mean you’re gonna win every year. The AHL’s one of the toughest places to coach because you have your injuries, you have the NHL injuries, there’s various factors, teams trade draft picks, you don’t have as many prospects.
“I believe in developing and winning. The AHL will definitely be a focus for me. Your players have to be ready cause let’s face it, every team needs players called up during the year.”
